Tennessee-based adoption agency refuses to help couple because they're Jewish

[Nevilledog]

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Jacob Rubashkin
@JacobRubashkin
Tennessee passed a law designed to allow adoption agencies to turn away same-sex couples on the basis of "written religious or moral convictions or policies."

Now a publicly funded adoption agency is declining to work with Jews too.

knoxnews.com
Tennessee-based adoption agency refuses to help couple because they're Jewish
The faith-based adoption agency is backed by a law put into place two years ago by Tennessee Republicans.
8:21 AM · Jan 20, 2022

https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/20/holston-united-methodist-home-for-children-adoption-tennessee-refused-family-jewish/6582864001/

A Knoxville couple is suing the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, saying a state-sponsored Christian-based adoption agency refused to help them because they are Jewish.

It is the state’s first lawsuit to challenge a new law that allows religious adoption agencies to deny service to families whose religious or moral beliefs aren't in sync with the provider's, the family's attorney told Knox News on Wednesday.

The adoption agency, the Holston United Methodist Home for Children based in Greeneville, Tennessee, denied Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram from acquiring Tennessee-mandated foster-parent training and a home-study certification as they attempted to adopt a child from Florida last year, the Rutan-Rams say.

Elizabeth and Gabriel Rutan-Ram are suing the Tennessee Department of Children's Services and its director after a Christian adoption agency under state contract refused to help the couple foster and adopt a child because the Rutan-Rams are Jewish. A recently passed state law allows religious groups to refuse to provide services to people whose faith does not align with theirs.

The organization was previously but is no longer an arm of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. A spokesperson for the conference directed questions to the home.

*snip*

[Emile]

1. Fucking Nazis

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Who is surprised by this?

[RobinA]

11. Not Me

That's why I avoid faith-based anything.

[MLAA]

3. May their case progress quickly and result in a big win for the couple and all non-racist assholes

[marie999]

4. My opinion: the problem is Jews think they are American citizens.

We are allowed to vote and own property right now, but how long will it last. Israel is the only country where Jews are actual citizens. Look at history and how many times Jews living in a country as citizens were persecuted, killed, or expelled.

[NQAS]

5. This is what TFG allowed to happen

Everything his fascist cult followers believe can now be said out loud.

From an adoption agency in TN to Mitch McConnell (There's African-Americans and just plain old Americans, so there!) to SCOTUS (no abortions, fuck precedence).

Racist.

Misogynist.

Anti-semitic.

Islamophobic.

Homophobic.

Transphobic.

They've always been all of these things. Always. But they kept their heads down and only shared their attitudes among their fellow travelers. And they bit their lips when laws were passed ensuring rights for the groups they despised. Now they have been given permission to say it out loud. Maybe it's best that it's all out in the open. It sure is fucking exhausting, though.

[Corgigal]

6. Tennessee,

such a beautiful state. I hate giving it away to hateful idiots. However, I understand why people maybe scared to retire there. I just wish we could get this state back.

I hope the couple wins, they should because Tennessee is so damn hateful.

[Ziggysmom]

12. I feel the same way about my state of Wisconsin, AKA gerrymandering capital of the country.

I cannot believe how low our country has sunk. This religious BS is unconstitutional.

[zeusdogmom]

7. Wasn't Jesus Jewish?

Along with Mary, Joseph, the 12 apostles, etc.

[Nevilledog]

8. Not white Jesus

[zeusdogmom]

9. Ooh, forgot about him

All of my Sunday School materials as a kid showed a man with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a very pale complexion. My daughter’s materials ca 20years later were somewhat better - blue eyes were gone - but sure looked like most of the people in the community (western european descendants)

[marybourg]

10. In fact, pretty much like the young Jewish couple

pictured above, who look pretty much like most Jewish people in the U.S.

[Elessar Zappa]

14. Most Jewish people now

are heavily mixed with European DNA. That wasn’t the case in the time of Jesus, where most Jewish people would have been indistinguishable from other Middle Easterners.

[marybourg]

15. DNA studies have shown very little admixture with non-Jews

among Ashkenazi, who were long isolated within European societies . Different for Sephardic Jews, who lived in more open societies.

[uponit7771]

16. +1

[Emile]

19. Jesus smoking a blunt! LOL

[ret5hd]

20. He's aged a bit, but still hittin' it:

[Ziggysmom]

13. Sad thing is that a child is being denied parents. These agencies are only placing children

in crockpot repube homes, I bet. So they will grow up brainwashed like their families.

[Boomerproud]

17. Is it really the 21st century?

[orleans]

23. i was just wondering the same damn thing! nt

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

18. Those Jewish parents would pollute the kid's precious bodily fluids ...

... with vaccines. Many vaccines. Many types of vaccines.

How will the kid grow normally without experiencing diptheria, mumps, measles, polio, tetanus, covid?

[DFW]

21. I have been a supporter of Citizens United for MANY years now.

They always get involved on the side of people who are oppressed by fanatic "Christians," who think that piety involves being mean to everyone who believes something other than what they do.

[Duppers]

22. Sent this to my dh.

With the caption: "this is the gawd-damn state we're moving back to."

I send him at least 10 articles a month w/that caption, not to discourage him but just as a warning. We're moving back just for our beloved, beautiful mountains. It's been 50yrs since we lived in Knoxville & hiked those peaks; one tends to forget the bad parts. We both were born & grew up in the state; not everyone is a crazy, bigoted redneck there - just too many and it just seems to have gotten worse. But of course, my memory could be failing me.

[ShazzieB]

24. I know what you mean about those moutains.

I grew up in Chattanooga, until I was 12. Then we moved to what my junior high science teacher liked to call "the corn flats of Illinois." I always planned to move to someplace with mountains again, but it somehow never worked out.

I still love the mountains, but now I don't want to move that far away from my daughter.

At least Illinois is a pretty good place to be at this point in time. Blue state, Democratic governor, good Covid policies (indoor mask mandate, etc.). Also 2 Democratic Senators, and I live in a purple congressional district that has elected a Democrat to Congress since 2018. When I think about moving, I remind myself of all those things, and it helps.

But damn, I miss those mountains!