Jan Buterman to the Alberta HRC

Why Not - Every Other Lefty Chases Down the Church There

When I first read about the case of Jan Buterman in places like the Globe, I laid off for a number of reasons. Most articles had the following paragraph:

Jan Buterman is praised in a letter of dismissal for his teaching abilities, but told his gender change from woman to man is not aligned with the teachings of the Catholic church or its values.

So, one reason I laid off was that I was unsure of what Church teaching or value that Jan Buterman was offending specifically at first, and did not have the time or energy to chase it up, due to the arrival of our grandchildren.

Jan Buterman would not have been hired in Ontario where I live at all by the Catholic boards likely, because he/she is a Lutheran, so the problem never would have existed here, except for a Complaint that has gone to the Ontario HRC recently from Wellington County, that I reported on previously. But, that's not a criticism of Jan Buterman, not meant to be.

Egale Canada said this about the board decision:

Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada, called the board's decision sad, but not surprising. She noted that Catholic church doctrine staunchly opposes gender reassignment surgery. Ms. Kennedy said Mr. Buterman's “crime” was not related to his performance in the classroom, but to the fact that “he” began life as a “she.”

The Church teaches that we are born into a gender, that God created us man and woman. It is very biblical. But, the Church does not deal in CRIME, so Jan Buterman did not commit a crime, as Kennedy purports. Kennedy's most significant statement is that the decision is SAD. I suspect that the board and the diocese of Edmonton would call the decision sad, but it was the best that they could do with what they know, and it is within their mandate to decide accordingly. Jan Buterman's story is sad.

The Church does not move with every wind of change in the world, and should not, because most of these winds change course many times, over time. That, of course does not make the Church up to date in world terms, all of the time, nor does it need to be. It is the duty of the Faithful to be faithful to Church teaching and to help the Church to grow as the Body of Christ.

Jan Buterman is not Catholic and so he/she moves to a different drummer as to taking this to an HRC. A faithful Catholic should have dealt with this inside the Church, however that worked out, and accepted the challenges that arose. Jim Corcoran chose not to take that approach in Ontario, so he is taking his Bishop to the Ontario HRC. Seems a pretty popular thing to do when the Church won't roll over and play dead to your whims.

I have empathy for where Jan Buterman is in his/her life, because I have a friend who is now a female, who was raised as a male, and is transgendered, but is not a male anymore, I guess, and maybe never really totally was. I don't begin to understand even the last sentence, let alone the hell my friend has lived, or is now living, nor to judge my friend, nor Jan Buterman. I also don't begin to understand the hell my friend's wife is going through. She had a husband, and now she has a wife. Is this real? And what about their adult children and little grandson, who had a Dad and grampa, and now have two moms and two grammas. What's with that?

So, I can empathise with Buterman, but I have to rely on the Church in times like these, rather than on the perfidy of man, for my guidance. I do not for one instant trust any Human Rights Commission in this country to give a hoot about the Human Rights of the general populace. They are only interested in some left leaning form of rights for special interest groups that make enough noise to get their attention, and Christians of all stripes are not into making noise to be heard, usually, and more's the pity.

I got a note from Stephen Boissoin, who I regard highly, about this case and posted it in my original posting on this case. Frankly, I was wishy washy about the whole thing, for personal reasons, and Stephen took me to task, which I appreciate. Still, my verbal approach might be gentler than his, but my beliefs are in line with his. I have not been through 7 years of HRC hell like he has along the way, so he can surely be pardoned, should anyone be offended by what he says. Frankly, if you are offended by him, take a pill, and think about what he is saying instead of putting your energy to the offense. I doubt he cares if you are offended by his words, and I agree that being offended is irrelevant. The truth is more important, and I get it.

Here is the bottom line for me. I would like to know a good reason why the Catholic Church should not be allowed to decide who can teach in a Catholic school, or serve on a Catholic altar for that matter. And who has the right to tell a Christian, like Stephen that he cannot speak biblical truth by way of a tribunal order? These are signs of a sick and dying society.

I don't want that old chestnut, that schools are funded by tax dollars, thus publicly funded and the public can tell them what to do. That is such crap, and I am sick of it. It is illogical. Catholics are taxpayers as much as any other members of society, so having a say in the education of their children in a world where we have no say on any of our other tax dollars is some minor solace.

Consider that my rant. Sorry for the delay.