Hooray! Sanity prevails in Wiccan parent case

[crowdog66]

Hot off the presses from Indianapolis... the links are to the message board on Witchvox, which features a link to the actual article plus commentary:

Update: Court Limit On Wiccan Parents’ Faith Overruled
Author: Michele McNeil   Source: Indianapolis Star (IN)
Title: COURT LIMIT ON PARENTS’ FAITH OVERRULED
The Indiana Court of Appeals today upheld the rights of parents to expose their children to Wicca, a contemporary pagan religion.

In its unanimous ruling, the court declared that a Marion County judge was out of bounds in approving a divorce decree that also directed the parents to shelter their 10 year old son from non mainstream religious beliefs and rituals...

More: Court Overturns Judge's Order In Wicca Case
Author: The Indy Channel  
Source: The Indy Channel (IN)
Title: COURT OVERTURNS JUDGE'S ORDER IN WICCA CASE
A judge exceeded his authority by ordering an Indianapolis Wiccan activist and his ex-wife to shield their 9-year-old son from what his decree called their "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals," the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.

The appeals court threw out the order from Marion Superior Court Judge Cale Bradford, citing a state law that gives a custodial parent the authority to determine a child's upbringing -- including religious training -- unless certain exceptions are met.

Divorcing parents can agree to allow such orders, or judges can find that certain limitations on upbringing are needed to protect the child from physical and emotional harm...

The initial ruling by the first judge -- that the parents in question couldn't raise their child in Wicca because it is a "non-mainstream religious belief" -- drew great protest from Wiccans around the country and indeed, around the world. It's good to see that in this case, sanity actually prevailed!

Comments

[elaryn.livejournal.com]

Hooray for sanity! W00t!

[lacontessamala.livejournal.com]

Awesome--I'm glad to see this. The laws that protect parents' rights to raise their son Wiccan also protect my rights to practice Christianity. Everybody wins. :)

[elaryn.livejournal.com]

Which is very important, because religious freedom needs to apply to everyone's religious rights, and not all forms of Christianity are considered equal by some people.

[cockatiel-art.livejournal.com]

Exactly! I would rather everyone have the same rights, as Squirrelly stated :-D . I may not agree with all faiths out there, but i will defend their rights to practice their faiths! **Pulls out her sword o justice and bangs it on the judges desk a few times**