Restraining Order Bans Kid from Churches
A restraining order issued by an Illinois judge will keep a little girl far away from any church or other place to worship this holiday – unless it’s a synagogue.
The pro-Judaism court order came after the girl’s father took her to a church and had her baptized – then sent photos of the ceremony to his ex wife. How’s that for some good old-fashioned passive aggressive holiday spirit?
The story on CBS is Rebecca Reyes wanted to raise their daughter in the Jewish faith and Joseph Reyes sent her the photos out of spite. Joseph, of course, says he sent them because his ex wanted to see them. Sounds like your typical sniping divorced couple.
But here’s the kicker: she says the little girl will be caused “irreparable harm to be raised in any faith other than Judaism.”
Hey now, no offense to anyone who is Jewish, but as someone who was raised Catholic (albeit no longer practicing), I’d consider myself to be pretty OK. Knees are a bit blistered, but hey.
It may be a bit flippant, but considering how many Americans convert from one religion to another – to Judaism included – does the religion in which they were raised matter in the long run? That is, provided it’s religion, not a suicide cult parading as religion?
A Pew Forum survey on religion from 2007 shows forty-four percent of Americans have switched from the faith of their childhood. Of the remaining fifty-six percent practicing the faith in which they were raised, another nine percent made a switch at some point before coming back to the fold.
It’s fair to say that divorced parents need to make peace with one another on these sort of matters rather than shuttling a child back and forth. Considering the tenets of the two faiths are so different, the true emotional detriment is trying to raise her in both. But is the court helping or hindering that peace in this instance?
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One of those times where I bet the family court judge wished it was within his/her right to say “would you two both just grow the eff up please?”
I can see where the mother is coming from, eventually this little girl is going to be old enough to come home and ask her mother why the Jews killed Jesus. You can’t have both simultaneously, it would take a huge toll on the child trying to reconcile the two.
I think there are plenty of kids with parents of different religions who figure it out; I know quite a few. And I’d guess that the most common religious cross is Judaism and Christianity.
“the true emotional detriment is trying to raise her in both”
Not so. There are many mixed faith families making it work, both together and in separate homes. The problem is that these parents are using their faith as a means to annoy each other, like a nice-looking weapon. Which could happen just as easily with varying sects of Christianity, or an Orthodox Jew v. Reform…
Ditto to PlumbLucky’s comment.
I agree with Bec. It’s the sniping that would be damaging, not experiencing two different faiths. It would give her perspective to challenge the blindspots and stupidities of both faiths and actually make a choice for herself. But this is assuming the parents would be able to let her choose when she got there whether she wanted a confirmation or a bat mitzvah, and that seems unlikely.
None of you know shit about Judaism apparently. If the child is baptized, her Jewishness may be questioned depending upon which strain of Judaism she belongs to. It would mean that she would be barred from marrying certain men, it would mean that she might have to go through a rigorous conversion process as an adult. It means that she won’t have a structured Jewish education. It means that her identity as a Jew may never develop.
Of course, the messages one receives about Jews in the Christian faith are mixed. To call the revamped version of the Torah the “Old” Testament as if it is no longer relevant degrades our holy book. Its your prerogative but to take a Jewish child and confuse them with that message, isn’t right.
As a Jewish woman, I would be outraged to have that forced upon my child without my permission. Yes, I know there are interfaith couples who get along fine but that is their choice. THere was no choice here. She has custody; she decides.
One of the many, many, reason I’m truly happy to be atheist!
Miriam-your beliefs are the type of intolerant non-sense that is destroying this country. The Reyes girl is always going to have her father’s heritage as well. The way you make Judaism sound, the father should get the girl as far away from it as possible.
Miriam, she obviously is not a very religious woman. She married a non-jewish man. So whatever type of Jew she is, she is using her daughter as a pawn to hurt her husband. Plus, from what I’ve read it sound like they have joint custody. So they BOTH have to agree. They don’t. He has rights to his child, just like the mother. He has a say.
Joseph’s wife is Rebecca Reyes (Shapiro), and her father is Howard Shapiro, who is an Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Playboy. That’s right, the man who doesn’t want his granddaughter exposed to Christianity, makes his money from pornography!! (Does the word hypocrite come to mind?)
http://www.christianfatherdefensefund.com/