Tag: Discrimination

Catholic Church threatens to stop helping the poor if gay people are allowed to marry

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is threatening to pull out of contracts it has with the District to provide various social service programs for the city’s needy if a proposed gay marriage law goes into effect next month. Churches would not be forced to conduct gay marriages. They, along with every other business or organization in the District, simply would not be allowed to discriminate against gay or lesbian people because they were gay or lesbian people.

I hate to point out the obvious, but Jesus wouldn’t discriminate anyone. Though he never spoke about gay people, Jesus was all about extending love and kindness to the people everyone else looked down upon. Is there a group of people more looked down upon today than gays and lesbians?

Jesus ministered to everyone, but he made a point of especially ministering to those that everyone else despised and rejected. If the Catholic Church is correct and gays and lesbians are sinners for being gay or lesbian, then these are just the people they should be ministering to. Jesus would not discriminate against gay or lesbian people.

Jesus wouldn’t withhold love or kindness from someone because the local government enacted a policy he didn’t agree with. Jesus cured lepers and healed the sick even though I’m sure he didn’t agree with everything the Roman Empire did. To think otherwise is just silly.

When Jesus said to go out and feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, and to comfort those in distress, he didn’t preface it first by saying to only do these things if the local government passed laws you agree with.

Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum [Washington Post]

3 Comments by Rick  /  November 13, 2009  /  Posted in: News
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Who knew fighting fires in Connecticut could get so racial?

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday in a 5-4 ruling that said the city of New Haven, Connecticut was wrong to throw out test scores used to determine promotions in the New Haven Fire Department.  The city thought the test must have been racially biased.

The exam consisted of two parts. The first part was a 100 multiple-choice question test that concentrated on technical knowledge. It was worth 60% of the total score. The second part was an oral exam that was worth 40%. It was conducted by a panel that evaluated how well the firefighters could assess a situation and direct others.

None of the African-American firefighters scored high enough in the written exam to be promoted. They did better in the oral exams.

I don’t really understand how exactly a 100 multiple-choice question test about firefighting technical knowledge can be racially biased. When taking a multiple-choice question test, you either know the correct answers or you don’t. Race has nothing to do with it.

Now if the African-American firefighters did well in the written exams, but poorly in the oral exams, and if the panel conducting the oral exams consisted of nothing but white people, then I might be willing to suspect a racial bias. That’s not the case here. It’s the complete opposite.

What I really hate about this case is the split decision. Nine supposedly well qualified, knowledgeable justices and somehow they could not all agree on the law on discrimination. Maybe they are the ones that need to take a test.

3 Comments by Rick  /  June 30, 2009  /  Posted in: News
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Tax exempt bigotry

The nondenominational High Point Church of Arlington, Texas canceled the memorial service for Cecil Howard Sinclair, a Navy veteran 24 hours before it was to start because the deceased was gay. How pathetically sad.

According to the man’s sister, Kathleen Wright, the church knew the man was gay when they offered to host the service. Sinclair’s brother works for the church as a custodian. When they learned of the brother’s death, they offered to host the memorial. They changed their mind though after there was a mention of the man’s life partner in his published obituary.

The High Point Church was founded by the Rev. Gary Simons and his wife April. She is the sister of Joel Osteen, pastor of the 38,000-member megachurch Lakewood Church in Houston.

It’s bad enough for this church to judge Cecil Sinclair and decide to treat him and his memory in a bigoted fashion. What’s worse is that they are able to enjoy tax exempt status while discriminating against a veteran. They pay no taxes on the massive amount of revenue they generate. I bet that Cecil Sinclair and his life partner paid their fair share in taxes.

Because churches are tax exempt in our country, High Point Church is being financially subsidized in part by the very people they discriminate against. People like Cecil Sinclair and his partner.

And that is wrong.

Link

5 Comments by Rick  /  August 11, 2007  /  Posted in: General
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