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.
Not necessarily
You're really itching to start something, aren't you? ;-)
It scares me you make no mention of the Bible.
Say what? Where the heck did you get that idea from? Give me some evidence please? I haven't heard that it was written by catholics. Who of the authors was catholic and how do you know they are?
Oh, get a life. The Catechism quotes from the Bible constantly.
I put the Bible as the final authority. Is Jesus more powerful than the Bible? Yes. Does he have more authority? yes. But the only way you can confirm something that is supposedly of God is to look to the bible
well said
Okay. How do you know? It makes you look arrogant when you randomly call someone a liar and contradict them when they speak of their upbringing. You have no grounds for contradicting him, other than personal bias.
Since when are we dissing his mom? My belief is that she was a servant of God. She gave birth to Jesus, and assisted him. That is all. She is not any better than anyone else that has been used by God. That is one of the more disturbing beliefs of the catholic faith, IMHO. And when you say the Bible fell from heaven, I assume you do not mean litteraly, because that is not so
You've contradicted yourself.
But the only way you can confirm something that is supposedly of God is to look to the bible
(1) Even the Bible itself does not make this claim.
(2) It is obvious to any observer that very learned and prayerful people often interpret the Bible in very different ways. They both have looked in the Bible and found different things.
Again, Jesus is the final authority.
Slugging through the first five books takes some will power
You have no proof that they are true. You said that because you disagree with him. Calling someone a liar because you disagree with them is rediculous.
Yes, but I still disagree
That's weird, and I disagree. She was full of grace. That is all. She is not superhuman, whe was a servant of God, that's all
I don't know who she is, but you are only guessing.
On the evidence. If you are an auto mechanic and a person makes several comments which reveal to you that they haven't the slightest idea of how a car works, you know they're lying.
It makes you look arrogant when you randomly call someone a liar and contradict them when they speak of their upbringing.
And I'm sure the auto mechanic looks like an arrogant know-it-all to the automotively illiterate.
You have no grounds for contradicting him, other than personal bias.
Indeed I have ample grounds for contradicting him - his own words demonstrate taht he knows nothing about the religion he claims to have been a member of.
What he's saying that the Church, through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, decided which books were divinely inspired. There were many other "epistles" and "gospels" circulating in Christian circles up until that time.
From your comments, it looks like Mr. "Very Intelligent" still has some learning to do.
Argue with the Greeks. It's their word, not mine.
Which means?
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