Wow. One.

Quick! Stop the presses! Catholic World News is reporting on a guy in Italy who claims he used to be homosexual and was converted through the power of the Bible!

Waitaminnit... one guy in Italy claims that he used to be gay (of which I have no substantiation) and is now straight (of which I have no substantiation), and this is news? I thought these people were claiming this is a perfectly reasonable expectation, and that gay people can change... why is it worldwide news when one person claims to have made this supposedly reasonable change?

Hmm... could it be because it doesn't really happen? Even accepting on the face of it that Catholic World News believes reported honestly (in that they are honestly reporting the man's claim) I'm still not buying that it actually happened. Of course, this is the United States, where one can't seem to find an "Ex-gay" person who isn't employed by a right wing religious organization and/or doesn't admit that they still have homosexual feelings and desires but are merely acting out the part of being heterosexual.

Scottish Catholic Adoption

Scotland is preparing to implement law which will ban discrimination against gay people in provision of goods or services. The Catholic church is upset because this will ban them from discriminating in the adoption services they provide on behalf of the government.

From the article:

The Catholic Church insist this would force them to close agencies as it would be against their religious beliefs to place a child in a gay household.

The use of the word "force" in this context is what I would call a lie. When a government forces someone to do something, it does so at gunpoint. Under no circumstances is the church being forced to close its adoption agencies; quite the contrary, it is being asked to please keep them open. The fact that the church does not wish to comply with the anti-discrimination law and consequently plans to close its agencies means that it is choosing to close the agencies.

John Deighan, parliamentary officer for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said members of the Bishop's Conference were so concerned they were seeking legal advice on their rights.

[some quotes deleted here for brevity]

"What we are looking at is are the UK government stepping over their competence by bringing into law regulations that do away with rights under the European Convention of Human Rights? We are not even being allowed to follow our consciences in saying we think married couples provide a better home."

What right is being violated? They're still allowed to believe as they like, and they may provide adoption services in compliance with the anti-discrimination law or choose not to place children with gay couples by choosing not to provide adoption services.

Further, it is my understanding that the church receives funding from the Scottish government, paid for with tax dollars, to provide adoption services. In other words, it isn't just providing adoption services out of the kindness of its heart, but rather, is doing so under contract for the government. It is not only the government's right, but in fact the government's duty to set standards for the provision of adoption services, for the benefit of the children involved. I can not see how the church has any right to receive tax dollars and place children for adoption; that would seem to be a privilege under any circumstances. If the church does not feel it can comply with the anti-discrimination law, it is right for them to choose to close their agencies.

Further, claiming that "We are not even being allowed to follow our consciences in saying we think married couples provide a better home" is, to be blunt, entirely false. They're entirely able under the law to continue saying that. They're just not going to continue to receive the privilege of being paid by the government and permitted to place children for adoption if they can't do so in the manner required by law.