NJ: Do you believe in god? No? No, you can't have kids, not yours.

[Blind_Io]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877155,00.html?iid=digg_share

EDIT: Disregard this post I fucked up big time, this is a very old article.

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.

John Burke, an atheist, and his wife, a pantheist, had left the line blank. As a result, the bureau denied the Burkes' application. After the couple began court action, however, the bureau changed its regulations, and the couple was able to adopt a baby boy from the Children's Aid and Adoption Society in East Orange.
Last year the Burkes presented their adopted son, David, now 31, with a baby sister, Eleanor Katherine, now 17 months, whom they acquired from the same East Orange agency. Since the agency endorsed the adoption, the required final approval by a judge was expected to be pro forma. Instead, Superior Court Judge William Camarata raised the religious issue.

Inestimable Privilege. In an extraordinary decision, Judge Camarata denied the Burkes' right to the child because of their lack of belief in a Supreme Being. Despite the Burkes' "high moral and ethical standards," he said, the New Jersey state constitution declares that "no person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience." Despite Eleanor Katherine's tender years, he continued, "the child should have the freedom to worship as she sees fit, and not be influenced by prospective parents who do not believe in a Supreme Being."

The Burkes are now living in Carterville, Ill., near Southern Illinois University, where John Burke has worked for the past year as a speech pathologist. Nevertheless, Judge Camarata ordered the parents to send David's sister back to the New Jersey adoption agency. Two weeks ago, aided by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Burkes appealed directly to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case. If they fail in their appeal, Eleanor Katherine may have to leave the only family she has ever known and await adoption by another couple whose religious convictions satisfy the State of New Jersey.

 

[Redliner]

With the utmost respect for religious people in the forum:
This is why "religion" is perceived by some skeptics as a disease.

Mr Kamarata also managed to be very contradicting:

the child should have the freedom to worship as she sees fit, and not be influenced by prospective parents who do not believe in a Supreme Being.

Translation: The child should have the freedom to worship whatever I think is best for her.

 

[freeferrarisdonotexist]

again with no disrespect, but many religious people act like not being part of organised religion is a disability of some kind. Why exactly? Yeah, maybe I won't console and delude myself that all the world's problems have a purpose and that an invisible man is watching us and will reward the good, making it just fine- of course that is a more difficult way to live, but why is it bad? I would've preferred to grow up in an atheist/agnostic family; there would be no need for me to have a huge breakdown and questioning and mental troubles that almost all "unbelievers" raised in religious families must overcome just to be who and what they are.

 

[CD82]

In an extraordinary decision, Judge Camarata denied the Burkes' right to the child because of their lack of belief in a Supreme Being.

Say hello to the Middle Ages.

And does that mean that atheists shouldn't have kids?

 

[nomix]

"the child should have the freedom to worship as she sees fit, and not be influenced by prospective parents who do not believe in a Supreme Being."

I'm loving this. So, if they'd been religious, and might have ended up force feeding the child religion, that would be better?

This is so effing stupid I'm effing lost for words. That judge needs to get that stick removed from his ass, right now.

 

[Ramseus]

the New Jersey state constitution declares that "no person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience."

sounds to me like the new jersey constitution is pure bullshit [edit: actually, on reading that again, it sounds like it's saying "if you want to worship the only god that this state recognizes, go for it; if not, go for it."]

Judge Nothing-for-brains sounds like the kind of person who would question an atheist with that old idiotic line. You know the one, "If there's nothing after this life, no fear of going to hell for being bad, why bother being good?" Because you're retarded, that's why. There's no reason to answer that question, if someone has to ask it then they're a terrible person and the implication is that he would be commiting heinous acts if he himself weren't religous.

 

[BlaRo]

The Burkes are now living in Carterville, Ill., near Southern Illinois University

Shoutout to SIU! I lived in Carbondale for 7 years while my dad taught there. Woot woot.

Other than that, I have nothing more to add than the fact that I'm surprised it happened in NJ (aren't there a lot of Jews there?) instead of the usual backwater deep South state. No wonder it's the armpit of America.

 

[Cobol74]

Hang on, we are supposed to have a state religion, not you lot! Bazaar decision.

 

[Jay]

Once again why I advocate the total separation of Church and State.

 

[TC]

I'm starting to think we should just fire all the judges in the country and replace them with people who aren't 150 years old.

 

[katwalk]

^ we should probably fire most of the government and replace them IMO.

Actually most of the governments of most of the countries.

 

[TC]

I wouldn't have a problem with that either. We should also do away with all these fucked up legal precedents these incompetent morons have set over the years.

 

[jeffy777]

Once again why I advocate the total separation of Church and State.

I totally agree. I'm a Christian, but I can't stand morons like this judge who say they are religious, yet don't actually follow the teachings of Christ and instead do retarded stuff like this.

 

[Redliner]

He, we Brazillians should have a lay state state, yet our currency has "Praise God" written on it, legal documents end with "so help me God" and so on....
As a matter of fact, there?s an ongoing legal battle because a judge ordered all crosses to be removed from court rooms and public buildings, basing his decision on the specific part of constitution that states our State is lay. Needless to say, there is a huge debate....*sigh*

 

[Dann]

Once again why I advocate the total separation of Church and State.

Aye!

I'm all for people being religous, aslong as they don't bother me (or other people who don't want to) with it.

Religion is fine aslong as you don't force it on to others, this is just a case of being an idiot.

 

[AiR]

I find it scary that the application form has a line for religion, to me that's a completely alien prospect. The rest is just sad.

 

[argatoga]

I'll echo the above. Religion is a personal matter, not a state one. Last I checked Atheists weren't running around beheading people and sodomizing cats.

Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson are two good examples that Atheism isn't a threat to "Amarakka".

 

[SirEdward]

I think the judges might have misread the line as follows:

"no person shall be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshiping Almighty God in a manner agreeable to the dictates of our own conscience."

He probably likes the idea that "Everybody must be made free to recognize and worship the only true god; which, incidentally, is also the one I believe in..."

 

[LeVeL]

Wow. Just wow. Unbelieavable. Religion is such fucking bullshit, it makes my blood boil. That judge needs to be lynched.

 

[argatoga]

I wouldn't blame religion itself. People will and have always found non religious reasons to kill and otherwise be nasty to one another.