[Crystal-Joy]

Hello everyone,

I just had a question. During the process of your home studies, did you ever get asked about your religious beliefs? How did you answer?

My husband and I are both Pagan and are somewhat worried about whether or not the question of religion will come up during the home study. We want to adopt through foster care. We are just worried about whether or not our beliefs will hurt us in our adoption journey.

Thanks for any help!

[jcm]

We aren't going through the Foster care system, but I was worried about that section of the HS as well. I am an agnostic whose sitting on the fence of atheism, and my husband is a humanist. The SW didn't seem to care much about our chosen beliefs, but about whether or not we were part of a church. It just so happened that I had heard of a church that I was curious about, and wanted to check out.

The third meeting we had with the SW we informed her that we were joining the Unitarian Universalist church. She seemed pleased, which made me ask her why. It came down to support. A community. That sort of thing.

Hope that helps some. Good luck!

[CaddoRose]

It really shouldn't hurt your ability to become foster parents. We're Christian, but told your CW that we are open to taking kids from any religion and helping them celebrate rituals involved in that. I would suggest that you write out a simple explanation of your beliefs that is concise and positive. Sometimes when people say they are Pagan, the other person gets all kinds of weird ideas in their head about what being a Pagan means and most of these are negative. There are a wide variety of beliefs in Paganism just like any other religion/belief system. You might include how your family celebrates the Christmas season( and other season celebrations), since it is so big in American culture and some CW might feel that children placed with you would feel slighted if they did not get to celebrate this season. (Just a heads up on that subject)I have a few Pagan friends who celebrate the way Christians do without the Jesus part and give gifts, etc. Good luck in your journey!

[blessedbybug]

Originally Posted by Crystal-Joy

Hello everyone,

I just had a question. During the process of your home studies, did you ever get asked about your religious beliefs? How did you answer?

My husband and I are both Pagan and are somewhat worried about whether or not the question of religion will come up during the home study. We want to adopt through foster care. We are just worried about whether or not our beliefs will hurt us in our adoption journey.

Thanks for any help!

I'm an ordained minister in a protestant church and I had the same worries when we started the process. We did get asked these questions, and we answered honestly about where we stood. We felt it would help them make the best match for our family. Our faith is a central part of how we live, as I'm certain your beliefs are for you.

I would hope it wouldn't affect your adoption process at all. I know that the process is quite subjective, which can be frustrating (it was for us!). But if they are doing their job, they will be looking for the best family for a child.

We were approved to adopt through foster care (but our children came to our family through private agency placement) and our understanding of the process here anyway was that they will make a match based on your family situation, and this issue alone should not affect your adoption hopes.

Hoping for the best for you!

[Crystal-Joy]

Thank you very much everyone!

[sak9645]

Because many people do not know anything about Pagan beliefs and practices, be prepared to be asked about them. In general, most agencies that are not faith-based do not mind working with people who are not in traditional religions; however, they want to make sure that there are no practices that could be harmful to a child.

As an example, some agencies are uncomfortable with Jehovah's Witnesses, because of their stand on transfusion of blood and blood products. They fear that a child could die because the parents refused to allow a transfusion, and so they may not approve a homestudy for a JW family.

Also, there are some religious sects that practice snake-handling, with venomous snakes, as a test of faith. They believe that a true believer won't die or get sick if a venomous snake bites him/her, because God will protect him/her. Most agencies won't place with people who practice snake-handling, because they would not want a child to be around venomous snakes or to try snake-handling.

In addition, be prepared to demonstrate that you and your husband are "on the same page" about adopting and about how you plan to raise your child, in terms of religion, discipline, education, etc. You will probably be asked, individually and together, how you plan to teach your children values and ethics, since many people use some degree of reference to God, the Ten Commandments, etc., which are not part of your belief system. You will probably be asked, as well, to talk about your connection with fellow Pagans, since many adoptive parents find it very important to have a good support network, and religious affiliation often leads to development of a strong support network.

Further, be prepared for a discussion about prejudice. Most Americans don't know much about Pagans, and may confuse Paganism with Wicca (witchcraft), Voodoo/Santeria, and other minority religions. If you raise a child Pagan, he/she is bound to encounter a certain amount of prejudice.

As an example, an Evangelical Christian child may tell him/her that he/she will go to Hell because he/she doesn't accept Jesus as his/her Lord and Savior, or a child of another faith may tease him/her about being a witch or bogeyman. Since many adopted children are of different races or cultures from their parents, they already are more likely to experience discrimination, and you will need to convince the social worker that you are equipped to help them build positive self-esteem despite prejudice focused on their birth heritage and religious orientation.

All in all, however, the fact that you are asked about these things does not mean that you will be denied. Most social workers WANT to approve more families, because they know how many children are in need of a good parent or two, and will bend over backwards to be tolerant of a family's beliefs, even if they are not common in the U.S. Thus, if you meet all the other requirements, you shouldn't find yourself disqualified because of being Pagan.

Sharon

[GoddessDanu]

DH and I have been very open about the fact that we're pagans and wish to raise our adopted children as pagans. Has that stopped us from getting calls from CWs interested in our family? Absolutely not. We live in an area with a large NA population so when people ask about my pagan beliefs I tell them it's similar to some NA religions and immediately people understand what I'm talking about. Our AW has been AWESOME in terms of supporting our faith and explaining it properly. She said the way we explained it to her was so eye-opening that if she can accept us (a staunch Catholic) then she thinks it wouldn't be a roadblock for us adopting.

[DannieAS]

I would say just be honest. I've come to see that public agencies are very open to a variety of folks.

Even in any religion there are differences. I'm a Christian, however, definately different than most church because we worship on Sat. instead of Sun. and while my denomination has a facet of people that are really conservative, I'm pretty liberal and attend a church community that is more like me. I was very nervous that the SW would think I was bizarre.

Turns out my sw is Jewish anyways so the whole Saturday worship thing she gets as well as our health/diet ways since it's the same as hers. In my homestudy and questions it was more along the lines of how I viewed my "religious" upbringing, was it positive, do I still follow it, if not what community do I have etc.

Trust me, they are NOT looking for ways to deny you.