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.
Here is another interesting question:
2 Kings 2:11 And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Gen. 5:24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
If these two were assumed into Heaven (we presume although some will fight this saying only Christ was assumed into heaven), why do some protest that Mary could never have been assumed into heaven? The Catholic principle is established. Some figures can be assumed into heaven bodily.
Scripture does not say that Mary WAS assumed. However, it also does not say she WAS NOT. No relics of her are ever claimed to exist.
One of a number of wonderful tapes available free here:
http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/about_us.asp
Frank
Mary was a humble servant. I think she would be shocked to think she plays such a large part in a religion. It wouldn't be like her to want that at all.
When I learned that one, it was the Catholics who thought they were 'the only ones here.' That was years ago.
LOL! Epithets are not arguments, nor are they sources to substantiate arguments.
Dissertations are in the Library of Congress.
Yes, and the price of Orange Pekoe per pound in Beijing is 22 yuan.
This one has 350 sources.
So you say, yet you refuse to even cite one primary source that supports your thesis.
You have no manners
LOL! Falsely claiming that peoples' religious practices are based on superstitions about hovering ghosts is polite, apparently.
But asking for a source for such flase claims is rude. Interesting POV.
LOL! At least I can reference a source for things that I "don't know" about. Unlike yourself, I've already cited Acts and the intertestamentals as sources. Josephus is a source. The early Christian text The Martyrdom of Polycarp is yet another primary source.
the fact is, the jews and the early Christians, like modern Catholics, saw the saints (lit. "holy ones") as holy - i.e. persons separated out by God and made holy by Him. Therefore their remains were holy objects - not because of your preposterous theory of swirling ghosts - but because they were revered as God's property, as surely as the Temple Mount.
BTW, You forgot to add "nyah, nyah, nyah" to your meaningless assertion about what I do or do not know.
But they would be wrong, since Christ was not assumed into Heaven.
He went up (ascended) while Elijah, Enoch and Mary were only taken up (assumed).
Nope, Mary never "wanted" recognition or honor. She is the humblest gal there ever was. I think that's why it has pleased God to honor her so much: because He is so delighted to exalt the humble.
That's one of the things I extra and specially want to see: all the humble folks being exalted. Yes. How Heavenly!
The physics don't work.
That would be: highly favored by God.
You said - Whereby we get the name "CHRISTIAN" adoption agency. Not Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim.
Catholics are Christians, but this statement is probably falling on deaf ears. Catholics completly agree with the statement of faith. Educate yourself about Catholic beliefs before you attempt to desribe these beliefs. www.ewtn.com is a decent place to start.
You tell Elijah then. I can't find him.
Frank
;-o)
Frank
That's what the prophets of Ba'al said about Elijah.
NO, they were NOT the very first Christians. The first Christians were Jewish believers and others who lived around him. Some were romans, too, but they weren't roman catholic. They were believers in Yeshua and Messiah.
DUH, EVERYONE knows that Jesus, Mary and the apostles were Jewish. It is they who started what became the Catholic church. For hundreds of years all KNOWN christians were Catholics and the church eventually became known as the ROMAN Catholic church. Until Martin Luther came along.....
Or baked beans, I would also imagine.
Does that statement mean that you think Christians are full of themselves? Just askin'.
I don't consider all Catholics Christian, any more than I do all protestants. Do you think the Mafia are Christian? Most of them are good Catholics but I would never consider them Christian (just one example). I know many good and devout Catholics. I also know some who are just church goers and then go out and do whatever they darn please. They don't have a clue as to what Jesus demands of them (righteousness, holiness, and all that good stuff).
No, they aren't.
For one thing, being in the Mafia means taking a secret oath, and anyone who takes a secret oath is automatically excommunicated from the Church before they have even committed any other crimes.
Saying that Mafiosi are "good Catholics" is like saying that Klansmen are "good Baptists" when in reality they are two criminal groups whose members can sometimes be found attending church functions in those denominations.
educate ourself on my statement before spewing the ignorance that I had in any way attempted to describe your beliefs.
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