Can Atheists Be Parents?
Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 @ 06:57:56 CST by infidelguy
|
|
After six years of childless marriage, John and Cynthia Burke of Newark decided to adopt a baby boy through a state agency. Since the Burkes were young, scandal-free and solvent, they had no trouble with the New Jersey Bureau of Children's Services—until investigators came to the line on the application that asked for the couple's religious affiliation.
John Burke, an atheist, and his wife, a pantheist, had left the line blank. As a result, the bureau denied the Burkes' application. After the couple began court action, however, the bureau changed its regulations, and the couple was able to adopt a baby boy from the Children's Aid and Adoption Society in East Orange.
Last year the Burkes presented their adopted son, David, now 31, with a baby sister, Eleanor Katherine, now 17 months, whom they acquired from the same East Orange agency. Since the agency endorsed the adoption, the required final approval by a judge was expected to be pro forma. Instead, Superior Court Judge William Camarata raised the religious issue. Inestimable Privilege. In an extraordinary decision, Judge Camarata denied the Burkes' right to the child because of their lack of belief in a Supreme Being. Despite the Burkes' "high moral and ethical standards," he said, the New Jersey state constitution declares that "no person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience." Despite Eleanor Katherine's tender years, he continued, "the child should have the freedom to worship as she sees fit, and not be influenced by prospective parents who do not believe in a Supreme Being."
The Burkes are now living in Carterville, Ill., near Southern Illinois University, where John Burke has worked for the past year as a speech pathologist. Nevertheless, Judge Camarata ordered the parents to send David's sister back to the New Jersey adoption agency. Two weeks ago, aided by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Burkes appealed directly to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case. If they fail in their appeal, Eleanor Katherine may have to leave the only family she has ever known and await adoption by another couple whose religious convictions satisfy the State of New Jersey.
Original Article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877155,00.html
"Phew it's so hard being a Christian today."
Note: Thanks again to Gene Pann for informing us of this.
|
Re: Can Atheists Be Parents? (Score: 1)
by not_me on Monday, January 07, 2008 @ 03:28:07 CST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Wow, what an insulting and offensive idea. A law that requires people to be delusional to have children. Obviously this decision will be turned over on appeal either at the state or the federal supreme court levels.
What would have happened if they had answered Pastafarians? Would belief in a flying spaghetti monster be good enough to pass this religious test?
I wonder if the judge thought out the end result of this decision. If it stands, the state of NJ will be able to ask ALL parents what their religious affiliation is. Parents without the appropriate religious affiliation will have to give up their children to the state. That would be the obvious application of this precedent, and any good xian social worker would just have to point to this case.
Maybe NJ will just have to sterilize people of unacceptable religious affiliation. Yet one more reason not to visit NJ. ( like we needed another ) |
|
|
Re: Can Atheists Be Parents? (Score: 1)
by SMGSReason on Thursday, January 10, 2008 @ 18:23:54 CST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Baby, I love ya, but that article in Time was published in 1970.
We don't need to go that far back in time to find 2008 examples of religious tyranny. |
|
|
Re: Can Atheists Be Parents? (Score: 1)
by jkorath (jkorath@god-haters.net) on Friday, January 11, 2008 @ 17:10:24 CST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Wow...
Despite the Burkes' "high moral and ethical standards," he said, the New Jersey state constitution declares that "no person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience." Despite Eleanor Katherine's tender years, he continued, "the child should have the freedom to worship as she sees fit, and not be influenced by prospective parents who do not believe in a Supreme Being."
The same argument could be made that no religiously affiliated family should be able to adopt because they won't give the child the "freedom to worship as s/he sees fit".
Frankly, I do find THAT argument a little persuasive, albeit not at all practical. Even when I was still a Christian I thought that parents shouldn't try to influence their children's religious beliefs beyond simply explaining what they believe and why. I think any decent parent would think it important to expose their child to an assortment of belief systems if for nothing else than a well rounded religious education |
|
|
Re: Can Atheists Be Parents? (Score: 1)
by Eyedunno on Monday, January 14, 2008 @ 08:34:11 CST
(User Info | Send a Message) | | For those curious about the results, it was a rout. Multiple religious groups testified in favor of reversal, and even the amicus curiae supported reversal in this particular case to avoid trauma for the child (while at the same time supporting upholding the prior ruling in future cases). But it got overturned, so we can relax. :P |
|
|
Re: Can Atheists Be Parents? (Score: 1)
by Eyedunno on Monday, January 14, 2008 @ 08:38:46 CST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Oh, and that "now 31" thing is probably a scanner-introduced typo. It should read "now 3."
But as of RIGHT now (2008), he's probably around 40. |
|
|
| |
|
* You can syndicate our news and blog using the file