Posted on 01/03/2005 7:46:31 AM PST by Catholic54321
COSTA MESA, Calif. -- Some parents and parishioners have accused the Roman Catholic diocese in Orange County of violating church doctrine by allowing a gay couple to enroll their children in a church school.
The group demanded that St. John the Baptist School in Costa Mesa accept only families that pledge to abide by Catholic teachings, the Los Angeles Times reported in Sunday's editions. Church doctrine opposes gay relationships and adoption by same-sex couples.
"The teachings of the church seem to have been abandoned," John R. Nixon told the Times. "We send our children to a Catholic school because we expect and demand that the teachings of our church will be adhered to."
School officials rejected the demand, and issued a new policy stating that a family's background "does not constitute an absolute obstacle to enrollment in the school."
The parents' demand would presumably prevent two adopted boys whose parents are both men from attending the school's kindergarten.
The Rev. Gerald M. Horan, superintendent of diocese schools, said that if Catholic beliefs were strictly adhered to, then children whose parents divorced, used birth control or married outside the church would also have to be banned.
"This is the quagmire that the parents' position represents," he said. "It's a slippery slope to go down."
The boys' parents, who enrolled their children at the beginning of the school year, declined to comment to the Times.
Some parents have promised to ask the Vatican to intervene and some have threatened to pull their children from the school. Others are worried the boys' attendance will set a precedent, saying their presence is part of a larger effort by the gay community to change the church.
"The boys are being used as pawns by these men to further their agenda," said Monica Sii, who has four children at the school.
Perhaps not yet.
Check back on Thursday.
This is a tough call. The child hasn't done anything wrong, and may benefit from hearing the Catholic Church's viewpoint on homosexuality, which he/she certainly won't get at home or in a public school. But, will allowing him in then serve as an entrance for the parents to scream to the state or ACLU about homophobia or intolerance as soon as a teacher brings it up? Also, I can see the other parents' view that allowing the child in is seen as a tacit approval of the lifestyle; but I can't understand why two homosexuals would choose to send "their" child to a Catholic school (or any denomination other than Anglican/Episcopalian). As usual, a child will be caught in the middle of adults' problems.
These are some of the problems created by homosexual adoption. At its core, it is blasphemous, cruel and abusive.
IMO all schools should be private and non-religious. The moral upbringing of children is the responsibility of parents and the church community to provide.
I greatly appreciate Catholics' strong stand against abortion and homosexual "marriage." But I think parochial schools can create more problems than benefits.
IMO you don't find "angry" Protestants or Jews; just indifferent ones. But there's an enormous amount of "angry" Catholics who've been reared in parochial schools.
Opening Catholic school doors to homosexual parents in one more reason for parents to be wary and vigilant, wherever their children are taught.
So you think, in this case, visiting the sins of the parents upon the children is appropriate?
I think there would be less damage done by sending the two boys to public school than by opening the doors of the Catholic school to homosexual parents.
Again, these are only some of the many problems that will follow this decision.
And I do not believe people are so naive as to not realize this. There are some in Catholic schools and churches, as well as in public schools and Presbyterian churches and on every street corner in America who want these problems shoved in your face, my face and our children's faces.
All homosexual adoption is child abuse. And the gay agenda is bolder than many can even imagine.
In public schools today, eight-year-olds learn how to put condoms on bananas. My advice to all parochial school parents -- hide the fruit.
As for homosexual adoption, I don't think one's sexuality should be the primary criteria, but rather a loving and stable household for the child. There are plenty of heterosexuals who live in sin and mistreat/abuse the children they have and/or adopt.
As for homosexual adoption, I don't think one's sexuality should be the primary criteria, but rather a loving and stable household for the child.
Thanks for your concurrence on the first point! I do have a different view on this point though, at the current moment, there's such a long waiting list for children to adopt (parents lining up for the chance to adopt). As long as this is the case, I'd show a strong preference for stable, married, heterosexual couples. Once we get to the point where we're desperate for parents, I would consider the conversation, but that seems a long ways off.
[Note: I'm not sure of the case with children in foster homes etc., just basing it on the experiences of a family member who's been desperately trying to adopt for going on 2 years now.]
Owl_Eagle
"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in. I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"
Again, I agree with you in that I would also give adoption preference to loving, stable, hetero households. I was simply referring to a flat-out adoption denial to loving, stable, homo households, which I would consider to be wrong. Some may call it discrimination or treating homos as "second-class citizens," but I say adoption also requires moral considerations, based on Judeo-Christian principles of our country. Mixing Church and State? I don't think so, just using common sense.
I agree with that. I'd like to see more study and data (serious study and data) on children who grow up in a homo household rather than one with a mother and a father before we give in to the egalitarians. Personally, I think it's important for there to be a mother and father in the home.
Owl_Eagle
"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in. I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"
I agree, a home with a mom and dad best, having grown up in a very Cleaver-esque home myself. I'd just hate to see any child suffer in foster care or with a bad hetero family, having been denied the chance to live in a potentially good home simply because the "parents" were gay.
And therein lies the deception.
"Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence." -- Job 15:31.
I wonder just how Catholic this school is if it appealed to a homosexual couple. If the school were teaching sound doctrine, as few Catholic schools actually do, then I have a hard time seeing why it would appeal to a homo couple. Why would they send their "child" there only to be told daddy and daddy are living in sin? I would bet anything the school teaches watered down Catholicism, like the "catholic" schools I went to.
Add to this turmoil equal measures of fear, anxiety, guilt, remorse, pleasure, pain and it becomes a massive psychological problem.
The resulting homosexual adult is extremely contrary, due in great part to their unhappy and frustrating sexual confusion.
They want what they don't want; they have what they don't have. This malfunction of the normal maturation process into healthy adulthood causes endless conflict. They define themselves by the negative.
All homosexual adoption is child abuse. Nothing good will come from it.
Not sure I agree with the concerned parents here, though I can appreciate their opinion. Where do you draw the line? The article touches on it, but what about kids with pro-abortion parents, or kids born out of wedlock, or with parents who believe that priests should be married or that women should be priests? What about a kid with one orthodox Catholic parent, and an atheist or heterodox Catholic for the other? Do you punish the kid for the sins of the parent(s)?
If these men love their children,it would seem they would want their children to attend public schools or charter schools that were neutral or accepting of alternate life styles. Good parents want their children protected from hearing things that might upset them. Just as Solomon knew who the real mother of the baby was when he said he would cut the baby in half and give each mother their half, it should be clear to any reasonable,caring person that these 'parents' have little concern about tearing their boys in half.
The principal is placing the souls of the children and the parents in jeopardy by not using this apparent dilemma as an oppurtunity to show them that you cannot defy both God and nature and expect there will be no consequences. There are consequences and better they think about them now and pay the penalties in this world,rather than when it's too late and the penalty may be in the next world.
You may not agree with what I have said but it is Catholic teaching and reflects the mind of the Church. The beauty of this country is that if you don't believe what a religion teaches,you don't have to join it. They should find a group that approves of their life style and support it,I think there are a lot of places where they could be comfortable as would their boys.
If the school makes it clear that it will teach that homosexuality is a sin, I would not have a problem with it.
The fact that the head of the diocesan school system made the statement he did is tragic. I am referring to his statement about having to reject children whose parents were divorced,using birth control and more blah,blah,blah.
It demonstrates that he is sorely lacking in intelligence or holiness,probably both. Clearly he does not know the difference between public and private,nor does he understand the meaning of nature and contrary to nature.
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