Why Do Religious Schools Reject the Children of Gay Parents?

Picture it. A woman is traveling 'round the countryside, trying to find a place to give birth to her son. Bouncing around from place to place, she's continually turned down by place after place, told that proverbial line about how there's no room in the inn. Rejected.

Ironic, then, that 2,000 years later, some of the folks who treat the birth of Jesus as the epicenter of their religious belief find themselves practicing that same form of rejection. And it comes in the form of religious schools, namely Catholic and Christian schools, denying the children of gay parents a chance to enroll.

The latest incident comes out of Texas, where an Anglican school, St. Vincent's Cathedral School, told a lesbian couple that their child would not be welcome to enroll in classes. The exact words from school administrators? That their school was not "a good fit for the child."

St. Vincent's is hardly the only offender. Earlier this year a Catholic school in Massachusetts, St. Paul Elementary School, told a lesbian couple that their third grader would have to find an education elsewhere. A priest at the school, Fr. James Rafferty, told the couple that their family "was in discord with the teachings of the Catholic Church."

And just outside of Denver in March 2010, a Catholic school expelled two elementary school children because their parents were lesbians. In justifying the school's decision to reject the children, the Archbishop of Denver, Charles Chaput, said: "If parents don’t respect the beliefs of the church, or live in a manner that openly rejects those beliefs, then partnering with those parents becomes very difficult, if not impossible."

None of these schools did anything technically illegal, given that as private schools, they're able to dictate the criteria for admission. But does it seem odd that a religion that got its start with a story of liberation over discrimination, now finds itself exercising a rejecting hand? Sorry, kids. There's no room at this inn.

That's a question asked today by the Dallas News, as it relates to the decision of St. Vincent's to deny enrollment to the child of two moms. Their faith panel, comprised of folks from a variety of religions, both progressive and conservative in their worldview, has some pretty interesting thoughts on the matter. And though folks articulate it differently, the general consensus is that when a school says no to the child of a set of gay parents, they're turning their backs on a pastoral commitment to love beyond measure.

I'm drawn personally to a couple statements. One is by Darrell Bock, a Professor at the Dallas Theological Seminary. While Bock agrees that religious schools have the right to turn down children of gay parents, it seems like a move not entirely steeped in the reality of today's world.

"[St. Vincent's] avoided the awkwardness of having to deal with this family and their choices as a part of their own community. In this way, they shut out to a degree the world as it is today, not exactly the best principle by which to face life and educate," Bock says. And it hits the nail on the head. Does St. Vincent's believe that so long as gay families don't exist within their community, that they don't exist in the real world, either?

Amy Martin, the head of Earth Rhythms, also makes a strong point about religious schools that draw the line at gay families. "Why the issue of gay parents, rather than adultery and domestic violence than infect families of all incomes and identities, and why not the sins of larceny, tax evasion and other all too common financial crimes?" Seriously. If schools like St. Vincent's are going to suggest that the children of gay families are incompatible with their religious mission, then what about the children of parents who commit other sins? Is somehow having two moms worse than having a parent who steals from the company, cheats on their spouse, or skips Mass on Sunday?

And lastly, there's something powerful about the comments from Rev. Joe Clifford, a Presbyterian Pastor in Texas. Rev. Clifford notes that in Christian theology, children are often considered to be the mirror image of God. "Wouldn't it be a shame if in the name of protecting their morals and values, a Christian School failed to welcome the presence of Christ?" Rev. Clifford asks.

And in that I have no doubt, in that if Jesus himself walked up to St. Vincent's, St. Paul's, or Sacred Heart school in Colorado, he would no doubt be turned away. "A virgin mother?" "You pal around with prostitutes?" "You want people to do WHAT with their money and possessions?"

Yeah, I'm guessing Jesus wouldn't even be allowed on the premises.

Photo credit: Scary toy clown