Scottish school chaplain removed after posting Facebook message on homosexuality
GLASGOW, January 7, 2014 - A Church of Scotland minister has been removed as chaplain from a Glasgow non-denominational school after parents complained about a Facebook post he wrote expounding traditional Christian teaching on homosexuality.
In November, Rev. Donald Michael MacInnes, minister of Gairbraid Church in Maryhill, Glasgow, posted his criticism of the Scottish government's decision to support a bill legalizing same-sex "marriage."
Rev. Donald Michael MacInnes
"We can now expect to see the school curriculum changed to the end that our children will be taught this perversion as if it were a good thing,” he wrote.
Glasgow City Council, which oversees Glasgow
Gaelic School, announced Jan. 6th that the remarks had cost the minister his job.
A spokeswoman for the Council said while the minister was entitled to his opinion, “The man is no longer the Chaplain at the school and this decision was taken by the headteacher as soon as we received the complaints from parents and reviewed the situation.”
“The school did receive complaints from some parents about the inappropriate comments made and a decision was taken to review the religious observance at the school,” the spokeswoman added.
Glasgow Gaelic School headteacher Dr Donalda McComb told The Scotsman that one parent told her Rev. MacInnes’ comments were “absolutely disgraceful.”
According to McComb, another parent said: “I don’t want my children exposed to any sort of prejudice from a person in authority and I would not be confident of other views he might express directly to the children.”
Donald Brown, chair of the parent council for Glasgow Gaelic School, said the remarks were not in line with the school's stance on equality, according to STV News.
"We would not condone these types of comments and we know the school has done what it feels to be appropriate," Brown said. "Steps have been taken in response to the comments and we do not subscribe to their content. In modern day society I imagine our parents would also not believe in such views."
A spokesman for the Church of Scotland told The Telegraph that it respected the right of headteachers to appoint the chaplain of their choice, saying, “We hope that this right will continue to be exercised with due regard to freedom of religious expression in a non-inflammatory way.”
He added the Kirk was sorry that Rev MacInnes was no longer the school’s chaplain, but also reiterated the Church of Scotland's view that homophobia was “sinful.”
Contact info:
Dr Donalda McComb, Headteacher
Glasgow Gaelic School
147 Berkeley Street, Glasgow, G3 7HP
Phone: 0141 276 8500
headteacher@glasgowgaelic.glasgow.sch.uk
Glasgow Gaelic School
147 Berkeley Street, Glasgow, G3 7HP
Phone: 0141 276 8500
headteacher@glasgowgaelic.glasgow.sch.uk
George Black, Chief Executive
Glasgow City Council
City Chambers
Glasgow, G2 1DU
Phone: 0141 287 4739
george.black@glasgow.gov.uk
Contact info for other Glasgow City Council senior officials are available here.
Glasgow City Council
City Chambers
Glasgow, G2 1DU
Phone: 0141 287 4739
george.black@glasgow.gov.uk
Contact info for other Glasgow City Council senior officials are available here.
Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, Convener, Church and Society Council
The Church of Scotland
121 George Street
Edinburgh, EH2 4YN
Phone: 0131 225 5722
churchandsociety@cofscotland.org.uk
The Church of Scotland
121 George Street
Edinburgh, EH2 4YN
Phone: 0131 225 5722
churchandsociety@cofscotland.org.uk
