Rev. Junia Joplin, who was fired by her former church in Ontario, Canada, after coming out as transgender, has filed a lawsuit against the church for wrongful termination.
Joplin was a Church Pastor at Lorne Park Baptist Church in Mississauga according to report and is seeking $200,000 in damages because the Church fired her for coming out as transgender. “Too often, religion is used as a sort of blanket excuse to justify all kinds of bad behavior – including human rights violations,” said Joplin in a tweet about the suit. “That way of thinking needs to be challenged.”
Joplin’s suit alleges that Lorne Park Baptist Church broke the Human Rights Code by discriminating on the basis of gender identity and also posits that the church was “unfair” in how it went about deciding to terminate the pastor’s employment.
In an interview this week, Joplin said her firing, and the way it was carried out, left her with “a kind of anxiety around church work and church life” that she had never felt before. “Those were very much my first steps into social transition. That’s a hard place to be, I think just about any trans person will tell you that can feel frightening, feel vulnerable.
It’s a time when support is so essential and, unfortunately, for a lot of us we don’t get it in places like our workplace,” she said. “In the end, the congregation voted to terminate her employment as lead pastor of the church, with the majority of the votes to terminate made for theological reasons,” David Huctwith, chair of the church’s executive council, said in a statement.
“We offered her what we think was a fair severance.” In an interview this week, Joplin said her firing, and the way it was carried out, left her with “a kind of anxiety around church work and church life” that she had never felt before. “Those were very much my first steps into social transition.
We live in a world where wrong has become right and it’s sad how the world justifies sin. It was these same sin that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. The Church did the NEEDFUL and took the right decision. What the Bible really say about this abominable sin:
1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
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