A Christian adoption agencyt in Mississippi is discriminating against Catholics because it says they can’t abide by the agency’s Statement of Faith. Unfortunately no one can actually tell us what the conflict is apart from the fact that the agency is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The agency also receives funds from Choose Life license plates in the state.
It has been our understanding that Catholicism does not agree with our Statement of Faith,” Bethany’s state director Karen Stewart wrote. “Our practice to not accept applications from Catholics was an effort to be good stewards of an adoptive applicant’s time, money and emotional energy.”
Sandy and Robert Steadman, who learned of Bethany’s decision in a July 8 letter, said their priest told them the faith statement did not conflict with Catholic teaching.
Loria Williams of nearby Ridgeland said she and her husband, Wes, had a similar experience when they started to pursue an adoption in September 2004.
“I can’t believe an agency that’s nationwide would act like this,” Loria Williams said. “There was an agency who was Christian based but wasn’t willing to help people across the board.”
This is the deep South after all and anti-Catholicism still exists in certain places, despite our common cause on issues like abortion and adoption. So sad to see these divisions still exist when so many kids need good homes.
The sad thing is that in some places, devout Catholics are discriminated against in adoption by radical secularists too. If this isn’t evil, I don’t know what is.
Kelly: I got an iMac G5, 17”/2 GHz/Superdrive … etc. Boy, is it fast!
ELC: Heh, heh
Dale: If by thallium, you mean treadmill, then yes. Actually, I asked for it from my doctor after my brother’s heart attack. Better to be safe than sorry.
Well, Dom, I hate to drive up your blood pressure, but… you’d better pick up today’s Boston Herald, and turn to page 15. The selectmen in Scituate are up to no good.
The Steadman’s priest, bless his heart, must not have actually read that SoF very carefully. Chances are he is not from down here, either. Yes, this is sad. It’s also typical. Not many of our separated brethren in the Bible Belt want to be unequally yoked with idol worshippers, which is how they see us.
When my children were younger, I must have read at least two dozen Statements of Faith from various homeschool support groups in the several southern states where we’ve lived. There was not one that I could sign in good conscience.
Where we now live, Catholics make up less than 3% of the population. On this evening’s local news, one of the lead stories was about how the Catholic Church is attempting to increase collections by encouraging illegal immigrants. I have no doubt that tomorrow I will be confronted by at least 10 people demanding that I, as their local token Catholic, explain this outrage. Not one of these “good Christians” would ever think that the story might be wrong. Nor would they believe that we’re Christians “too.” The us vs. them attitude encountered by those prospective adoptive parents is all too common in these parts.
Demand immediate remedy from the MS chapter of the ACLU!
By the way, has the local Bishop addressed this issue? Or is he trying to be ‘pastoral’ toward his ‘seperated bretheren’?
Let me try that without playing with the typefaces (and if Dom could delete that last post o’ mine) …
Yeah, the statement of faith pretty clearly excludes Catholics and has a bunch of coded terms (first stated baldly and helpfully explained and elaborated on by VJM):
“I believe that in all matters of faith and life, the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the final authority. The scriptures point us with full reliability to Jesus, Goddhprice2@hotmail.com
http://dprice.blogspot.com
64.35.225.1
2005-07-15 14:15:26
2005-07-15 18:15:26
Ah, yes—the thallium stress test. You’ll hate it, but it’ll be over in a few minutes.
God bless on that one—mine turned out well a few years back. Just keep in mind that Drs. tend to be very cautious and will order it in cases where they just want to cover all the bases.
Galactica! Finally—I was going through withdrawal.
Woo-woo, Dom o’ mine! Cool, ain’t it? I didn’t know they made ‘em with 2 GHz…I’ve only got 1.6. (“Only,” sheesh…am I spoiled or what???)
Wait until somebody comes in and asks where your “computer” is…it’s hoot! Congratulations!