Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't speak for all atheists, but I wouldn't have a problem with my kids being exposed to other views as long as it's done kindly and without coercion. It might even be a good cultural experience for them. I think I would be much more worried about fixing the situation and getting them back in general than fixated on that. Of all the wrong and worrisome things that can happen to children who are in the system, I don't think "being exposed to a religion we don't believe in" would even make the the top one hundred.
Then you would obviously be against your children "being exposed to other views," since Islam has very specific view on women and their "rights."
Where did you get 300 kilometers? They were 30 kilometers away based on Swedish news stories.
There's a huge crisis in foster care in Sweden as in the US. It can be incredibly difficult to find long-term, stable foster families for one child older than 10, much less a family group of 3.
I plan on being a foster parent. Should I not be allowed to do so because I'm Jewish? Most of the foster care families I know are Jewish and while the children's religions are respected (and never Jewish), the family is not going to start cooking bacon or give up observing Shabbat because they have a foster child who is not of their faith.
The Polish court clip said 300 km, or it could have been a translation issue, the 30 km is certainly more acceptable.
No, you shouldn’t be forced to cook bacon but I know of no religion that requires people to eat bacon, so that isn’t an issue. What happens, though, if it’s flipped? Should a Jewish child be forced to eat bacon or food cooked in bacon grease? An important consideration in this case is that there was a 12 year old girl. Were they trying to convince her to wear a hajib? Were they living in a Muslim enclave? If so, would not wearing a hajib create issues for the child, assuming the foster parents were okay with her not wearing one, in that community?
Currently in Sweden 69.9% indentify themselves as Christians, 28.4% indentify themselves as secular, and a mere 1.4% identify themselves as Muslim. The EU has specific guidelines about not placing children in homes that conflict with their own culture (as do the USA, Canada, and Australia). You can not tell me that in a year’s time a foster home could not be found for these three girls among the first 98% of the population. You just can’t. Aside from that, a Muslim family willing to take on three children at once needs to be saved for Muslim children in the same situation - who will actually be in a situation where finding a home that will not create cultural conflict will be a much more serious struggle.
I have taught many children who were in foster care over the years. One thing I know without a doubt, because they are already suffering emotional upheaval, lifestyle adjustments, and conflicting loyalty to their parents, all while living in an environment inherently different than the home they came from, the more the foster home shares with the positive aspects of their original home the better for the child. Religion is one of those things. With religion comes holidays and certain customs that are familiar to the child and it is comforting to them at a time when they can use all the solace available. Social services can not always find homes that exactly match their religious practices but they can always find them that do not conflict with them.
__________________
When I post in bold red that is moderator action and, per the TOS, can only be discussed through Direct Message.
"On Wednesday a Polish court decision, ruling that Swedish social services had violated an EU convention that forbids placing children in foreign cultural environments, ended a forced separation of a father and his daughters who are 12, 6 and 4 years old."
Placing three girls into muslim family is unacceptable as far as I am concerned, and I am glad that Polish court saw it the same way.
Courts in the US would too, although it would most likely mean forcing social services to find a more suitable arrangement, as opposed to just handing them back to dad.
__________________
When I post in bold red that is moderator action and, per the TOS, can only be discussed through Direct Message.
Cultural Christians. Only 20% of Swedes believe God exists.
Okay, and immaterial since it does not change my argument one bit, they would still be a better foster placement for the children of a practicing Russian Orthodox family than the Muslim family they were placed with.
__________________
When I post in bold red that is moderator action and, per the TOS, can only be discussed through Direct Message.
Okay, and immaterial since it does not change my argument one bit, they would still be a better foster placement for the children of a practicing Russian Orthodox family than the Muslim family they were placed with.
It does matter.
Scenario 1. The kids were from a cultural Christian family, basically atheists, and were placed in a non-practicing cultural muslim family who are basically atheists
Scenario 2. They were from a practicing evangelical Christian family who are placed in fundamentalist practicing muslim family
One scenario is significantly worse than the other. As a matter of fact, scenario 1 is almost a non-issue. I know some non-practicing cultural muslims, and you wouldn't know they are muslims unless they told you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
