Now who's being naive?
Posted on 07/15/2005 11:29:25 AM PDT by nypokerface
JACKSON, Miss. - A Christian adoption agency that receives money from Choose Life license plate fees said it does not place children with Roman Catholic couples because their religion conflicts with the agency's "Statement of Faith."
Bethany Christian Services stated the policy in a letter to a Jackson couple this month, and another Mississippi couple said they were rejected for the same reason last year.
"It has been our understanding that Catholicism does not agree with our Statement of Faith," Bethany 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."
The agency is based in Grand Rapids, Mich., and has offices in 30 states, including three in Mississippi. Its Web site does not refer to any specific branch of Christianity.
Stewart told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger that the board will review its policy, but she didn't specify which aspects will be addressed.
The Web site says all Bethany staff and adoptive applicants personally agree with the faith statement, which describes belief in the Christian Church and the Scripture.
"As the Savior, Jesus takes away the sins of the world," the statement says in part. "Jesus is the one in whom we are called to put our hope, our only hope for forgiveness of sin and for reconciliation with God and with one another."
Sandy Steadman said she was hurt and disappointed that Bethany received funds from the Choose Life car license plates. "I know of a lot of Catholics who get those tags," she said.
She added: "If it's OK to accept our money, it should be OK to open your home to us as a family."
Bethany is one of 24 adoption and pregnancy counseling centers in Mississippi that receives money from the sale of Choose Life tags, a special plate that motorists can obtain with an extra fee.
Of $244,000 generated by the sale of the tags in 2004, Bethany received $7,053, said Geraldine Gray, treasurer of Choose Life Mississippi, which distributes the money.
"It is troubling to me if they are discriminating based on only the Catholics," Gray said.
Whereby we get the name "CHRISTIAN" adoption agency. Not Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim.
Putting their obsession with their own personally cherished heresies above Christian cooperation in the war against abortion.
Um...Catholics ARE Christians.
Oh, so Catholics aren't Christians?
Catholics are Christians, you lunatic.
I bet Catholic adoption agencies receive funds also...although I doubt the Catholics descriminate against other Christians.
As a Roman Catholic, I'm not supposed to get offended with such a question.
Fortunately, more and more Protestants are realizing that they are not the only Christians. Christianity has tree main branches, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant.
If so, I suggest you do some reading up on things.
Of course not. You can't be a Christian unless you own a copy of The Prayer of Jabez or have been personally healed by Benny Hinn.
Wow. You have a lot of anger against non-Cathoilc Christians.
Will they make an exception if a Catholic promises to name their kid "Skeeter" or "Bubba"? Unfriggin-believable.
LOL!
Uh, you are kidding right? Every branch of Christianity that exists today as an organized religion traces itself directly back to Catholicism. You are ignorant if you think Catholicism isn't Christianity.
Sounds like legalism to me.
Most agencies/countries won't let you adopt if you're too old. (35 is usually the cutoff).
I do recall a religious test for one agency - and I think (don't quote me on this) it was Catholic Charities. I believe they only accepted Catholic prospective parents. But please don't take this as gospel, it's been many years. I'll look it up and post it, if I can find it.
Not really. I get along quite famously with normal people.
Venal "name it and claim it" individuals who tell me I have no relationship with my Lord and Savior do tend get under my skin, though.
Catholics most certainly are Christians. You realize that other denominations broke off from the Catholic Church, right? Was Martin Luther not Christian until the Reformation? I don't understand your position.
I am afraid that these ignorant people are the ones who give Christians a bad name. They are bigots without even taking the time to understand what they are talking about.
Now who's being naive?
Good thing I was done drinking my cup of coffee or my computer screen would have been splashed with java!
Down, boy.
;-)
Ping.
That is an ignorant statement.
I see. So non-Catholic Christians are not normal people.
Venal "name it and claim it" individuals who tell me I have no relationship with my Lord and Savior do tend get under my skin, though.
Like I said, you have a lot of anger.
then why isn't it called the Catholic Adoption agency. That's my only point you tolerant and diverse people LOL
Banner day in FR, huh?
