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.
Even Eastern Orthodox (who have *never* bowed to the pope) or coptic?
I think they are getting this from here
Jesus said, "If you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering" (Matthew 5:23-24).
I grew up Catholic and I seem to remember learning about how important confessing to a priest was..
Two thoughts:
(1)7 "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don't be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
(2) Catholics also say the Hail Mary most every mass
I have come across so many evangelicals who think we do not know Christ, and why he died, and that he is our salvation!
Ill be the first to say that I don't know if *you* know him or not. I will say that the Catholic focus on sacrament is misplaced. And some of the doctrine about Mary as a co-redeemer is disturbing to say the least (and most defiantly not God centered) while Catholics will point out the pope has said that all missionaries are co redeemers we don't pray to them. speaking of praying to people Praying to saints is *EXTREEMELY* problematic.
As I said there will be Catholics in heaven and in hell, they will be joined by baptist in both places. But catholic sacraments mean *nothing* and distract from Jesus..
Then why all the prayer to her?
SO when the Catholic church was selling indulgences that was valid because of the roots of the Church?
"Discrimination is a practice hard to die in the South". Now we progress from Protestants and Catholics bashing each other to Yankees bashing the South. I suppose there is no prejudice or discrimination in the North.
The fact is you should not pray to anyone but God *even if that prayer is for intersession*...
If they are dead *NO*... If they are alive it should be encouraged..
Roman Catholics don't differentiate between asking for prayers hear on Earth and from those who have passed into the next life.
And in doing so they impart the God only aspect of omnipresence to dead people. (albeit very good people).
1) If repetition is undesirable in a prayer, you have a problem with most of the Psalms. If your text is intended, not to criticize repetition of words but to accuse Catholics of not meaning what they say, you're out of line.
2) What exactly do you think a "sacrament" is? Do you think the sacraments as defined by the Catholics are delusions and not real occasions of God's action? Because if they are REAL, then focusing on them is perfectly appropriate. You say they mean "nothing", so you'd better explain WHEN the sacraments the Catholic church celebrates stopped meaning anything (or, if they never meant anything, you'd better explain when the sacraments of YOUR church started to mean something).
3) Please identify the actual "co-redeemer" doctrine you take issue with. Mary's role in our salvation is simply that without her "fiat" to God, Jesus would not have been born. This is an essential role, but that doesn't make her equal to Jesus. I can't tell whether there is a specific teaching of the Catholic church about this that you claim is false, or whether the teaching you claim is false is not the actual doctrine. Please elaborate.
4) *Sigh* You Protestants never seem to get this point no matter how often it is explained. We Catholics believe that saints exist, now, in heaven (not that heaven is empty of human souls until the final resurrection on the last day). Just as you may ask a friend to pray for something that is important to you, you may ask a saint to pray. A saint cannot GRANT a prayer, just as your friend can't; you are not praying TO your friend when you ask him to pray for you, nor are you "praying to" a saint when you ask the saint to pray for you. To reject this, you must either believe that saints are not, yet, in heaven, or else that they cannot ever hear anything we say to them, or else that in heaven they never pray, or else that it is inappropriate to ask someone else to pray for you.
Someone in heaven is alive, not dead. Do you believe that heaven is not yet populated with any human souls?
If people all over the world can send you an email that doesn't make you omnipresent, it just makes you reachable.
If you believe that heaven is organized in such a way that its human inhabitants are unable to see or be aware of anything that happens on Earth, then you are correct that intercessory prayer is futile; but I don't see how you can justify that belief. it does not follow from "omnipresence is an attribute of God alone", that the "presence" of a saint in heaven is so limited that no information from Earth can become known to the saint. You don't have to be aware of every place at every time in order to be aware of a single person in a particular place at a particular time.
Hey where did I say it was undesirable, I quoted to you scripture take from it what you wish.
What exactly do you think a "sacrament" is? Do you think the sacraments as defined by the Catholics are delusions and not real occasions of God's action?
Question 1) Catholic sac's are Baptism, First Communion (in the catholic church), Confirmation (in the catholic church), Marriage (in the catholic church), Last Rights, Confession (to a priest)
Question 2) All things are actions of God! how many times was Pharaoh ready to conceded when *God* hardend his heart!
Mary's role in our salvation is simply that without her "fiat" to God, Jesus would not have been born
I see God needed Mary right?
We Catholics believe that saints exist, now, in heaven (not that heaven is empty of human souls until the final resurrection on the last day). Just as you may ask a friend to pray for something that is important to you, you may ask a saint to pray.
And are these saints omni-present?
To reject this, you must either believe that saints are not, yet, in heaven, or else that they cannot ever hear anything we say to them, or else that in heaven they never pray, or else that it is inappropriate to ask someone else to pray for you.
Bingo! I will add that you are using a saint as a medium to God and the Bible clearly states that such behavior is wrong.
And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped [him].
Now the word worship is comgin from is "proskuneo" which means kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication
Catholics pray to Mary because they were taught to..
Is it biblical? No..
But be prepared to argue over it 'til the cows come home.. :-)
Coredemptrix, which means "Woman with the Redeemer" who gave the word that meaning? After reading the replies to the unintentional firestorm I created by speculating that the theology of coredemptrix may not be completely understood by most Catholics, based on the threads here I am convinced that my assumption was correct. ie: Though many Catholics believe in the legitimacy of this title, it has not been defined as an article of faith.
Mary cannot and does not redeem us by herself. What can she do to add to the finished work of Christ on the cross? Was his death not sufficient in and of itself to redeem the world? Is not salvation a gift from God and not of works? I must admit I am more confused now than I was before I started reading the various explanations for the theological concept of co redemption.
Roy Schoeman, a Harvard Business School professional, Harvard, strike one, Professor, strike two, God did not reveal himself. For the next year, Mr. Schoeman prayed to this 'unknown' God asking Him to identify Himself. Interesting that this Harvard professor didn’t think to read the Bible. If you want to know God, the first place to start in my opinion would be the Bible. If you are a Muslim then read the Koran. If you are a Jew than read the Old Testament etc. Are not those sources primary?
It was Mary who drew Roy Schoeman to her Son. John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
"I am the Way, the TRUTH and the Life
John 14:5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
And now you know "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say.
Have you considered the Koine Greek meaninga of "Rock" in the following passage?
Matthew 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter, [ Peter means rock.] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [ Or hell] will not overcome it. [ Or not prove stronger than it]
It makes for a very interesting study.
Yea Im starting to see that..
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