A Church to be Allowed to Discriminate?

Catholic Bishops Want Catholic Charities to Stop Gay Adoptions

Bostonist was worried for a minute that gay marriage and related issues might stay out of the headlines for too long, but the good folks at the Catholic Church seldom let us down. The bishops of Massachusetts’s four archdioceses have announced their plan to seek an exemption for Catholic Charities from the state rule forbidding licensed adoption agencies from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation. As you might have guessed, Vatican policy states that adoption or foster care by gay couples “must be strongly rejected.” (Even though Catholic Charities has already placed 13 children with gay couples.)

The bishops are making a first amendment argument, saying that because this particular form of bigotry is motivated by religion, it should be immune to state regulation. The problem with that argument is that while Catholics do have a right to follow Vatican teachings and discriminate to their hearts’ content in their private affairs, they don’t have a right to place children for adoption. That’s something state government has control over and can regulate extensively, provided the regulations are aimed at protecting children. And Massachusetts courts recognized way back in 1983 that there was nothing inherently harmful to a child being raised by a gay parent.

Nevertheless, the bishops have retained a fancy law firm and are trying to figure out how best to keep children in need of care out of the dangerous hands of gay parents.

In the mean time, it might be wise for the Church to avoid getting into too close a reading of the adoption licensing regulations: In addition to requiring non-discrimination, the rules prevent giving a license to any organization that has “engaged in any . . . conduct, criminal or otherwise, [that impairs] the applicant’s or licensee’s ability to care for children.” Now, Bostonist doesn’t want to cast aspersions on the innumerable good works the Catholic Church has done, but their record’s a little spotty on reporting child sexual abuse by employees. {Source}

The best way to bring about a country which is not bigoted is to truly have a melting pot. Start with the children. There is less bigotry in the United States since we integrated the military, the workplace, the schools and the neighborhoods. Not where it should be, but it’s a start.

The best homes to place children and babies for adoption, is with any loving family. If you want to jump forward in becoming a nation which is as good as we can be, you must fight bigotry in it’s every form. After all, they say we are “all God’s children”. Then practice that.

It is terrible, that a Church which says it is The Church which Jesus, through Paul founded, is not following the preaching and life of Jesus. Jesus was a Liberal. I know that is fighting words to some. But if you study his life, his words and his beliefs, you can not say that he was Conservative. He fought against the establishment, both Church and State. He surrounded himself with the needy of the world. He taught compassion for all. He demanded of all of us that we take care of the poor, the widows, the orphans. He told us that we could not be rich and make it to heaven.

Any child will tell you that they would rather be adopted by any loving family, rather than be in the State Child Protective System. (Orphanages is what it is. Just not in one big building, but farmed out to whatever home willing to be paid to do the job. There are many which do this for love of the children and do a great job. But we should not judge the system by the best, but by the worst). The horror stories which we have all heard, (and we hear only a very small percentage of the truthful accounts) about this system, makes most of us cringe. We hate to think that our children would ever have to live in these conditions.

If we allow the Catholic Church an exemption from the anti-discrimination laws, who will demand the same exemption next? If something is wrong, it is always wrong!

What about my religious freedom? There are religions which believe in polygamy, in animal sacrifice, in human (babies?) sacrifice. These practices are not allowed. There are laws and rulings against the practicing of the beliefs of many religions. Religion, like speech, (can’t cry “Fire in a theatre” and now, you can not kid about a bomb) does not have total freedom. The Nation has to balance the Rights of the public at large against the Rights to practice your religion.

This is one of those decisions which requires a careful balancing. Let’s decide that we will do all that needs to be done, to bring our country to the fulfillment of our ideal. And in so doing, we will be helping to make more children happy. A child deserves loving parents! Parents who will take care of them.

As a child, I certainly did not think about, nor care what my parents did in the bedroom. Most of us, when we were old enough, were positive that our parents were too old to have sex. If we don’t make a big deal about people’s sexual orientation, the children will not either.

Children learn their bigotry in their homes and churches. We should not be teaching this

Jesus didn’t!