This topic came up at a very interesting time for me.
Our fost/adopt son just went into residential treatment 1 week ago after 7 mos in our home and a huge fight with CYFD and the contracting agency. We were within hours of having his placement disrupted when a bed opened at the RTC. The relevant point is that I called T today and he said they had "church" and that he was learning about Jesus. His previous foster home had a christian affiliation so he had some knowledge of Jesus. We are Unitarian though have not been to church in 15 mos. The RTC does not appear to have any religious affiliation, so I was surprised that church was offered there (on a Tuesday). Plus, we have been notified about everything else, such as when he broke the cover of a light socket in a fit. We were shocked he could opt in to "church" without our knowledge. He was pleased with the snack, especially, as he is 7. Although we are not legal custodians, we have been his family and would like to avoid the potential conflict "well gays are sinners". I find it similar to when he came home from respite with an army helicopter. I have no issue with army helicopter pilots, but there are many interpretations of the military and it's role in our lives right now-and I would like the opportunity to opt out of these topics with my future child. He is not allowed to buy military toys while in our home. I see the religion thing as something we should not have to fight against. I hope that this is not another battle when I finally feel we are in a place to make progress and not be adversarial. Luckily, we have a treatment team meeting (the first one) in the morning so I can get more info. We will be raising him to learn about all religions and let him experience his own spirituallity, which is the Unitarian philosophy. My nine year old at 3 informed our friends that we don't "do Jesus" in our church, and she will be Buddhist when she grows up.
Karen