Southern Baptists have banished two congregations for accepting homosexuals and set in motion a precedent-setting change in bylaws to exclude other churches that do the same in the future.

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Both measures were strongly approved Tuesday at a convention of the 15.2-million-member church, the country's largest Protestant denomination. The change in bylaws must be ratified again next year to go into effect.In mandating the ouster of any church that "acts to affirm, approve or endorse homosexual behavior," the church is departing from its long tradition of allowing congregations autonomy.

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