In the UK, a couple has been rejected the right to foster children because of their views that homosexuality is immoral.

They have fostered children before and wanted to get back into the system.

Since their last go-around, rules about what society honors as choices in sexuality have changed in the UK. And at this point, the Johns’ families views are not seen as inclusive enough.

So, folks are outraged that this family’s religious views are being trampled upon.

They are not.

What has happened is that the United Kingdom has decided that what you do in your own home, and your own children is basically your responsibility.

However, when you introduce someone the government is responsible for, you have to abide by the rules of common, polite society. Which means, you can’t tell those children that people are evil based on Religious Construct X or Y. You either raise the kids to believe what society has considered normal and good, or you don’t get to help raise kids who, yes, DO need to be fostered and treated well.

Here is the US, we have a different view. When gays are beaten to death in Wyoming or when soldiers are killed overseas, the inbreds at the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas might show up to the funeral. One father of a slain soldier who had to put up with these hateful “Christians” sued the Phelps family to stop them from doing this to other families.

He lost. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court and they confirmed that religious bigots have more power and authority than the families of those killed in violence.

Now, this is set up as a freedom of speech argument and in legal parlance it may be. But I sincerely doubt that, say, an anti-war protest at a military funeral would be so supported. Or that, thankfully, a non-church hate group protesting the death of a gay young adult would be permitted.

No, this is about coddling to and knuckling under the influence of religion in this nation. A church, even a pack of straight-stick family tree hatemongers like those in Kansas, has more power than people.

We’ve got a lot to learn in this country. Folks who hate the Phelps family today had no issue silently agreeing with them when the fallen was Matthew Shephard. Folks in the UK who rightfully see religion being a private belief subordinate to the state much shake their heads when they see how high a place we put hateful speech as long as their is a cross in the shadows, particularly after we fought a war to win religious freedom.