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.
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
This is absolutely correct .... No one comes to the Father except through Christ. Sometimes, the more 'resistant' need a little help. That is where Mary comes in. She draws people to her Son. Mary always points to her Son, as exemplified in this icon.
He is the source of salvation, not Mary.
Isn't that Benny Hill? LOL
What some people seem to forget is that all protestant religions are an off shoot of the Catholicism.
Perfect agreement with Catholic doctrine.
What Jesus said next is the most misused verse in the entire New Testament.
(Mat 16:18 KJV) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Perfect agreement with Catholic doctrine.
Peter and Rock. Is Peter the rock spoken of here, or is the IMPORTANT POINT THAT GOD REVEALED TO PETER the rock?
Behind the Greek text of Matthew 16:17–19 there was an Aramaic conversation, and in the conversation there would have been no distinction between the terms representing petros and petra. In both cases, the same word—kepha (from which we get "Cephas")—would have been used. Hermeneutically, one should read a translation text in harmony with the language that underlies it since the translation is simply a means to understanding what originally was said. Consequently, Jesus’ statement in Aramaic—"You are kepha and on this kepha I will build my Church"—should be decisive for our interpretation.
We have absolutely no evidence of what language Jesus spoke, only evidence of what language the Bible was written in
According to the Bible, Jesus spoke Aramaic.
"He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, "So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas which means Peter." (John 1:42 RSV) [Note: Cephas is an Aramaic name, Peter is a Greek name]
"And He said, "Abba [the Aramaic word for Father], Father, all things are possible to Thee; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what Thou wilt." (Mark 14:36 RSV) (see The Fateful Night)
"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried [in Aramaic] with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabach-thani?" which means, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34 RSV)
"Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward Him and cried out (in Aramaic), "Rabboni!" which means Teacher." (John 20:16 NIV)
Aramaic was evident throughout Bible History.
I personally believe Jesus spoke Hebrew.
In the period between the writing of the Old and New Testaments HEBREW was replaced as the everyday language of the Jews by Aramaic. But the rabbis continued to use Hebrew in their learned deliberations, as we see from the Mishnah, the book of law written in that language.
Hebrew and Aramaic
For 2,000 years, theologians have studied authentic biblical texts but - Race Bannon disagrees with them. That is why there are 30,000+ protestant sects.
Essentially, Race, your argument has justified why Christ chose Peter to be the kepha on which His church would be built. Thank you!
I said "Aramaic was the common language spoken among the Jews in the time of Jesus. Not Hebrew." I never said "EVERYTHING was in Aramaic." My entire series of posts suggests just the opposite - that most people of the time were bilingual, and some trilingual, but that Aramaic was the "heart language" of the people (as the author of the article I cited puts it.)
It's useless to argue with you because you just make stuff up as you go along. I'm done.
>>So in the hail mary youre praying for her to pray for us? welcome to the dpt of redundancy dept..<<
Smug and smarta$$ is not going to get you anywhere. I want as many souls praying for me as possible. You can wing it alone, I'm not. Joe Blow up the street can be asked or Mary the Mother of Jesus can be asked. I take all I can get.
>>The fact is you should not pray to anyone but God *even if that prayer is for intersession*...<<
Ok. You're on your own. Best of Luck to you.
what are you talking about?...I've been a Catholic for 20 years and was NOT taught to pray to Mary and I have never once prayed to Mary.
you are sorely misinformed (at best)
No, we don't.
But catholic sacraments mean *nothing* and distract from Jesus.
Which ones? Baptism? Marriage? Communion? Jesus didn't seem to think so.
BTW what did Jesus say about infant Baptism?
One was scripture, they other was my experience growing up Catholic. One may be wrong on the whole (my experience) the other is the Devine..
"this assumes Mary in omni present which is a God only attribute!"
It does not. It was on Mary's cue, that God began his public ministry. It's manifest, that she holds the deep concerns of her Son. At the banquet she said the same thing as is found in Matt 17, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!". The 2 are one in Spirit.
John 8:56
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
Now if Abraham saw Jesus's day, can you tell us why Mary would not see your day?
" The fact is you should not pray to anyone but God *even if that prayer is for intersession*..."
What is prayer, are you not talking to God? Is a prayer thread forbidden?
No one comes to the Father except through Christ. Sometimes, the more 'resistant' need a little help. Are you saying that an all powerful God, all knowing, and an all merciful and loving God needs supernatural help to draw humanity to Himself?
I believe that God works through His children here on earth to draw non-believers to Him. Christ gave to some the gift the evangelizing. Eph 4:11 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,”
He is the source of salvation, not Mary. I would say that Christ is not only the source, but He is salvation: Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
I honor Mary as I do the Apostles who gave their lives for their faith, but I pray according to the example that Christ gave us. ie: to the Father (God) in His (Christ's) name. Which is not to say that there is a formula for prayer. I choose to pray to God as if I were speaking to Him in His presence, but I am quite sure that God, being merciful, all loving and just considers the condition of ones faith in Him important, and perhaps more important that the words.
John 16:24 "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."
James 4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Pardon my entering your discussion, but this is a huge leap - to say that Mary draws people to her son. It is a leap apart from scripture - icon or no. And it is emblamatic of the troubles Catholics have with theology and why a group like Bethany has a doctrinal statement that they know you don't agree with - despite using similar words.
I have to clarify here that we Catholics certainly do pray to Mary and the angels and saints, and to all the citizens of heaven! We even pray to people on earth.
Will you please say a prayer for me?
There! I just prayed to you, too!
What we don't do, is adore Mary or the angels or saints. We don't give them the worship that is due to God alone. They are creatures, fellow servants. They, like the rest of us, pray to Him because He is the supreme source of all that is good. We depend upon God alone for our existence; and Christ alone is our savior.
Blessed Mary --- and blessed FReeper friends -- please pray for me!
You share the foundation of your complaint with the Catholics. That grace from God is reqired for the draw. The prayer to Mary, asks for God's grace. Whould God deny the request from both, the prayee and His own mom? What is a prayer thread for?
I should add; that is done. The object of the adoration is the spirit displayed by the particular individuals displaying it, not the individuals themselves.
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