Greg Greeley grew up in a large family and knew that one day he would want to start his own.
"When I decided to start a family, and began reaching out to adopt, I was a single father," said Greeley, who moved to Virginia in 1987. He was in the Air Force and stationed at the Pentagon.
As a single, gay man, Greeley faced many challenges before successfully navigating the state's adoption process.
He started the process in 2001. A year later, after locating a progressive child-placement agency in Virginia, he adopted his first child from Ukraine.
"It was a hard process and I was lucky," said Greeley, who lives in Arlington and now has a second adopted son from El Salvador. "The first question I asked each agency was, 'Do you work with single fathers?' I called a dozen agencies, and only one said yes. It’s amazing to have that many doors shut in your face over and over again. No one asked, 'Would you be a good father? What is your background?' None of it was based on any of those things that would be important to determine is this a good placement for a child. It was just 'No, we don’t work with single fathers.' "
He continued: "It’s a good thing to make sure that people are good parents. But it’s terrible when people won’t even consider you. They won't even look at why, they’ll just tell you no."
The process is about to get much more difficult.
Gov. Bob McDonnell is expected to soon sign a bill that would add a 'conscience clause' to state adoption laws that would give private child-placement agencies, even those that receive state funding, the legal right to deny services to prospective parents if they felt the placement would go against their written moral or religious beliefs.
The measure also would prohibit the state from denying grants, contracts or license renewals to agencies that exercise that right.
The bill has drawn sharp criticism from several state legislators, along with gay and lesbian residents and advocates, who view the measure as sanctioning legal discrimination.
"This bill gives license for state funds to be used for religious discrimination," said state Sen. Adam Ebbin in a phone interview. "The question is should agencies that recieve tax payer dollars be able to discriminate?"
Ebbin, who is openly gay, , which approved it last month 22-17.
The Family Foundation, a conservative group that supported the bill, called the approval a 'monumental victory' for religious freedom on its website, saying that it will protect religious groups and allow them to act in accordance with their values.
Neither the Family Foundation nor the bill's sponsor, Republican state Sen. Jeff McWaters of Virginia Beach, returned phone calls or written requests to discuss their support.
The current structure of Virginia's foster care system makes distinguishing between the public and private spheres almost impossible. In Virginia, a network of 120 public child-placement agencies and 70 private agencies help the state look after the 4,407 children currently being cared for by the state's foster care system.
"Our departments often contract with private agencies for various aspects of the placement process," said Eileen Guertler, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Social Services. "Many private agencies do wonderful work and play a vital role for children in our system."
While many private agencies certainly provide valuable services to some of the state's most vulnerable children, introducing morality into the legal process of adoption will make the already difficult process almost impossible for some parents hoping to adopt.
In a recent Huffington Post op-ed, demographer Gary Gates of the University of California Los Angeles Williams Institute argued that the measure is not in best the interest of Virginia's children.
Highlighting the estimated 1,700 adopted children and 300 foster children being raised by single gay and lesbian parents in Virginia, Gates predicted that the new law would have negative economic and social consequences in this state by barring otherwise-qualified prospective parents from adopting solely on a moral basis.
"I think a lot of people who could make good parents won’t have the opportunity to do that, and it's sad," said Greeley, who shared his story before a Senate subcommittee.
"There are lots of choices you’ll make through life and in many cases you’ll think back and question. For me, the decision to adopt was never one I’ve looked back on."
Sin is so contagious, so anti life that it has to be eradicated from our thoughts, our lives. If we should hold onto, if we should cherish any sin in our lives, when Christ comes through the clouds, whether we're dead or alive, we will be identified as sin and we will eventually be eradicated as sin. Christ told the woman caught in adultery and dragged before Him," Neither do I condemn you, Go and sin no more. We don't have to sin. Christ came also to show us that He has the power to release us from our sins. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
You see, there's room at the cross at the cross for everyone. Those who were haters to those who were mass murderers. And Christ has a place in heaven for all who give their lives to Him. And we intrust our lives to Him, He won't give us up, and satan can't take us.
22 "`Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." Leviticus 20:13. "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Romans 1:25-27 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-- who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Carol we need to understand that even though God is Love to the Nth degree, He is also just. His Son died to show us just how much God loved us. But at the same time His death also shows us, just how much God hates sin. He hates it because of what it does to us. He hates it because it separates us from Him. It doesn't allow Him the opportunity to accept us, because as Adam and Eve ran and hid from God in the Garden, not trusting in Him so now sin keeps us from trusting Him. In His power to recreate, and save. You have part of it right. You love you child and you don't reject him, now point him to the One that loves your son more. The One that has the power to give new life. Real life. Both now and for eternity. Why would you lose your son, and possibly your self.
I have friends that are homosexual and have adopted two boys and one girl. They are some of the best well adjusted and down to earth kids you will meet. They couldn't be happier with their parents. Stop thinking about hate and do what the bible actually tells you, which is to love one another.
18When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 19Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. 20Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 21Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.
As Carol Lewis has done prior to myself, I will no longer give your hate filled words my time or attention. Instead I will pray that you will stop hating your fellow man.
No, the first death before Christ comes back is nothing compared to the one that awaits those who awakens after the 1000 years. But it's still not too late for us today. All we have to do is accept Christ's death in place of ours. Ask Him today and invite anyone else that would go to Him.