I think what distresses me in parts of this conversation is an attitude that keeps cropping up of "Other religions are AGAINST my religion." I don't understand why a foster parent who believes one thing can't also support a child who believes something different. Perhaps there would be more peace in the world if religious groups weren't so antagonistic in wanting to tell each other "I'm right and you're wrong." As long as the child's religious practices don't call for something outright physically harmful (such as the example of refusing medical treatment - comes up here from time to time with Jehovah's Witness children) I think it is nothing but arrogance to say "I don't believe that, so it must be bad for you."
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Originally Posted by Boulderbabe
I understood that the parents *had* asked that the children be taken to a Buddhist temple. If I'm wrong, I hope Scraps will forgive me.
But there's a lot more here than just saying "well, if the kids don't throw a fit about going to an evangelical church, it's okay," or "if the parents don't demand that the child be taken to temple, it's okay." Parents and kids in the system are in very vulnerable positions. It is often hard for them to articulate their needs and wants because they are afraid of the social workers. If these kids were taken because their parents were practicing Cambodian religion, then they would be extra careful not to make religious demands. That doesn't mean that they don't want their kids in temple. It may just mean that they're intimidated and afraid to ask.
I think we owe it to kids to respect their religions and their cultures of origin. I would be LIVID if my child were taken to an evangelical church---those churches violate every principle I hold dear. Our foster children are not ours to make religious decisions for, and so I think we need to keep them practicing their parents' faiths until TPR.
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