Anti-Gay Christian Couple Rejected as Foster Parents

[midniterider]

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2020/02/christian-couple-rejected-foster-parents-theyd-send-gay-kid-conversion-therapy/

[BookOfMicah]

18 hours ago, midniterider said:

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2020/02/christian-couple-rejected-foster-parents-theyd-send-gay-kid-conversion-therapy/

Well this is my first post outside the introduction forum, and I certainly chose a hot button issue to jump in on.  

If the couple were rejected from having kids simply because of their Christian worldview, even if that worldview included anti-LGBT ideals, I would argue that - while I certainly disagree with their worldview - it could be seen as a form of religious discrimination.  

That isn't what happened here.  Saying they would send a gay child to conversion therapy is why they were rejected and I 100% agree with the decision for a number of reasons.  
 

1. Gay Conversion Therapy is child torture, plain and simple.  It doesn't even work and even if it did the ends don't justify the means, especially when the ends themselves are horrible. 
2. They said "we'd be happy to foster a straight kid", as if that child may not discover more about themselves as they grow up.  Maybe they will realize when they hit puberty that they fall somewhere on the GRSM spectrum.  And then what would happen?  By the parents own admission they would send the kid off to gay conversion therapy.  
3. Assuming an "ideal" scenario for these parents where they just so happen to have a straight child who remains straight their entire life.  I question the mental state and parental capabilities of somebody who would still support this practice even if it never applied to them.  It's akin to somebody saying "I'd beat my kid if he was autistic, but I'm perfectly happy to raise a non-autistic kid".  

 

The anti-LGBT nature of many religions isn't going to go away anytime soon, unfortunately.  Nor do I think such ideals should be outlawed in and of themselves because every attempt to criminalize ideology in history has ultimately failed.  But we have to draw the line at putting that backwards ideology into practice in such a cruel and objectively harmful way.  

 

[Joshpantera]

I don't think it's religious discrimination. It says nothing about not allowing them because they are christian. It's a hypothetical based on questioning whether they are fit to foster a child, and trying to apply a mentally abusive situation to a child makes them unfit. Some other christian who would not be so willing to try and abuse the child would obviously be fair game for foster parents. So it can't be blamed on religious discrimination. 

 

The only case here for a discrimination claim would be the claim that some is discriminating against abusive parenting. Which would be a nonsensical claim to try and make. Of course people will discriminate against abusers, rapists, murders, and assorted dregs of society out to harm people. 

[midniterider]

I think the question posed by the adoption agency helps provide a picture of the general flexibility of prospective foster parents. If they feel they have to send a kid to conversion therapy for being gay, then they may not be suitable to take care of a Muslim child, or a pregnant teen, or a teen that smokes cigarettes. 

 

The ex and I fostered kids for a few years, and we were fairly liberal minded Christians, though some of our Pentecostal 'church family' members were probably of the same mindset as these rejected foster parents in the article.

 

They werent rejected because of their religion, they were rejected because they were prepared to do unreasonable nonsense to a child in the name of their religion.

 

 

 

 

 

[Joshpantera]

19 hours ago, midniterider said:

I think the question posed by the adoption agency helps provide a picture of the general flexibility of prospective foster parents. If they feel they have to send a kid to conversion therapy for being gay, then they may not be suitable to take care of a Muslim child, or a pregnant teen, or a teen that smokes cigarettes. 

 

The ex and I fostered kids for a few years, and we were fairly liberal minded Christians, though some of our Pentecostal 'church family' members were probably of the same mindset as these rejected foster parents in the article.

 

They werent rejected because of their religion, they were rejected because they were prepared to do unreasonable nonsense to a child in the name of their religion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And cry and act persecuted because of they are essentially assholes. I agree, a lot of christians wouldn't do that. Some might even entertain the notion of loving the child as it is and placing judgement aside. Which could just as well be argued as a "christian way." Zero judgement. But unfortunately the 'judge ye not' admonishments of the bible seem to get pushed aside more often in favor of wanting to judge anyways. 

[SarahJaneSmith]

Kudos to the foster agency for weeding them out! And I agree this has nothing to do with their religious beliefs. They were rejected because they encourage life-threatening child abuse!