Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyA Commentary.
May 6th, 2011
Now that the state of Illinois is offering civil union recognition to same-sex couples, the Catholic Church has disseminating fears that they will no longer be able to offer foster care or adoption services. They have vowed to be defiant.
And to the Catholic Church in Illinois, I say:
I support you.
I totally agree that if Catholic girls wish to give their children up for adoption and want them to go to Catholic families and be raised in the Catholic faith, then Catholic organizations should be able to facilitate such adoptions. With Catholic dollars.
After all, that is the very meaning of Catholic charity. Catholics sacrificing and contributing for the betterment of others. Bringing Catholic funds to help those in need.
Amen.
Oh… wait, what’s that? Oh you actually do placement with non-Catholics. Well, that’s even more charitable of you. Peace be with you.
And – sorry, say that again? You disallow unmarried heterosexual couples and all gay couples?
Oh, well I think that is extremely foolish of you and that you are denying a loving family to hard-to-place children. You should really reconsider your values.
But I guess it’s your money. And there are some children being placed that otherwise would not have a family so I’ll defer to your decisions on how best to spend the contributions of your parishioners.
But it’s what? I’m sorry, you mumbled that last part. It’s not what?
Oh, it’s not the money of your parishioners! Oh, so it’s Vatican money? No?
I’m confused. Then who gave you the money to run these programs?
THE STATE??!!?? You mean that the State of Illinois is paying you to run a program that decides foster care and adoption placement based on your own religious criteria? That tax dollars are taken out of the paychecks of gay people and given to you and that you won’t even let them apply?
And the kids AREN’T EVEN CATHOLIC??!!?? They are just kids placed with you by the State????
NO FRIGGEN WAY!!! Why that’s… it’s just… whew whew
Whew… sorry that I got so excited there. I guess I just over-reacted.
Well, there’s the clear and easy solution. The one I’m sure you have already started.
Just pull out your checkbook, Cardinal, and write the state a great big check to pay them back for the fees they’ve given you to administer the state’s foster care and adoption programs. And notify the state that you’ll only be placing kids that are brought to you with the parents’ intention that they be placed according to the teachings of the Church.
And then, praise be to God, you can go back to applying Catholic rules to Catholic kids and everyone is happy.
No?
NO?
What do you mean, “NO??”
You don’t intend to repay the State? You don’t intend to only place kids brought to you by their parents for Catholic placement?
Well, F U, Cardinal, you selfish, money-grubbing, pompous bureaucrat.
No, I do NOT support you discriminating against me and my family with MY OWN MONEY.
So kindly take your self-righteous discrimination and shove it.
Oh, and while you’re at it, you may want to consider removing “Charities” from your name. It isn’t charitable if you do it with someone else’s funds.
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esurience
May 6th, 2011
Even if the agency was using its own money, I still wouldn’t support it.
Children without parents are the state’s concern. And adoption agencies should be run with the interests of the child as their foremost concern.
That’s the way the state handles child custody cases… it’s always made in the interests of the child, regardless of what arrangements adults have made.
It is in the interests of a child to be placed with a gay or lesbian parent or couple, rather than not being adopted.
An adoption agency should not be able to put their own doctrines ahead in importance of the interests of the child.
Priya Lynn
May 6th, 2011
Woooo! Go Timothy!
Michael
May 6th, 2011
Let the congregation say AMEN!!
TampaZeke
May 6th, 2011
BRILLIANT!
Edwin
May 6th, 2011
Why does the Catholic church need tax dollars anyway? They are the richest church in the world so let them use there own money. Sell off some of those gold statutes and really do something charitable for a change. The best thing they could do is start teaching love instead of hate. Christians my A**!!!
Jim Burroway
May 6th, 2011
Awesome! Simply awesome!
Lucrece
May 7th, 2011
Not that it will make much of a difference. AG in Florida used taxpayer dollars to f*ck gay people over on the adoption case by paying loads of money to a fraudulent witness. Result? No meaningful consequences whatsoever.
Likewise, churches– like athletes and policemen and soldiers and firemen– will continue to have their own set of laws they follow instead of those everyone else must follow.
