Can Atheists Be Parents?

Time ^ | Dec. 07, 1970

[Dawnsblood]

After six years of childless marriage, John and Cynthia Burke of Newark decided to adopt a baby boy through a state agency. Since the Burkes were young, scandal-free and solvent, they had no trouble with the New Jersey Bureau of Children's Services—until investigators came to the line on the application that asked for the couple's religious affiliation.

[basil]

I can’t believe this happened in NJ! It sounds more like something that would take place in the “Bible Belt”.

[happinesswithoutpeace]

Thank you. I was just going to go bounce around the web in search of the outcome. : )

[basil]

Okay—maybe 37 years ago, things were different in NJ. I didn’t yet realize the article was this old. Why is it being posted now?

[pilipo]

I think (hope) that edcoil is being sarcastic. In other words, these atheists don’t see the obvious. All they see is worm food.

[edcoil]

Not idiotic at all except to atheists that hate to be challenged and not face their decisions. If there is nothing else, they we are just worm food and they made the decision to make more worm food.

[darkangel82]

I’m not going to answer that, I’ll just leave you to wallow in your own ignorance.

[edcoil]

Actually, the reverse is more true. My 9 year old came by and I asked him the question - after a few moments thought he simply said, “no”.

[darkangel82]

I don’t know what you’re talking about, so I’ll end this here.

[Fiddlstix]

The original article is from Time ^ | Dec. 07, 1970

Just a tad "out of date" don't you think?

[sasportas]

Pantheist believes in God in some form?

They believe nature is god. Hence the calf, crocodile, cat, gods of Egypt, the various nature gods of American Indians, etc.

Pantheism = idol worship, paganism, Hinduism, occultism, witchcraft.

[eleni121]

Better atheists than muslims. At least with atheists there is hope: someone gets sick, someone sees the light, etc.

With muslims the child’s chances are limited.

[svcw]

How many such women do you think say it’s fine if their baby’s parents are atheists?)

Not very many, I would guess about 1/2% would not care.

[Secret Agent Man]

Well, if they could produce a kid on their own without having to adopt through ‘the gubmint’ or a private agency, yes.

If not, they have to meet the same criteria EVERYONE ELSE has to. Not everyone can adopt, even if they ARE religious. There are many factors that disqualify all sorts of people and they may not like it, but that is too damn bad. If the adoption group believes that it is important for those children to grow up in a family that believes in God (god), and that it is in the best interest OF THE CHILD, NOT THE PARENTS, then they ought to either meet the requirement or they don’t get to adopt.

[AlaskaErik]

Wow. This in the PRNJ. I would think atheism would be the state religion.

[onedoug]

I wouldn't have put it so dis-tactfully. But what standard - without God - would
you have used to backup your evident disdain, beyond your own opinion?

[darkangel82]

see antiRepublicrat’s reply at #16

[utahagen]

I think you and I are on the same page: any woman giving her baby up for adoption would want parents who believe in (some kind of ) God.

[antiRepublicrat]

This judge deserves to be thrown out of his position, and thereafter sued into oblivion for violating the rights of these two. Unfortunately, his position prevents him from suffering the latter consequence of his egregious action.

He automatically assumes that because most religious people indoctrinate their children in their religion that atheists must indoctrinate their children into having no religion. It’s not true. Hasn’t also he noticed that kids raised in one religion do convert to others, or to none at all? How a child is raised here may influence the end religion, but it is not a guarantee. Thus in this case it’s not a guarantee that the child will have no religion.

[antiRepublicrat]

If the adoption group believes that it is important for those children to grow up in a family that believes in God (god), and that it is in the best interest OF THE CHILD, NOT THE PARENTS, then they ought to either meet the requirement or they don’t get to adopt.

This is the judge -- the government -- deciding in this case. It's not a private matter between private people and groups that can therefore base any criteria on religion.

[Secret Agent Man]

Well it is a logical assumption that atheists are not going to take their kids to church, so it is a good conclusion that atheists are not going to expose their kids to religion, unless they are pointing out the negatives of it and why it’s a waste of time. You don’t teach your kids to believe in things you don’t believe in.

That is why they have atheist summer camps for kids(ie freethinkers). It ain’t religious people sending their kids there - it’s atheists and secular humanists. The whole point is to have a camp that is not religious. So these people illustrate they are doing things to not put their kids in a religious setting.