Here again we have an example of people not trusting their own
abilities to think for themselves.
When I read the Bible, it said that we should confess our sins before
God and our fellow man, not in some dark little box in front of a
Priest. Jesus taught his beliefs vocally. He did not leave behind a
single written "Fact Sheet". But out of these simple teachings came a
massive structure, with a single anointed one to tell us all what to
think and what we must do to be in God' favor. Well, as long as we
need to set up some larger than life leader, we will continue to do
the same in our secular lives, too. We will follow Pied Pipers
because we do not believe in our own abilities. And we will get what
we deserve.
Carl Jarvis
On 3/8/16, joe harcz Comcast <joeharcz@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Catholic conference offering benefits for gay employees Oralandar
Brand-Williams, The Detroit News The Catholic Church is allowing gay couples
among its
Michigan employees to sign up for health benefits for their partners, but
stressed the move does not mean the church is changing its opposition to
same-sex
marriage. The move was celebrated by equal rights activist Stephanie White,
who said, 'It's always good when another discrimination barrier gets broken
down. The Michigan Catholic Conference, which represents more than 8,000
employees at seven dioceses across the state, said open enrollment would
begin
Wednesday for workers who want to add a legally domiciled adult to their
health plans for medical and dental benefits. Those who qualify must be18
and
older who share living expenses and are financially interdependent with the
MCC employee. Legally domiciled adults are not only same sex partners. They
could also be siblings, relatives or adult children. Church officials
pointed out the move does not mean the Catholic Church is sanctioning
same-sex marriages,
rather they are following federal law. '(The plan) is not intended to focus
on the issue of sexuality,' Michigan Catholic Conference spokesman David
Maluchnik
said Monday. 'The plan is residency based rather than a relationship
(based). White, the executive director of Equality Michigan, said whether or
not the
Michigan Catholic Conference concedes the move is a good one, the new health
care policy is worth celebrating. 'It's really good news,' she said. 'It
shows
how important federal action is in saying discrimination is wrong and that
people should be treated fairly. It's a win-win. In an announcement sent to
employees March 2, the MCC said 'due to recent changes in federal law
regarding the provision of health benefits, Michigan Catholic Conference has
adopted
a modification to MCC benefits to ensure compliance with applicable laws and
regulations. The inclusion of the (legally domiciled adult) benefit allows
for the MCC health plan to be both legally compliant and consistent with
Church teaching, Maluchnik said the church wanted to be compliant with new
federal
rules surrounding health care plans. The benefit is being offered to 8,400
employees at Catholic churches and dioceses across the state. Maluchnik
said
he believes only a small number of employees will sign on to the program.
'We feel very strongly that this is both legally sound and consistent with
the
social teachings of the Catholic Church,' he said Monday. He added that once
there was a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2013 involving a same-sex marriage
lawsuit from New York 'it was pretty clear that the federal government would
redefine marriage and the definition of a spouse. Ned McGrath, spokesman
for
the Archdiocese of Detroit, said 'our teaching on (gay marriage) has not
changed. 'It's pretty clear the side the (Catholic) bishops come down on
marriage
and they haven't changed,' McGrath said. He added the church does not ask
employees or worshipers what their sexual orientation is. The Michigan
Catholic
Conference filed briefs in 2014 and last year supporting efforts to keep
Michigan's voter-backed 2004 gay marriage ban in place. Last year, the U.S.
Supreme
Court legalized gay marriage after a June ruling involving lawsuits against
states, including Michigan, that had voter-approved gay marriage bans. The
lawsuit against Michigan's same-sex marriage ban was filed by Hazel Park
residents April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse. The couple, both nurses, married
last
summer. Attorney Dana Nessel, who represented DeBoer and Rowse, said Monday
the MCC is just following the law 'as dictated to them by the highest court
in the land. 'The MCC was one of the biggest contributors to Prop 2 in 2004
which created the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Michigan,' she
said. 'The MCC also vigorously supported (Gov. Rick) Snyder and (Attorney
General Bill) Schuette's failed effort to uphold the ban. Only time will
tell
what the MCC's true priorities are. bwilliams@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (313)
222-2027
