tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post2839023384428507747..comments2023-10-27T02:21:24.958-05:00Comments on Liberal Faith Development: Oh ... religious freedom is now a concern for anti-marriage equality folksSteve Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12333184436301854794noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-57495136265961346902011-06-21T22:22:36.953-05:002011-06-21T22:22:36.953-05:00Before I posted my comments about this on my blog,...Before I posted my comments about this on my blog, I had sent them along to Andrew Sullivan in response to his article about the religious freedom arguments surrounding marriage equality.<br /><br />He published my letter (third reader response on this link):<br /><br />http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/06/why-new-york-matters-ctd.htmlSteve Caldwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12333184436301854794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-598988685724590332011-06-21T18:02:12.327-05:002011-06-21T18:02:12.327-05:00Catholic Charities around the country have been do...Catholic Charities around the country have been doing this, starting with Boston in 2006.<br /><br />Strangely enough, Boston CC had arranged adoptions by GLBT folks (single and coupled) for years. Then the Vatican got wind and said they had to stop, even if it meant ending publicly-funded adoption services completely. The CC board's leadership tried to push for an exemption (talk about "special rights"!) but no go. When the majority of the Board voted to end adoption services, several members in the minority resigned in protest. I remember one of those brave souls on a news program calling the move by Cardinal O'Malley and his followers "un-Christian".Desmond Ravenstonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11731355272768955344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-65353055782489935092011-06-21T08:57:59.278-05:002011-06-21T08:57:59.278-05:00Bill,
That's an apples-and-oranges comparison...Bill,<br /><br />That's an apples-and-oranges comparison.<br /><br />The Catholic Charities agency in Illinois was being contracted by the state to perform social services for the state (placing children with adoptive families).<br /><br />About 1/2 of the Catholic Charities budget came from taxpayers who have (through their legislators voting for a civil unions bill) decided to treat same-sex couples as equal before the law in all matters except for the use the "marriage" to describe them.<br /><br />The Catholic Charities organization is free to discriminate even with the changes in Illinois law. All this change means is they cannot discriminate while using taxpayer dollars.<br /><br />So ... that's not really a free expression of religion issue. No First Amendment issues at all.<br /><br />The Illinois blogger Hemant Mehta at his "Friendly Atheist" blog has already commented on this:<br /><br />http://friendlyatheist.com/2011/05/29/catholic-adoption-agency-will-shut-down-instead-of-letting-gay-couples-adopt/<br /><br />He wrote the following:<br /><br /><b>"When a child needs a loving mother or father more than anything, and there’s a possibility of giving them two mothers or two fathers, the Church thinks they’re better off with nobody."</b><br /><br />I guess that's what passes for religious "logic."Steve Caldwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12333184436301854794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-10984406726695635052011-06-21T08:12:13.771-05:002011-06-21T08:12:13.771-05:00It's a big issue in Illinois where the State p...It's a big issue in Illinois where the State passed a civil unions law but refused to pass a law exempting Catholic Charities to not have to place kids with Same Sex Couples. Now the Illinois AG is investigating CC for discrimination and the various CCs in Rockford and downstate are pulling out of the adoption business. It's a real deal breaker for me to have Illinois intervene like this. (Always has been since Mass CC stopped placement). I wish Illinois Marriage Equality advocates had not lobbied so hard in Springfield that Civil Unions gave Illinois the right to stop agencies from not placing with SS paretns, but they fought like heck for that.Bill Baarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07095486926836836714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6877063.post-19433670107173283252011-06-20T21:13:16.370-05:002011-06-20T21:13:16.370-05:00Here's a response to that canard:
Show us one...Here's a response to that canard:<br /><br /><i>Show us one case of a religious officiant being compelled to perform a same-sex wedding.</i>Desmond Ravenstonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11731355272768955344noreply@blogger.com