Catholic school fires teacher for planning same-sex wedding

[So the Heroes Fall]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/29/3459837/missouri-teacher-planning-same.html

Absolutely disgusting.

[True Federalist]

I'd say the school went as far as it could to give him the benefit of the doubt about the extent of his relationship.  (After all, two males who live together need not be in a sexual relationship.)  But marriage crosses a bright line in Catholic doctrine and he was teaching in a Catholic school.  It's not surprising in the least that he was fired.

[Tidewater_Wave]

Religions should be allowed to practice their beliefs and if that means letting someone go who does not hold to Catholic doctrine, then that's the beauty of our country and what I love about America. I feel bad for the teacher and don't find anything wrong with homosexuals who want to be together, but that's a different story. It's times like this that make me proud to be an American.

[afleitch]

Religions should be allowed to practice their beliefs and if that means letting someone go who does not hold to Catholic doctrine, then that's the beauty of our country and what I love about America. I feel bad for the teacher and don't find anything wrong with homosexuals who want to be together, but that's a different story. It's times like this that make me proud to be an American.

Wait. A Catholic school firing an employee for being gay makes you proud to be an American?

[ZuWo]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/29/3459837/missouri-teacher-planning-same.html

Absolutely disgusting.

This is neither surprising nor disgusting. Same-sex marriages go against Roman Catholic doctrine so the school's decision to fire an employee who wants to have a same-sex marriage appears consistent and logical to me. Of course, it would be a very different case if this had been a secular school, but under this specific circumstance it is justified. It would make no sense if a Catholic school ignored the doctrine of the Roman Catholic church.

[I left.]

I understand the church following its own teachings, but I don't see what this has to do with employment.

The church is welcome to condemn same sex marriage, but I don't think a fair argument can be made that this teacher was any less qualified to teach his subject because he happens to go against church teaching.

Catholic schools are there to teach students about their religion in a way that public schools in the US can't, but that doesn't mean they should be allowed to discriminate in employment. This goes beyond how far I think religious freedom extends.

[NY Jew]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/29/3459837/missouri-teacher-planning-same.html

Absolutely disgusting.

are you sure your not a member of the KKK (in around an hour you proved yourself to be an anti Semite and anti Catholic next comes your attacking blacks?)

[Insula Dei]

I understand the church following its own teachings, but I don't see what this has to do with employment.

The church is welcome to condemn same sex marriage, but I don't think a fair argument can be made that this teacher was any less qualified to teach his subject because he happens to go against church teaching.

Catholic schools are there to teach students about their religion in a way that public schools in the US can't, but that doesn't mean they should be allowed to discriminate in employment. This goes beyond how far I think religious freedom extends.

I agree with this. The idea that absolutely everyone working at a catholic school must live a life completely in accordance with catholic teachings is moronic. Would you fire teachers if they didn't want to sign a pledge guaranteeing that the only contraception they use is abstention?

[NY Jew]

so let me get this straight for all you anti Catholics
it's moral for NY state to fire Town Clerks for following the religion and refusing to "marry" 2 people of the same sex despite the fact there supposedly is freedom of religion in this country.

but it' immoral for a religious school to fire someone for doing something that is sacrilegious in that religion.

I'll bet you'll all feel differently if it was a Muslim school.

In short religious schools need to legally be allowed to hire and fire teachers (even secular ones) based on their religious tenants or else there is no freedom of religion in this country.

if theoretically this went to court and the music teacher won the case the US might have even surpassed Czarist Russia in lack of freedom of religion.  Thank God the supreme court recently decided that religious schools have the legal right to fire whoever they want before this story broke.

[I left.]

Ah yes, Christians are being persecuted in America. I almost forgot.

[krazen1211]

Both legal and proper, of course. Quite settled law.

[I left.]

Both legal and proper, of course. Quite settled law.

Whether something is legal and "settled" isn't relevant. It's about whether it's a good thing to do. And if it should be legal.

[Grumps]

They need to worry more about their priests being pedophiles than OMGZ THE GAYZ11!!

Not surprising but really ridiculous.

[HST1948]

This is exactly why I left the Catholic Church.

[greenforest32]

Less religion = less problems and more effective use of the time we have solving the real problems in this world.

The opportunity cost of religion is staggering.

Shameful and disgusting

[ZuWo]

Both legal and proper, of course. Quite settled law.

Whether something is legal and "settled" isn't relevant. It's about whether it's a good thing to do. And if it should be legal.

I disagree here. I think the fact that the school's decision to fire this teacher based on the reasons they have given is legal (according to the Supreme Court ruling of January that is mentioned in the article) is very relevant. While it can still be discussed whether such firings are "a good thing" or whether they "should be legal" or not, the obvious legality of this firing should make people who are always ready to shout "scandal!" or "this is another instance of religious extremism!" a bit more careful.

[memphis]

But molesting children merely gets one reassigned. Go figure out organized religion. Gays need the same protection from the tyranny of nutters that blacks enjoy.

[True Federalist]

Religions should be allowed to practice their beliefs and if that means letting someone go who does not hold to Catholic doctrine, then that's the beauty of our country and what I love about America. I feel bad for the teacher and don't find anything wrong with homosexuals who want to be together, but that's a different story. It's times like this that make me proud to be an American.

Wait. A Catholic school firing an employee for being gay makes you proud to be an American?

Did you bother to even read the link provided in the original post?

He was not fired for being gay.  The school had already known about that.

He was not fired for being in an open relationship with another man.  That was also already known by the school.

He was fired because he planned to enter into a marriage and at that point engaged in behavior that was unequivocally against Catholic doctrine.

I think it is reasonable that an organization that holds certain philosophical positions requires that its employees follow those positions.

[memphis]

Religions should be allowed to practice their beliefs and if that means letting someone go who does not hold to Catholic doctrine, then that's the beauty of our country and what I love about America. I feel bad for the teacher and don't find anything wrong with homosexuals who want to be together, but that's a different story. It's times like this that make me proud to be an American.

Wait. A Catholic school firing an employee for being gay makes you proud to be an American?

Did you bother to even read the link provided in the original post?

He was not fired for being gay.  The school had already known about that.

He was not fired for being in an open relationship with another man.  That was also already known by the school.

He was fired because he planned to enter into a marriage and at that point engaged in behavior that was unequivocally against Catholic doctrine.

I think it is reasonable that an organization that holds certain philosophical positions requires that its employees follow those position

So, you'd support the church in firing a woman for using birth control? Or a Jehovah's Witness school firing somebody who received a life-saving blood transfusion?

[State Comptroller Atkins]

I'll bet you'll all feel differently if it was a Muslim school.

I bet you would.

[Senator Napoleon]

Wouldn't the key word here be "Catholic"?

[RIP Robert H Bork]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/29/3459837/missouri-teacher-planning-same.html

Absolutely disgusting.

Why shouldn't the school have done just that?

Fake Christian.

[I left.]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/29/3459837/missouri-teacher-planning-same.html

Absolutely disgusting.

Why shouldn't the school have done just that?

Fake Christian.

Your position seems contrary to what I would consider proper Christian values.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/29/3459837/missouri-teacher-planning-same.html

Absolutely disgusting.

Why shouldn't the school have done just that?

Fake Christian.

Your position seems contrary to what I would consider proper Christian values.

Why? An institution that opposes same-sex marriage fires an individual who is taking part in one. Perhaps the firing was improper (although I do not believe that), but it was most definitely not contrary to Christian values.

[State Comptroller Atkins]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/29/3459837/missouri-teacher-planning-same.html

Absolutely disgusting.

Why shouldn't the school have done just that?

Fake Christian.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman