Alternative Spirituality

» spiritalk - Not Conclusive

In response to Not Conclusive posted by pink101:

In my country, homosexuals are refused health coverage for their spouse, because of the definition of spouse in law. That has now changed.

Homosexuals were refused the authority of a power of attorney for the health of their spouse/partner before this change in law. Parents and siblings of an individual would get precidence over health and finances before the partner.

These are real and limits to civil rights defined by sexuality of partners.

God bless, J

-- posted by spiritalk

» Migisi - Pinky - More than meets the eye

The student, Emily Brooker, graduated this past May, 2006. She signed the complaint on Sept. 17, 2006 -after graduating. She wants the disciplinary inquiries removed from her acedemic record, and she wants money (damages). If awarded, I'm sure the damages will pay off her student loans - and then some.
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From the complaint, every student who enrolled in the School of Social Work signed an agreement beforehand that they would adhere to the "School of Social Work Standards of Essential Functioning in Social Work Education", and the "National Assoc. of Social Worker Code of Ethics". Apparently, in those two agreements, the students pledged not discriminate against persons of race, creed, gender, sexual preference, etc. Emily signed the agreements.
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From what I gleened from her complaint, she'd been accused of being uncooperative, argumentative, and unprofessional in class, and had been tardy and absent - which is why she received a "C" grade. She appealed the grade, and it was changed to a "B".
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If what's in her complaint is true, her professor was an activist type teacher who veered away from curriculum, made anti-Bush remarks frequently, and promoted a 'liberal' approach to issues. It's clear that Emily and the professor did not like each other, and were at odds in their beliefs. The way I read the complaint, the university attempted to find middle ground between the two.
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I haven't been able to find the university's response to Emily's complaint. Likely it hasn't been filed yet.
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If interested in reading the whole complaint, it's here:
www.telladf.org/UserDocs/BrookerComplaint.pdf
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I quote the ADF's purpose from here: http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/about...
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"The Alliance Defense Fund is a servant organization that provides the resources that will keep the door open for the spread of the Gospel through the legal defense and advocacy of religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and traditional family values."
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-- posted by Migisi

» Brian Tubbs - Misigi

In response to Pinky - More than meets the eye posted by Migisi:

I've observed several situations where professing Christians have gone out of their way to make themselves "martyrs," and if this is what's happening, I have no sympathy for Emily.

On the other hand, I've also seen situations where professors use their position to proselytize students to their line of thinking - I encountered this MYSELF while attending George Mason University.

Obviously, I have no problem with a teacher or professor stating their convictions or laying out their reasons for holding their beliefs. If that results in persuading the students, so be it. But I do have a problem with teachers using grades, intimidation, etc. to coerce students to do certain things.

Lastly, your citation of ADF's ideology is really a non-issue. The question is whether Emily's grievance has merit or not. That's what matters. As to ADF being biased or having an agenda....so what?

» pink101 - Pinky - More than meets the eye

In response to Pinky - More than meets the eye posted by Migisi:
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If she signed her rights away, she doesn't have a lot to stand on except public opinion.
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Looks like the association needs to loosen up and recognize that we're in the twenty-first century. .
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-- posted by pink101

» Migisi - Misigi - Um - that's Migisi :)

In response to Misigi posted by BrianTubbs:

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You offered a news story link. I did some research and found and presented the legal complaint as filed, and provided verbatum the stated 'goals' of the firm (ADF) which represents her. My citation of ADF goals was merely FYI. I'd never heard of the org before, and likely others here hadn't either. I can't imagine why anyone would object to knowing the parties involved.
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Currently, all we have to go on is Brooker's complaint prepared by ADF - which, IMO, clearly has an agenda to further.
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As yet, we don't have any response to the suit from any of the defendants (note she sued everyone). I don't think it's fair to condemn the teacher or university for ~alleged~ actions without hearing their side, do you? I was a university teacher and had to deal with disgruntled students occasionally. You too, no?

-- posted by Migisi

» Migisi - Pinky - More than meets the eye

In response to Pinky - More than meets the eye posted by pink101:

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If she signed her rights away, she doesn't have a lot to stand on except public opinion.
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To my thinking.... if she objected to those standards and codes, and being required to sign them in order to register and attend the School of Social Work - she should've sued ~before~ (not after) signing them. She didn't seem to have any problem with them before and during her studies... she did ~graduate~ from the school.
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There are other alleged complaints listed in the brief which may or may not be true. It's likely they'll deal with them in-house and settle with Brooker out of court. That's my prediction, anyway.

-- posted by Migisi

» Brian Tubbs - Misigi - Um - that's Migisi :)

In response to Misigi - Um - that's Migisi posted by Migisi:

Sorry about messing up your name. I think I've done that a few times.

What did you teach in the university?

» Migisi - Misigi - Um - that's Migisi :)

In response to Misigi - Um - that's Migisi posted by BrianTubbs:

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Sorry about messing up your name.
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I messed up yours before too.
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What did you teach in the university?
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Marketing, Advertising, and Graphic Arts.

-- posted by Migisi

» Migisi - Haggard Hipocracy?

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News that megachurch leader Pastor Ted Haggard has been paying for homosexual sex for three years.
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http://www.crooksandliars.com/
Click on the video: Ted Haggard Talks
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=========================
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Article from:
http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/pub...
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Ted Haggard Steps Down Amidst Allegations of Gay Sex
By Jim Kouri
Nov 3, 2006
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While sex scandals involving political and church leaders -- Mark Foley and Jimmy Swaggart come to mind -- is one of the media's favorite news stories to cover. It's surprising that a new scandal is getting meager attention. Perhaps the media's full-court press to hand the Democrat Party a huge victory on November 7 is a primary reason why the "gotcha" news media aren't covering a disturbing story.
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The president of the National Association of Evangelicals and founder and leader of Colorado's New Life Church, Ted Haggard, resigned from the NAE and placed himself on administrative leave from his church as a result of allegations surfacing that he had a three year affair with a male prostitute.
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Haggard a staunch supporter of President George W. Bush and is credited with rallying evangelical voters behind the Republicans during the 2004 election. He reportedly takes part in regular conference calls with White House staff and was named by Time Magazine as one of the 25 most influential evangelical Christians in America.
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Mike Jones, a so-called male escort, publicly announced that he has had a homosexual relationship with the top religious leader. He claims that during some of their time together they used metamphetamine, as well. Sex and drugs -- and homosexuality -- once again may have taken their toll.
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But Jones does backup his statement regarding his sexual liaisons with the Christian leader with an audiotape he recorded of Haggard and him explicitly discussing sex. Jones claims he did this because of Haggard's ongoing battle against same-sex marriage. Jones says he wanted to "out" the church leader as a homosexual and a hypocrite.
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What should delight the secular-humanists within the media is the fact that Haggard is an outspoken critic of gay marriage and drug abuse. And once the mainstream media get wind of this story, it will be used to connect the GOP with an evangelical leader who's fallen from grace.
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At first, the respected Haggard told KUSA TV in Colorado Springs on Wednesday night that Jones' accusations are false. But on Thursday, Haggard announced, "I could not continue to minister under the cloud created by the accusations," and thus he threw in the towel.
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The nationally known spiritual leader, who hosts a Christian-based talk show, said that after consulting with the board of overseers of his church he is, "voluntarily stepping aside from leadership so that the overseer process can be allowed to proceed with integrity." Meanwhile, his tenure as NEA president is over.
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Haggard's congregation numbers over 14,000 members. It is the largest New Life Church in Colorado. Church attorneys said that under their bylaws, if there is an accusation of immorality, the church official involved should step down and place himself on a leave-of-absence.
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In a press statement, the church pastor's daughter, Carolyn Haggard, a spokeswoman for the New Life Church, said a four-member church panel will investigate the allegations. She did not identify the board members.
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"This is really routine when any sort of situation like this arises, so we're prepared," she said. "The church is going to continue to serve and be welcoming to our community. That's a priority."
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One can only pray both Mike Jones and Carolyn Haggard are both wrong -- that Ted Haggard is innocent, and this is not a routine situation.
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-- posted by Migisi

» RichardSpeaks - Haggard Hipocracy?

In response to Haggard Hipocracy? posted by Migisi:
In most instances, it would be easy to make wisecracks about another fundamentalist biting the dust. However, it would be in the best interests of any opposition to keep mouths shut right now. After the John Kerry fiasco, let's hope that the progressives bite their lips.

The vast majority of gay men and women never come out; they marry, have families, and often find themselves in places of authority. Some of those places are blatantly anti-gay. In fact, the climate in America is still more anti- than pro-. It is dangerous to come out of the closet. The screaming queens portrayed on television and stage represent a small percentage of the gay population. Even the flambouyant crowds on Hollywood Blvd., Castro Street, Times Square, and the French Quarter don't accurately reflect the real gay community. Most are hidden within the mainline community at large, doing what is expected of them, just as most of the hetero world is.

Point? With all that personal and societal pressure to remained concealed, occasionally someone breaks ranks and gets caught engaging in the taboo practices.

My opinion: if the culture wasn't so homophobic, incidences like the one involving Haggard and the rest wouldn't happen so often because more people would be out and proud. When you don't have to hide, you're less apt to pretend you're something you're not, like straight.

-- posted by RichardSpeaks