“Compassion is the basis of morality” ― Arthur Schopenhauer.
Last year, the then four-year-old Zoey Parker attended the pre-K class at Bible Baptist Academy in DeQuincy, LA. She was expecting to return to the same school for kindergarten. But two days before the semester started, the school's director and pastor suddenly called Zoey’s parents, Emily, 28, and Jennie Parker, 31, a same-sex couple who have been married since 2016, into a meeting. They informed Zoey’s parents that Zoey would no longer be welcome at the school.
One of her mothers, Jennie Parker, explained,
'They informed us that Zoey wouldn't be able to go to school there anymore because of our lifestyle choices.'
I understand that many religious people are bigotted against gay couples — gays in general — but what did Zoey do? This poor girl has already had enough bad things happen in her life. Her aunt Emily adopted her this summer after Zoey’s father died in 2020. As Jennifer explained,
“She lost her father, she lost her mother and now she’s losing her school which she loves very much.”
Her other mother, Emily Parker added,
“On the 3rd (of August), we adopted her and we went to open house, we got the uniforms we got the fees.”
Then addressing Zoey’s dismissal, Emily said,
“The pastor met us in the meeting room and started talking about gender identification and that they teach the words of the Lord and marriage was between a man and a women. They didn’t think this was a good fit.”
What was the school’s reaction when the news went viral? They issued a statement saying that the institution was,
“committed to instructing and living in accordance with the teachings of Scripture. This should not be interpreted that we have any hatred or malice toward them. We are just as committed to loving all people as we are to holding to Bible principles that people may not agree with or may not understand.”
What scripture? The Bible? That is a collection of books containing a couple of negative verses on gays but four books dedicated to the life and times of a man who had nothing but compassion for the down-trodden and powerless — and who did not worry about whether people were “a good fit.” The Bible Baptist Academy must use a lot of Wite-Out on their Bible.
You should be judged by your deeds and not your words. And it is hard to see how the school’s actions do not reflect hatred and malice toward Zoey and her parents. They can cloak it any way they want, but their actions toward a five-year-old were sadistic. And if your religion demands this kind of cruelty, then it is a second-rate religion.
Fortunately, there is a bright silver lining. Jennifer Parker says they have received overwhelming support from the community, and they are grateful. She also says they have offers from other Christian schools in the area.
“It’s a blessing in disguise. We have an opportunity to bring her to a school which is a little closer and it’s a new opportunity for her to make new friends.”
What a generous-spirited woman.
This whole sorry saga illustrates the problem with Christianity in America. Millions of good Christians live by Jesus’s philosophy and understand the Bible in its entirety — not just the cherry-picked verses that give bigots cover to hate their fellow citizens. But they are quiet. I wish we heard more from these good people.
Unfortunately, it is the bigots on the Supreme Court; the political cynics; the loud-mouth, multi-millionaire preachers; and their mindless followers who get all the attention.
Jesus weeps.