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

[LetMyPeopleVote]

This is truly sad and wrong

Link to tweet

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.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. Adoption should have NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING to do with anyone's 'faith'

The real problem is putting churches in charge of 'adoption services', it's really NOT something that should be farmed out to CHURCH CONTRACTORS, period.

Let alone giving those contractors the power to discriminate based on religion, race, sexual orientation, etc.

Religion having any sort of real power in terms of governance is a concept that NEEDS TO GO.

As an aside, I expect better from Methodists.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Never would have ever imagined any Methodist group would associated itself with bigotry, either.

Sickened by the news.

[Mariana]

5. "As an aside, I expect better from Methodists."

If you go to the website of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church, you'll find this goal statement on their home page:

Making Disciples Of Jesus Christ For The Transformation Of The World

A child raised in a Jewish family is unlikely to become a disciple of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. It makes sense, then, that they would only want to assist Christian families in adopting children.

[keithbvadu2]

9. Yet the Methodists refuse to adopt the child.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. TN Law Meant To Let Christians Discriminate Against Gays Being Used To Discriminate Against Jews

Back in January of 2020, Tennessee GOP Governor Bill Lee excitedly signed a law meant to allow Christian adoption agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples looking to adopt and, we guess, boost the self-esteem of people who for some reason just can't be happy unless they get to be legally superior to some other group of people.

“The governor believes that protection of rights is important, especially religious liberty," a spokesman for Lee said at the time. "This bill is centered around protecting the religious liberty of Tennesseans and that’s why he signed it."

Because the bill was technically supposed to be about "protecting religious liberty" and not explicitly about legislating homophobia -- a common trick with laws like these -- the wording of it was vague. Religious adoption agencies were given the right to refuse to place children with those who "violate the agency's written religious or moral convictions or policies," as opposed to just giving them license to discriminate against gay people.
...
Holston apparently loves discriminating while using public funds so much that they actually sued the Biden administration in December over a new law denying federal Health and Human Services funding to organizations that discriminate “on the basis of religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and same-sex marriage status.” They claim this violates their First Amendment right to use taxpayer money to discriminate against taxpayers they happen to not like. The First Amendment of what, we don't know, because it sure as hell isn't the United States Constitution.

https://www.wonkette.com/tn-law-meant-to-let-christians-discriminate-against-gays-now-helps-them-discriminate-against-jews

[Takket]

4. Sue them out of existence.

[edhopper]

8. On what basis

The Supreme Court has approved this.

[Demsrule86]

10. No they have not...and I doubt they will.

[sl8]

6. K & R.

[edhopper]

7. The Supreme Court

has said this is OK.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/17/supreme-court-sides-with-catholic-adoption-agency-that-refuses-to-work-with-lgbt-couples.html

[Demsrule86]

11. This is religious discrimination...that is a different situation and goes to church and state issues

[edhopper]

12. They allowed discrimination based on Faith

this is no different. The Courts opened the door for this, and more will come.

The Court has remained silent on this Tennessee law.

[Demsrule86]

13. I disagree...The Catholic Church is a private organization and not a state sponsored one.

[edhopper]

14. This is a private Faith based organization

that is state sponsored, as was the Catholic one in PA.

The adoption agency, the Holston United Methodist Home for Children based in Greeneville, Tennessee,

Same difference.