The Catholic legal and policy blog Mirror of Justice had an article by Rob Vischer on Monday. It addresses what's quickly becoming news: one Catholic archdiocese has invited two children of a lesbian couple not to re-enroll in Catholic school next year. According to the archdiocese, it does not want the children of parents who ignore Catholic teachings. Vischer, however, raises some very good points:
Let me pause to say this: I do not deny that the school has the right to kick the students out. It is a private school and thus has the right to create (basically) any restrictions on membership that it desires. If the school, church, and parents want to limit other students' exposure to alternative values, that is there prerogative. However, I question the wisdom of doing so, for multiple reasons.
It is almost always wrong to hold one person responsible for the actions of another. The school is denying a privilege to a child based upon its feelings towards that child's parents. While that is often the easy thing to do, it is rarely the right thing to do. Just as it would not be appropriate to blame a person for the actions of her brother or to punish a wife for the actions of her husband, it is not appropriate to punish a child for the perceived evil acts of her parents. As a both religious and educational institution, Catholic schools should take the moral route over the easy route.
It is also wrong to pretend an action is based upon a broader principle than it is in fact based upon. If the school wants to ban a student for the homosexuality of her parents, the school should at least admit it, instead of hiding behind the broader "Catholic principles" argument, unless the school actually does treat all violations of Catholic teachings equally, which the school in question does not seem to do.
Finally, by limiting the exposure of other school children to varying viewpoints, the school, church and parents are severely harming the children's education and developmental processes. This is why I am hesitant about the wisdom of Catholic (or other religious) schools in general. Religious schools can work and still provide needed diversity, though, so long as they operate with tolerance. In this case, the school acted in a way that was directly aimed at reducing the number of viewpoints present at the school.
I don't feel particularly bad for the children who were kicked out: if the school is acting as it is, it was almost certainly a bad place for them to believe in. There are few reasons to fight to get back into a school that doesn't want you. I do, however, feel pity for the small-mindedness among the school administrators that led to this action and for the other children at the school who will miss the opportunity to grow up in a balanced and diverse community. Their education and development lost out to religious bigotry.
Related posts: Michael Perry at Mirror of Justice takes issue with the claim that anti-homosexuality is a teaching of Jesus. In his view, it is merely a teaching of the church.
I did not attend Catholic school (nor do my kids), so I'm by no means an expert here -- is it common for kids to get kicked out of Catholic schools based on the conduct or lifestyles of their parents? E.g., Are children of Mafia figures kicked out? Have children of divorced and remarried parents been kicked out?(I would add: are the children of parents who use contraceptives kicked out?) Though I am no expert (and please inform me, anyone who knows) I would guess the answer to the above questions is no--at least not consistently.
Let me pause to say this: I do not deny that the school has the right to kick the students out. It is a private school and thus has the right to create (basically) any restrictions on membership that it desires. If the school, church, and parents want to limit other students' exposure to alternative values, that is there prerogative. However, I question the wisdom of doing so, for multiple reasons.
It is almost always wrong to hold one person responsible for the actions of another. The school is denying a privilege to a child based upon its feelings towards that child's parents. While that is often the easy thing to do, it is rarely the right thing to do. Just as it would not be appropriate to blame a person for the actions of her brother or to punish a wife for the actions of her husband, it is not appropriate to punish a child for the perceived evil acts of her parents. As a both religious and educational institution, Catholic schools should take the moral route over the easy route.
It is also wrong to pretend an action is based upon a broader principle than it is in fact based upon. If the school wants to ban a student for the homosexuality of her parents, the school should at least admit it, instead of hiding behind the broader "Catholic principles" argument, unless the school actually does treat all violations of Catholic teachings equally, which the school in question does not seem to do.
Finally, by limiting the exposure of other school children to varying viewpoints, the school, church and parents are severely harming the children's education and developmental processes. This is why I am hesitant about the wisdom of Catholic (or other religious) schools in general. Religious schools can work and still provide needed diversity, though, so long as they operate with tolerance. In this case, the school acted in a way that was directly aimed at reducing the number of viewpoints present at the school.
I don't feel particularly bad for the children who were kicked out: if the school is acting as it is, it was almost certainly a bad place for them to believe in. There are few reasons to fight to get back into a school that doesn't want you. I do, however, feel pity for the small-mindedness among the school administrators that led to this action and for the other children at the school who will miss the opportunity to grow up in a balanced and diverse community. Their education and development lost out to religious bigotry.
Related posts: Michael Perry at Mirror of Justice takes issue with the claim that anti-homosexuality is a teaching of Jesus. In his view, it is merely a teaching of the church.
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