A Christian adoption agency in Mississippi is refusing to allow Roman Catholic families to adopt children “because their religion conflicts” with the agency’s statement of faith, reports The Washington Post.
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's state 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."
The Mississippi-affiliate of Bethany Christian Services is associated with the conservative Presbyterian Church of America (not to be confused with the much larger Presbyterian Church USA).
The Presbyterian Church of America has in the past called Roman Catholic teachings a “perversion of the Gospel.”
What a strange world we live in. Good Roman Catholics – Christians – are turned aside by other Christians when looking to adopt a child over interpretation of scripture and doctrine.
Why is it we’re always trying to draw lines between people and say we’re better Christians than you because of how we worship God? In this case, children are being left without good homes because of a theological spat.
It is a little ironic, however, that the Roman Catholic Church is also in the business of sometimes drawing lines. They oppose allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt.
When we place human interpretation above God's love everyone gets drawn outside the line eventually.