To be filed under "things that make my blood boil"...
Can Atheists Be Parents?Well, surprise, but there are millions of parents out there who are! So thank you TIME for that wonderful nugget of a title. From the article:
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.’
Fortunately, the New Jersey supreme court agreed to take this on appeal. I can't imagine them not being able to keep their adopted two year old. By Judge Camarata's logic we should go around stripping every baptized baby from their parent because certainly the baby is not yet of an age where one could determine if such an action is "agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience". And just to quibble, but this decision rules against pantheists being parents as well (the mother's religious persuasion) even though they believe in a supreme being. Did this really just happen? In America? In 2008?