Last I checked, Catholic Charities helps all of God's children, not just some, like this outfit.
Why can't we all just get along? I heard that somewhere.
Cultural Diversity StatementBethany believes that ethnic and cultural diversity is taught and commanded by God and that as Christians, we have a responsibility to reach out to each other across racial, cultural, and ethnic boundaries, to further his Kingdom.
In addition, we believe that cultural diversity and cultural competence within our staff and boards are strengths that protects children, empower individuals to grow, and helps Bethany achieve excellence.
Our Commitments
Bethany will openly support and hold each other accountable for adhering to these principals:
- Bethany will serve children and families, regardless of their cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds.
- Bethany will expand the knowledge of its board members, staff, and clients regarding cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity.
- Bethany will recruit board members and hire staff who affirm the value and equality of individuals from all cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.
- Bethany will be culturally and racially diverse and sensitive in all its forms of communication, both internal and external.
I'm having a difficult time finding the part that is supposedly contradicted by Catholicism.
Well, some of us are "heretics," you see..........
The Catholic Church started Christianity. How is it not "Christian."
I have personal reasons to know that this is not Bethany's national policy. The director mentioned in the staory is a local director in that area, and they are given a lot of leway in how they run their branches. I think she's gonna get slapped after this hits the fan.
The Betahny office here adopts out to all Christians, I personally know Catholics who have adopted from them, multiple times.
So, in other words, they're fishing for converts by exploiting children whose parents don't want them, or are dead?
I am not crazy about their Statement of Faith, in that they put reconciliation with one another right next to reconciliation with God. Frankly, do my mind, it is possible to reconcile with one another outside of the action of Christ, albeit more difficult. No way this should be placed next to the central place of reconciliation with God.
But since it is their statement, maybe they should put it into practice and reconcile themselves with Catholics.
check this out!
That's the exact opposite of what I said.
Like I said, you have a lot of anger.
Again, when I am directly insulted by someone like jw777 I don't like it.
If someone says to me "you're about thus and such" I have no problem. When someone tells me that unless I follow their own personal idiosyncracies in worshipping Jesus I am not really worshipping Jesus, the I get a little annoyed.
I see no such implication in wideawake's comments. You are the one making that assumption. I also understand wideawake's "anger" towards people who act this way. I think Christians who proseltyze to Catholics, making the claim they aren't "saved yet" because they don't believe and worship the way they do, are either ignorant, arrogant, or both.
They did not discriminate against me when I sought their assisstance with adoption and I am not Catholic. The adoption didn't take place for other reasons but the Catholic agency was very helpful.
They are the only agency locally that I am aware of that is doing something positive about the abortion abomination. They council teens not to abort but to let the baby live and they will care for it and find it a home.
They get this Baptists donations.
Catholics are Christians.
And you are an anti-catholic bigot! And you have long nose hair too! And your voice smells! Your toes are too loud! Lemme see...
I grew up amidst the vicious anti-Catholicism of some protestants (especially the non-denominationals), the Masons and the KKK. I thank them now for it only made me more resolute in my faith. So it doesn't surprise me at all that this so-called Christian agency has taken this stance.
Why is an agency that receives state money discriminating on the basis of religion anyway?
Have you seen the Protestant "rosary"? It's a bracelet with each phrase of the "Prayer of Jabez" on a separate little link. One of my co-workers had a magazine that had a full-page ad for that on the back cover.
I would disagree with this statement, although I would agree that a Christian adoption agency has no excuse for not placing a child with a Catholic family.
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, God’s Son. The Scriptures tell us that we receive forgiveness of sins by faith in Jesus Christ, and that God provides salvation by grace alone for those who repent and believe.
You know the drill.
Really? He/she is the one who played the "heresy" card.
I think Christians who proseltyze to Catholics, making the claim they aren't "saved yet" because they don't believe and worship the way they do, are either ignorant, arrogant, or both.
I tend to agree. Of course, the same may be said for Catholics who insist that salvation may be obtained only through the Catholic Church.
You started this on purpose, didn't you?
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