Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Divorce Battle: Dad Faces Jail Time for Taking Daughter to Church - ABC News

Divorce Battle: Dad Faces Jail Time for Taking Daughter to Church - ABC News
What do you guys think about this one? Is there a double-standard here? They hold joint custody, so why does the wife's decisions weigh in more heavily than the husband's?? Things that make you go hhmmm

2 comments:

Claire said...

I think that religion is a very important matter in any relationship, especially one involving a child. I think that a couple must discuss religion and how they would like to raise their children before having children together. I do not think that Mrs. Reyes’ decisions weight more heavily than Mr. Reyes’. I think that the court’s decision stems from the fact that Mr. Reyes baptized his daughter without the consent of Mrs. Reyes. By forbidding Reyes from taking his daughter to church the court is attempting to put Mr. and Mrs. Reyes on an even playing field.

nedwards13 said...

They say that one of the most important decisions of a person life is when it comes to deciding and choosing who to have a child with. Which I feel is true because this is the person that will be in your life (for the most part) for quite a significant period of time. With this comes the choices of how to raise the child and when and where the "other" parent will come in. Religion to me is a very serious topic that one has to consider very carefully in the up-bringing of a child. There are cultures that for this reason will only "allow" members of that culture to marry within their same beliefs and religion. Take the Jewish community for example. A 2003 pole surveyed people from all around the United States and only 3% of the population was Jewish. i have Jewish friends (especially now that we are in college) that will only date (seriously) other Jews. The same goes for my Witness friends. They feel that when it comes to serious dating and "courting" that it is their obligation to only do so within their own religion. I honeslty think that this case could have been avoided if the up-bringing of the child was discussed prior to the conception. If religion plays a key role in your life and you want to implement the same belief with your child than this is an issue that should have been addressed sooner. I have seen where this particular problem can be resolved by allowing the child to choose later on in their lives what religion that they want to follow. In the meantime the family should consider finding a religion that can suite both their needs. Or simply take turns on when and where the child practices that weekend. In the end the child will grow up and make their own decisions. Many of us will in fact continue practicing the religion that they were raised by but this more rapidly is becoming a thing of the past.