A preschooler in Denver being 'raised' by two lesbians will not be allowed to re-enroll in a Catholic school next year since, as the Archdiocese notes, those "living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment." Unfortunately, some misguided Catholics have criticized and even protested the decision. Some are reportedly considering pulling their own children out of the school and various teachers are supposedly "disgusted" by the decision.
Hopefully knowledgeably Catholics will be prepared to answer the various illogical, misleading, etc. statements of those who unjustly criticize the diocese's actions (e.g. "they won't have anyone if they only accept children with perfect parents", "we're all created equal", "what would Jesus do?", etc.). Some points for Catholics to keep in mind...
* Defending sin is itself sinful, as is an inappropriate silence (click here for ways of being an accessory to another's sin)
* If the school freely allowed two openly homosexual 'parents' to roam the school grounds they would be fostering scandal and confusing the children they are supposed to educate
* There's obviously a big difference between the occasional moral failings of other parents, which are often private, vs. a public, unrepented in-your-face 24/7/365 homosexual 'two mommy' environment that goes against nature itself as well as being contrary to God's moral laws (remember also that S*domy is one of only four sins that "cry out to heaven for vengeance"). To freely allow such a situation unchallenged on Catholic school grounds would undermine the Church's teachings
* The Catholic school has a DUTY to protect the integrity of its teachings - not just by words, but also by appropriate actions
* Despite one-liners to the contrary, Jesus actually DID exclude some people (click here)
* While it is true that Jesus reached out to sinners, he DID expect them to stop sinning upon becoming his followers
* Homosexual acts are grave sins which exclude people from heaven if they are not repented of (for more details, click here for story 'The End of Freedom in America?')
* While Jesus certainly welcomed children, he had harsh words involving a millstone for those who caused little ones who believe in him to sin
* It is unfair to accuse the Church of punishing the child for the sins of its 'parents'. The Church has an obligation to protect the other children from scandal and to safeguard its own teachings - the Church cannot appear to condone sinful behaviors, nor can it be held responsible for creating the unholy situation involving the two adults. The 'caregivers' (both persons can't possibly be the child's parents) of the child are the party unconcerned about providing the child with a solid Catholic education or they wouldn't force a child to live in such an immoral environment in the first place
* What is the point of a Catholic education at school if one's home life is entirely contradictory to the Catholic faith? It is the 'parents' who are preventing the child from getting a solid Catholic education, not the Church. If they don't believe in the teachings of the Church, why do they make a farce of seeking a Catholic education for the child?
* The situation may cause a heavy burden to be placed on the teachers, the child, and other pupils since they would rightly condemn the gravely sinful arrangement of the innocent child's 'parents' and possibly create even more conflicts in the innocent child's home
* If the Church provides a solid moral foundation for the youngsters, it must necessarily put a child cared for by lesbians in continual conflict with its 'parents' who are living in manifest grave sin. As the Archdiocese states, "To allow children in these circumstances to continue in our school would be a cause of confusion for the student in that what they are being taught in school conflicts with what they experience in the home."
* Other students may not wish to befriend this child since good Catholic parents would rightly want their own children to avoid having much association with an immoral 'two mommy family'
* Preventing the child from reenrolling provides a first-hand lesson to all students and parents about the importance of living out the Church's teachings
* The 'parents' broke the rules by their dishonest enrollment of the child. As the Archdiocese indicates, "Our admission policy states clearly, 'No person shall be admitted as a student in any Catholic school unless that person and his/her parent(s) subscribe to the school’s philosophy and agree to abide by the educational policies and regulations of the school and Archdiocese.'"
* It is the 'parents'' actions, not the Church's that are preventing the child from receiving a Catholic education, as the diocese notes: "Parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment." If the 'parents' wanted to, they could immediately stop those actions. The Church, on the other hand, has no control over this matter.
It seems that Catholics in Denver should be thankful that a Catholic school is actually acting . . . well, Catholic. The school's "expect[ing] all families who enroll students to live in accord with Catholic teaching" doesn't seem like too much for a Catholic school to ask, now does it? If children's home life is in direct conflict with Catholic teachings, what is the point of a Catholic education at all? The home itself will undermine the education.
"We should tolerate association with sinners only for the purpose of recalling them to repentance, by every means short of committing sin ourselves. But when every form of solicitude has been applied in their regard, we should avoid those who persist in their evil ways." (St. Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church)
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