Catholic Charities of Boston has announced that it will stop placing children in adoptive homes altogether to avoid the issue of having to allow them to being adopted by a gay or lesbian couple. This report states that the organization, a big deal in heavily catholic Boston, has placed over 700 children over the last two decades, 13 of them with gay families.
This is one of those stories that I had to re-read a couple of times to make sure there wasn't something I was missing.
I think I understand it now. This organization has decided that it is better to leave children in foster homes or an orphanage than to place them with a potentially loving, stable, affluent gay or lesbian couple. Why?
Fear.
I don't think too many intelligent people think that being raised by GLBT adults makes a child become gay (note, I said intelligent people).
I believe religious organizations like the catholic church that condemn homosexuality do not want children influenced by GLBT people in any way. If they allow that to happen, the children might learn that there is nothing inherently wrong with homosexual people. GLBT couples function very much like hetrosexual couples. They're people who have made a committment to a person they love. The only major difference is that the other person is of the same gender, not a different one, something I've had an opportunity to observe myself.
Children growing up in these homes may come to think that the church's teaching are shallow and bigoted. They may place more value in what they see with their own eyes and the love and guidance they have received from their parents than the teaching of the church.
In the meantine, according to this report, there are 119,000 children awaiting adoption.
According to Catholic Charities of Boston, that's better than them winding up in the hands of gay or lesbian couples.
It never ceases to amaze me the lengths people and organizations will go to discriminate or just outright hate GLBT people, regardless of how it affects others, even innocent children.
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So they're going to stop placing altogether?! That's bizzare, and with all those children awaiting adoption, somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of it too might be 'children need a loving mother AND father for the proper nurturing' etc. But what about the single parents who are doing a wonderful job raising their children. No one is knocking on their door and saying, "I'm sorry, but we have to take your child away and place them with a two-parent household."
Jim,
ReplyDeleteDid you see the vile Romney is now enroute to Rome for a meeting with Pope RATNazi?
How did he ever get elected in Mass.?
Respectfully Jim, I think your judgements in their harshness miss the point. The Catholic Church does not condemn homosexuality. And despite its ecclesiastical homophobia, it's not trying to prevent contact with gay people. The Catholic Church (like many other religions) does condemn homosexual activity and thus, homosexual partnering of any kind. This is the ethical juggernaut that challenges mainline Christianity today in all its expressions. It seems that at the moment the Catholic Church is realizing that its rare practice of placing an adoptive child with a gay couple is inconsistent with its ethical teaching.
ReplyDeleteIf the report as you represent it is true, then it seems to me, that as regrettable as all of this may be, the interesting thing is the solution that the Archdiocese of Boston came to. It could have simply said, we are no longer placing adoptive children in gay homes (ala San Francisco). It didn't. It seems to have said, if we can't place adoptive children in gay homes, then we won't place adoptive children anywhere. We're getting out of the adoption business (ps. it is a business.)
This opens a whole vista of the interface of the church in the world that I need to think about and blog on. Thanks for stimulating my brain cells this early Saturday morning (now, can you get me started on my homily for this weekend?)
LOL
Fr. B.
Fr. B,
ReplyDeleteMy understanding of this situation is that the state of Mass. did not allow the Catholic church the option of excluding gay couples from the adoption process, ruling that practice discriminatory. That forced them into an "all-or-nothing" situation--they chose nothing.
You stating of the church's position of non condemning homosexuality but condemning the practice is severely limiting who they can be and how they can express themselves--this policy does not allow a GLBT individual to experience the fullness of life. Either they must be celebate or marry someone of the opposite sex who they are not physically attracted to. Maybe the church does not openly condemn them, but it does condemn them to an incomplete life.
BTW, you're on your own for the homily :) Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteIt's okay. I got the homily done. But I sure could have used your insight.
Please don't hear me say that I condone the Church's stand against homosexual activity. Only, that this stand should be distinguished from its stand on homosexuality (which while problematic is far from condemning).
Thanks too for the clarifcation on why the Boston Archdiocese did what it did. I guess I have to go back to my blog and confirm my suspicions that this was not a gay-friendly decision. Surprise, surprise.
Fr. B.
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ReplyDeleteThis is so right on the nail head. Most gay homes are not only cleaner, but safer. Gays make more income per year then most heterosexual couples. Gays are more up to date with the times then heterosexual couples and are better parents, mostly, all around due to the fact that they will listen and are not quick too judge their child like a heterosexual couple will. All in all I would say that most gays have had too endure many hardships, mostly from a young age, that they are more understanding and caring about their kids and the troubles they will encounter over the years. I also believe that kids raised by gay parents are more loving and honest with their feelings, wither they are gay or not.
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