Hunter
May 7th, 2011
Great post — and a great tie-in to my own post this morning.
Wish I had written this one.
Hunter
May 7th, 2011
An added little tidbit — the impetus for the whining from Catholic Charities is that the DFS in Illinois is auditing adoption agencies to insure that they are in compliance with anti-discrimination laws. It’s not just civil unions, by any means.
CPT_Doom
May 7th, 2011
And let us not forget that Catholic Charities in Massachusetts – the first to deal with this battle, had actually placed 13 children with gay or lesbian parents in the 7 – 10 years prior to marriage equality. As in many places, Massachusetts’ adoption laws had been equalized long before marriage. In fact, IIRC, adoption rights were one of the reasons for the marriage decision in MA – if the state was encouraging these families, why would they not get the same protection?
Which brings up an interesting question. Gay adoption rights have been equal for years in DC, where I live, but marriage has only been recognized for a year. Catholic Charities here in DC only stopped its adoption services when marriage was recognized. However, they had been legally obligated to treat gay and lesbian parents equally for years in their DC-funded adoption services. What were they doing during all those years – discriminating against gays and lesbians? Then they do owe DC a whopping big check.
I would bet the same is true in Illinois – anti-discrimination laws that apply to gay and lesbian people always precede marriage or civil union legislation. Are we to believe that Catholic Charities in every jurisdiction that allows for gay and lesbian adoption rights is willfully breaking the law?
Reed Boyer
May 7th, 2011
Oh, gosh, YES! A big “Amen” and thank you, Timothy Kincaid.
Richard Rush
May 7th, 2011
Timothy, you nailed it – brilliantly!
Mike
May 7th, 2011
This is another example of the Catholic Church trying to scare people if they don’t fall in line and leave their brains at the door. (Excummunication, etc.) In San Francisco, Catholic Charities thrive in a city where it is law if any agency recieves money from the city and taxpayers, that domestic partners recieve benefits, including folks who work at Catholic Charities. At the time, Archbishop LeVada (now Cardinal and Prefect for the Congregation of Faith – the Pope’s old job) found a balanced way to move forward in a modern world to respect civil rights and the laws of land while respecting Catholic values. Many Catholic Universities now allow benefits for same sex partners but are not forced to follow the Church’s teachings on moral law. These are scare tacticts. And really, the state is going to place a child in a home that on a whole is the best place for the child not just on based on one component. If everything was weighted on whether the family was Catholic and yet there was another family that would be a better fit – should the child loose out to a family that wouldn’t be the best placement just based on their religion? What about a liberal Cathoic verses a conservative Catholic? After all,there a wonderful Catholic folks and then there are Catholics that are in name only and not the best folks around. I’m Catholic and my Aunt and Uncle turned a blind eye while my cousin was being molested by their priest. They left their brains at the door and so it’s not all black and white. God bless Catholic Charities and their work but be wary of stupid, simpletarian ideas where people only see life as black and white and are not able to weight and balance all the facts. And wedge politics and demonizing people is not a Christian principle and not all Catholic subscribe to the practice although some of our Bishops partipate in this. After all, some of these same men are the ones who sat aside to watch these abuses take place and their most important concern was the Catholic Church’s image and social teaching. I don’t trust public statements like this that are not based on fact and evidence that this is already working out fine in many communities and state in the country. Why scare people with such drama?
Timothy (TRiG)
May 7th, 2011
I love this! You nail the hypocrisy perfectly.
TRiG.
Blake Alverson
May 9th, 2011
As someone like myself who attends a gay-affirmative Catholic church knows, the Catholic Church is fine with a little hypocrisy. They only crack down on the heretics when the press starts getting involved.
CC knows they are among the best at what they do. Being the best is how they talk the government into giving them money in the first place (I’m sure the argument goes: “we run a tight ship; help us out & we’ll get the job done for cheaper & better than you could on your own buck”). What infuriates me is that rather than quietly comply with the anti-discrimination laws (as they did in the past admitting “it was for the greater good”: http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=3136) they now see it as their duty to hold the best interests of children hostage in order to make a political point and to save face in the press. Sickening.
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