Memorials to the Conference - Methodist Conference

Memorials to the Conference
(Present: 85; Voting: 76 for, 0 against)
requests that the Conference explore
with ecumenical partners raising with our
government our concerns over the control
and possible abuse of Riot as a threat to
personal freedom and privacy.
Reply
The Conference thanks the Liverpool Synod
for its memorial. The memorial raises
difficult questions about what is public and
what is private, and the rights over what lies
in between.
The growth of social media, internet
transactions and the use of mobile
technologies means that there are massive
amounts of data available which can help
build up a detailed picture of a person’s
behaviours, locations, activities and
preferences. There are concerns, such
as those expressed in this memorial, that
such data may be used by government or
private companies to infringe the privacy of
individuals.
It is important for individuals to recognise
that once they have an online presence,
they will create a significant amount of
data about themselves. Some of this can
be restricted by an active use of privacy
settings; much of it is hard to avoid.
Many people will feel uncomfortable about
having personal data freely available, and
particularly if such data may be mined and
exploited by commercial organisations.
There is, however, currently no jurisdiction
which can control the use of such data, nor
has the Connexional Team been able to
identify partners which have the necessary
expertise and knowledge to provide
proposals for developing such controls.
For the Team to engage meaningfully on
this issue with ecumenical partners or the
government would require it to develop a
wide body of knowledge and expertise which
would necessarily entail a disproportionate
use of time and resources. The Conference
judges that these resources should be used
to greater effect on other issues. Therefore,
whilst recognising the concerns of the
Liverpool District, the Conference regretfully
declines the memorial.
M35 Same sex marriage
In light of the February 2013 vote in the
House of Commons to allow same sex
marriage, the Rochdale and Littleborough
(6/4) Circuit Meeting (Present: 50; Voting:
43 for, 5 against) asks the Conference to
follow the line that has been laid down by
statute for the Church of England that same
sex marriages are not allowed on Methodist
premises.
Should same sex marriages be permitted
on Methodist premises, we ask that
no-one will be forced to carry out a legal
obligation that is contrary to their beliefs
and understanding of marriage as affirmed
by scripture.
Reply
The Conference thanks the Rochdale and
Littleborough Circuit Meeting for giving
consideration to this important matter. The
legal positions of the Church of England
and the Methodist Church in respect of the
1949 Marriages Act are very different in
that under certain provisions anyone has
38 Methodist Conference 2013