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.
I didn't say you said it was undesirable. However, you quoted that scripture IN RESPONSE TO a post about a part of the Catholic liturgy which involves some repetition of words. If you don't have a problem with the repetitive FORM of this Catholic liturgy, then what ARE you criticizing? Do you think Catholics are incapable of simulataneously repeating words in a prayer and yet meaning the words each time?
Noting one more for whom the concept of "alive in Christ" means nothing.
People have some remarkably strange views of what they think Catholics belive. Even some who claim to have been Catholic.
By Protestant standards, saying the Lord's Prayer as Christ commanded is repetitive prayer.
Does anyone on this thread tell a loved one "I love you" everyday? Aren't they concerned that it is repetitive and meaningless?
>>Blessed Mary --- and blessed FReeper friends -- please pray for me!<<
Prayers from us!
>>Pardon my entering your discussion, but this is a huge leap<<
Thank you so much for this show of the class you lack. Perhaps a less harsh way of stating that you disagree would be in order.
I have two daughters. Both are darling and sweet. Any mother will pull attention to her children. Why would the mother of Jesus Christ do any less?
Sometimes one does not need scripture to state the obvious.
So are you equating Mary with God? If they are one in spirit. DO catholics pray to Abraham?
The mindlessness of it. Its not the form or the repetition its the fact its repeated out of practice and not thoughtfully. The our father is a perfect example I hear it all the time from Catholics but I never hear them pray its structure without its words.
Do you think Catholics are incapable of simulataneously repeating words in a prayer and yet meaning the words each time?
When kids spend the first five or six years of their catholic education learning what to say ie say X, rather than how to pray there is a problem.
Last I checked, Catholic Charities helps all of God's children, not just some, like this outfit.
No.
"If they are one in spirit. DO catholics pray to Abraham?"
You obviously missed most of the reality behind the meaning of "one in Spirit", when it comes to Mary. Prayer is communication. Is their any particular reason you'd suppose one might want to speak with Abraham?
I have to retract what I said about the Septuigant, I havent been studying this for a while, and I am sure I forgot a lot, so, I retract what I said and apologize, you are probably right.
But I was dead right about Peter, though! :)
Why to take his prayers to God why else?
As the obedient, infinitely holy Son of God, the Lord Jesus was a very firm believer in the commandment to honor one's father and mother. Now, what most people don't know about that commandment is that in Hebrew it literally reads, "Glorify your father and mother." This means that, since Christ took God's commandments very seriously, he would glorify his mother Mary, and for us to talk about his mother in a cavalier, irreverent manner is to impugn the glory which Christ himself has given her. As a result, if we were to talk about Mary in an impious manner then we would be offending not only Mary but also Christ by denying his mother the glory that he himself gave her.
We know that from time to time God picks certain people to play a special role in his plan: Abraham had a special role, Moses had a special role, David had a special role, and Christ had by far the most special role of all. But except in the case of Christ, each of these people received their special role as an act of God's grace. Apart from God's grace, there was nothing special about Abraham or Moses or David. They were special people and had a special role only because of the grace God gave them. And the same is true of Mary. Everything that was special about her and her place in God's plan came from God's grace. After all, isn't this what we are saying when we pray the words of the Angel Gabriel in Luke's gospel, "Hail Mary, full of grace." Everything about Mary, everything that makes her and her place in God's plan different from ours, is only because of God's grace to her. Mary is entirely a product of God's tender, loving grace.
There must be a particular reason. Abraham isn't a currier you wave down like a taxi.
But mary is?
Irish need not apply.
Seems it's the 1800's all over again.
When will the WASP Protestants & Born Agains stop hating Catholics?
Im Irish and not catholic so dont try to tunr this into a reace thing.
I wouldn't be suprised to hear, that you were wacked with the jawbone of an ass.
Mary was the Tabernacle of God for 9 months ... do we agree on this? Mary was the first to gaze on the Son of God ... are we still in agreement? Mary suckled the Son of God at her breast. Where is any of this in Scripture? The evangelists did not write down each and every second of the life of Jesus from the time of His birth until His death and resurrection, did they? Each one took a different approach to 'recording' some of these events and even then, didn't fully comprehend their role until years after Christ had resurrected.
Like freeper 'RaceBannon', you have just justified the postion of a Magisterium and Oral Tradition. The Bible denies that it is sufficient as the complete rule of faith. Paul says that much Christian teaching is to be found in the tradition which is handed down by word of mouth (2 Tim. 2:2). He instructs us to "stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15).
This oral teaching was accepted by Christians, just as they accepted the written teaching that came to them later. Jesus told his disciples: "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me" (Luke 10:16). The Church, in the persons of the apostles, was given the authority to teach by Christ; the Church would be his representative. He commissioned them, saying, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).
And how was this to be done? By preaching, by oral instruction: "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). The Church would always be the living teacher. It is a mistake to limit "Christ’s word" to the written word only or to suggest that all his teachings were reduced to writing. The Bible nowhere supports either notion.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.