Court: Christian school can expel lesbian students

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 8:22am

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – A California appeals court has ruled that a Christian high school can expel students because of an alleged lesbian relationship.

The 4th District Court of Appeal in Riverside on Monday upheld California Lutheran High School's right as a private, religious organization to exclude students based on sexual orientation.

Two girls sued claiming they were discriminated against after they were expelled from the Wildomar school in 2005. A lower court said the school isn't bound by the same anti-discrimination laws as a business establishment.

John McKay, attorney for California Lutheran, says the school's goal is to educate based on Christian principles.

The attorney for the girls could not be immediately reached Tuesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090128/ap_on_re_us/students_expelled

But they still want their tax dollars to help run their private school with vouchers!

[tazber]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 8:32am

I was just gonna post this.

It's a private school so I guess they can do this. But what upsets me is that all parochial schools have to accept students of any faith by law. So, for example, if a Muslim student wanted to attend they couldn't deny him admission.
But once again gays are second class citizens in the eyes of the law.

And another thing is that the article says "alleged". There's not even proof. How much like a witch hunt is that?

But I guess I shouldn't expect any more from a religious-based institution.

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 9:37am

My former niece (by marriage) got kicked out of Christian school when she got pregnant at 16, so should we really be at all surprised by this, sad as it is?

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 9:45am

Who's surprised?

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 9:58am

It's not surprising, but it's still infuriating.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:13am

why is it infuriating? it's a christian school. if they do not get public funds, the gov't cannot tell them who they can and cannot accept or exclude. if you want a more inclusive and accepting experience, don't go to a christian school.

this is the same to me as people who want to be catholic, but only want the parts of catholicism that they like. "i'm catholic. and gay!" really? how's that working out for ya? oh, you don't acknowledge the pope or buy into the church's actual doctrine? that's kinda like someone saying, i'm gay but i excusively have sex and relationships with members of the opposite sex. really?

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:17am

Ah who wants to go to the stupid god-school anyways? They teach that god created pretty hummingbirds there I hear.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:18am

Can't they just confess the gay away each week?

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:19am

Yep, three Our Fathers, three Hail Mary's and an Act of Contrition and you're good for another week of mo sex.

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:22am

Do Lutherans have confession? I thought they traded that in for a Hot Dish.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:22am

this is the same to me as people who want to be catholic, but only want the parts of catholicism that they like. "i'm catholic. and gay!" really? how's that working out for ya? oh, you don't acknowledge the pope or buy into the church's actual doctrine?

What if the pope is a Nazi? What if the doctrine is un-Christian? What if the church is wrong?

Can you be a Catholic ONLY if you believe what the church currently orders you to believe?

That's doesn't sound like something Jesus would approve of. That sounds like totalitarianism.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:24am

Papa, how is being gay and catholic any different from being a straight Catholic who knowingly commits sins and confesses them away?

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:35am

Papa, it's infuriating that the church does not have to answer to the non-discrimination laws, but when I think about it, I guess it's good that they're upholding SOME kind of separation of church and state. But... it's still something that upsets me.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:36am

There's a separation of church of state when it benefits the church.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:39am

pj, the chruch is its doctrine and one of the tenets is that when the pope speaks from the pope chair he is infallible. don't like it? don't be a catholic. no one has got a gun to anyone's head saying be catholic or be dead. that's them mohammedans.

as far as confession goes, you are only forgiven if you make a true act of contrition. part of that is the specifically stated "i firmly resolve with the help of thy grace to sin no more and avoid the near occasion of sin."

now, if you truly believe with all your heart that you are not gonna suck another c*ck, and truly plan to avoid situations in which a c*ck will end up in your mouth? you're forgiven. but if you're just going in and bragging to the priest about getting some in the steamroom at crunch, you're better off posting on manhunt.

phyllis same thing applies to repeat sinners. hell, if you just plan to commit a sin, you're screwed.

[KelRel]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:40am

I worked at a Christian school last year and a fellow teacher and friend got fired after working there for 6 or 7 years with great success as a teacher simply because she got pregnant without being married. The horrible part of it all was that if she'd kept it under wraps, had an abortion, and all of that then she could have kept her job and not been put through all sorts of embarrassment. She had to move back in with her parents because they fired her the day they found out, no grace period, no severance pay- nada. Just a letter from the church that the school was attached to offering to help her through the "poverty fund" with her expenses while she dealt with her unfortunate situation. They threw her out on her butt and had the gall to offer her a poverty hand out like some horrible accident befell her not the truth that they heartlessly threw her out well before she was even showing and without giving her an opportunity to find another job.
So much for a Christian attitude there...

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:42am

There's a separation of church of state when it benefits the church.

Yeah, I know... *sigh* And while I am religious (United Methodist) all of this church-influencing-laws business makes me want to rip my own head off. I used to think I wanted to go into politics, but there's really no chance of making a real difference when everything has to be politically correct and catering to the extremists on either side.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:42am

I thought the only unforgivable sin was denouncing the holy spirit.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:45am

"WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life."

I mean, come on. It doesn't say, "Whosoever only has sex with members of the opposite sex and doesn't read Harry Potter shall have eternal life." The Pope is a big deal and all, but I don't think even he can directly contradict the Bible.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:46am

pretty much anything can be forgiven, phyllis, but you must make a true act of contrition to earn forgiveness. part of that is actually believing that you will not do something again and actively working to avoid putting yourself in the kind of situation where you might. the mere act of telling a priest is not good enough.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:47am

The only unforgivable sin is stating that the host tastes like cardboard.

[vmlinnie]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:49am

*raises hand* Gay Catholic.

I'm not in a religious school, it's multi-denominational, but it's private, so they can throw out whoever they like, or more often just make life difficult so they want to leave. It's an evil tactic. That's why no one is 'out' in the school. They'd never survive.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:49am

and that the priest tastes like garlic.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:49am

The court made the right decision. Though private schools shouldn't be forced to accept other faiths either.

This is the stance that is not only fair (though awful it may be), but necessary if we are to get public support for our rights--one of the biggest fears some people of faith had was that churches would be forced to marry gays. They shouldn't have to. Let them do their thing and let me do mine. There are gay friendly churches if one wants to get married in a church.

As for the "you can't be gay and Catholic" stance, that's just a bull****ty bunch of crap. Catholics left and right don't adhere to every decree coming from the Vatican, so that argument doesn't really fly. The fact is--there ARE gay Catholics and organizations to support them just as there ARE gay Protestants and Jews, etc. and gay friends churches and synagogues throughout America and around the world. There IS a religious left. Not everyone agrees that the Bible has been translated and/or interpreted correctly.

"How's that working out for ya?" I'm sure it's not always easy for gay or gay friendly Catholics, nor other faiths. Especially when so many people are quick to exclaim that there is only ONE correct way to view the Bible/God's word. THEIRS.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 1/28/09 at 10:49am

the catholic church has rules. don't like 'em? it's really not the only church out there. i'm almost positive about that one.