Adoption Agency Rejects Catholic Parents

AP ^ | July 15, 2005

[teacherwoes]

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."

[kingu]

Look, mommy, the liberal media found a reason to get all faith based agencies a bad name!

[muir_redwoods]

I think the issue would be their acceptance of state money. If a sinle faith agency wanted to limit adoption to their own church members, I have no fault to find with that but accepting state money from license plate fees probably binds them to accept all applicants who otherwise qualify. IMHO

[pa mom]

There's another thread on this. Check it out, it's getting good in there.

[tfecw]

Hmm not once did they let you know what this "faith statement" is or how Catholics violate it.

[InterestedQuestioner]

Thanks for posting. Is there a way we can discuss this so that well meaning Christians don't end up fighting with each other? I personally think a misunderstanding lies at the heart of this matter.

Perhaps we could begin from a point of common ground. Firstly, Bethany is doing a good thing by helping children to be adopted.

[InterestedQuestioner]

Hoping that this can be used for what it is, a good opportunity for discussion and reconcilliation.

[teacherwoes]

I would agree the issue is acceptance of state money. One would suspect they are in violation of state anti-discrimantion laws.

[OKIEDOC]

My thoughts also about this post.

A lot to do about nothing.

[marshmallow]

Currently being flogged to death HERE.

[siunevada]

I want to think they misunderstand what the Catholic Church believes.

"It has been our understanding that Catholicism does not agree with our Statement of Faith," Bethany's state director Karen Stewart wrote.

The agency's 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. It does not refer to any specific branches of Christianity.

"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."

No problem there. I can't get into their website to get the whole thing.

[Sam Gamgee]

So deviants like Rosie O’Donnell can adopt children but not a man and a woman with a foundation in God?

[Salvation]

**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."**

Huh??????

[Salvation]

**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.**

I want to know what their Statement of Faith is!

[Bainbridge]

Is this a private adoption agency? Do we not support their rights to uphold their own statement of faith?
I am going to venture a guess that as an evangelical( read protestant, bible believing ) organization they hold different views on several key points of theology than do Roman Catholics. It is telling,and just a bit ironic, that they had to ask their priest if the statement conflicted with their beliefs!

[Natchez Hawk]

Look, kiddo, some zealot is using the liberal media to defend anti-Catholic bigotry!

[Keyes2000mt]

I'm not a Catholic, but I believe Bethany's wrong. Its time for them to get out of the 17th century.

[teacherwoes]

Here are parts their statements of faith that might contradict their teachings; followed by what Catholics believe.

#1) I believe that God, by His grace, provided redemption and restoration in Jesus Christ for all who repent and believe. As the Savior, Jesus takes away the sins of the world. 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.

Catholics believe in the Sacrament of Penance (often called Confession).

#2) 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.

Catholics believe that Scripture and Tradition are co-equal.

[MSSC6644]

It is telling,and just a bit ironic, that they had to ask their priest if the statement conflicted with their beliefs!

The point is that "their beliefs," refer to the beliefs taught by the Catholic Church.

If you believe in absolute Truth, then it makes sense to have someplace one can go to determine what that Truth is, in all cases. If you believe that you can determine, based on your own experience or your own reading of scripture, the Truth, then that "truth" is relative -- not absolute.

This is one of the basic causes of the reformation. Protestant sects continually come up with new interpretations of Scripture and tradition. Therefore, they have to keep changing their dogma. But traditional Catholics adhere to the beliefs of the Church as promulgated by the Pope, the magesterium and the Bible as interpreted by the Church.

Many Catholics are not aware of "Truth" in all cases, and so they have a source, based on 2000 years of study, reading of Scripture and thought to help guide them. I see no irony here, just a simple recognition that each individual cannot know everything innately, but must have a source for knowledge and information.

[Bainbridge]

"...each individual cannot know everything innately but must have a source for knowledge and information".
Well, nothing to argue with their. I have no intention of nailing 95 theses on your door here. That is another discussion. My intention was to point out that as a ministry with a statement of faith they are well within their rights to adhere to it. Should that statement reflect a theology that holds the Bible to be the only rule of faith and practice, the absolute standard as it were, then members of a church who do not subscribe to this precise belief can be excluded. The use of the word "sect" in referring to people who would simply call themselves Christian is a pejorative. I believe that Roman Catholics are free to believe anything they wish. I would hope they would allow others the same right. Truth be told, would a traditionalist Roman Catholic organization allow a member of a " sect" to take advantage of an adoption service that they operated? In my experience, they would be as proprietary as the Bethany group may have been and would be well within their rights.