Lesbian mom asked to quit PTA over Prop. 8

[SoCalNative]

FRESNO, Calif.—A lesbian mother in Fresno says she was forced to resign from her position as president of the parent-teacher association at her son's Catholic school after she spoke out against banning gay marriage.

Robin McGehee, who enrolled her son Sebastian at St. Helens Catholic School, says she went to a vigil for the "No on Proposition 8" campaign last Thursday. After that, a priest from the Diocese of Fresno told her to step down because she had gone against church teachings.

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10978629

[CreekDog]

1. so much for being able to follow one's conscience

that used to be a hallmark of Catholic teaching. blind obedience and obedience for reward or to avoid punishment was also not considered Christian behavior.

now following orders so you don't lose communion is the hallmark of the faith.

whatever.

[Warpy]

4. That was before they started to elect those hardass popes

who thought they had the right to dictate what other people did with their genitals, something none of the Catholic hierarchy knows about, at least theoretically.

In the meantime, they covered up pedophilia to the point they were practically a pedophilia ring, shifting rapist priests around from parish to parish to maximize their exposure to kids.

Excuse me if I am less than sympathetic to Mother Church at this point, although my ire isn't directed at believers or even most parish priests. The problem is at the top, and it's a severe one. Lacking the will to discipline themselves, they instead cracked down on believers with this blind obedience demand of theirs.

[cliffordu]

2. Fuck me. I LOVE religion in this country!!!!

:sarcasm:

[uppityperson]

3. Oh good lord.

yes, that was intentional. What is wrong with people. argh. k&r

[AndyTiedye]

5. Do Catholic Priests Get to Fire PTA Officers in Fresno?

Even for Freepertown, that seems a bit much.

[hendo]

9. as a private school

the priest probably has the power to do so, yeah.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. She should have refused to step down, and gotten the ACLU involved!!!

This is disgusting...
What if it had been a straight woman who spoke up...what would they have done then??

[davidinalameda]

7. that's her fault for sending her kid to Catholic school to begin with

didn't she realize that her kid would be taught that his mother was 'Intrinsically Evil' per the Pope

[progressoid]

10. No kidding.

eom

[TlalocW]

8. I so, so, so want to get into a conversation with a priest

Just so I can say in regards to Proposition 8/planning on working against Obama on abortion/etc. "It's just soooooo cute that you guys think you actually have any kind of moral authority. It's just so precious."

I really want to piss off a priest.

TlalocW

[lutherj]

11. Is this the same Catholic Church that threatened to torture Galileo if he

didn't recant his heliocentric theory of the solar system? And let's see, didn't they fail to condemn Hitler? And wasn't there some scandal about priests and boys awhile back?

Just wondering. Always on the wrong side of history until way too late.

[BR_Parkway]

12. Protesting - against Church teachings, lesbian - not so much? that is

the most convoluted logic I've seen lately

[RetiredTrotskyite]

13. I'm Not Surprised....

How about pedophile priests? The Catholic Church hypocritical. They make me:puke:!

[OneBlueSky]

14. this argument that gay marriage somehow threatens the institution . . .

of marriage is ridiculous on its face . . . every time it's brought up, we should propose banning a practice that has been PROVEN to threaten the institution of marriage, i.e. divorce . . . the hypocrisy that would stir up would reach previously unheard of heights . . .

and for those who offer biblical citations to support the notion that homosexuality is "an abomination," remind them that . . .

- Exodus 21:07 says it's all right to sell your daughters into slavery;

- Leviticus 25:44 says its okay to possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations (should I select a Mexican or a Canadian?);

- Exodus 35:2 commands that anyone working on the Sabbath be put to death;

- Leviticus 11:10 says that eating shellfish is also an abomination;

- Leviticus 21:20 states that you may not approach the altar of God if you have a defect in your sight (guess that would eliminate all contact wearers from church);

- Leviticus 19:27 expressly forbids men from trimming the hair around their temples;

- Leviticus 11:6-8 says that touching the skin of a dead pig makes you unclean (football, anyone?);

- Leviticus 19:19 prohibits planting two different crops in the same field, as well as wearing garments made of two kinds of thread -- and Leviticus 24:10-16 states that the punishment for such offenses is stoning the entire family to death;

so why is it okay to ignore all of these prohibitions (and many more), but hold sacred the prohibition against homosexuality? . . . could it be that many "good" Christians pick and choose which parts of the Bible they wish to adhere to? . . . like only those that don't inconvenience them personally? . . . hmmm . . .

[LostinVA]

15. It's a private religious school -- they have the right to do that

Is it odious? Yay. However, it's a CATHOLIC school. I'm surprised they allowed her to be on the board.