Foster parent struck off after Muslim girl converts to Christianity.

[MrsSeanBeanIsEmployable]

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I am struggling to understand the reasoning behind this decision.

It would appear to be unfair, unequal and disrespectful of the right of a 16 year old to make her own decision, not to mention discriminatory against the foster mother.

I was not aware that foster carers had to live a secular life. What else could she have done?!

The thing which I think annoys me most is 'Council officials advised the teenager to reconsider her decision' .... who the *?%$ do they think they are to advise anyone on matters of faith?

No you are not required to wear a crucifix. But I still don't see the problem. It hardly gets in the way of doing a job as SGB4MV intimated. Many are small and discreet and could hardly be seen to be 'flaunted'.

I do believe there is a piece of jewellery which Muslims wear which is also not required, and I remember reading of a case where that wasn't banned but a cross was. The cross is not a good example really.

I have to go to a funeral now. Will be back later to read all your interesting PsOV.

Stewie - the two sets of gay parents I know who have adopted have both adopted children with Feaotal Alcohol Syndrome...because no other adoptive parents would take them, and though they were apporved as adoptive parents for ages and ages and ages, adoptions were blocked at panel stage every time it was a NT child or a baby.

MrsSB: the point was that the Christian who made a fuss about turbans was insisting on her 'right' to wear a big showy crucifix and flaunt it ie she was attention-seeking and implying unpleasant things about Sikhs and Muslims ie that they got 'special treatment': very few places prohibit the wearing of a small discreet piece of jewellery by employees.
Mind you, on a slightly different track, if a person is permitted to wear a small discreet 'religious' emblem in the workplace, why not any small discreet personal emblem? It's always slightly annoyed me when regulations state that small 'religious' medallions, for instance, are OK but no other jewellery: why shouldn't you wear an equally small discreet locket with a picture of your mother if you want to?

(in agreement with you, I mean!)

Pleased about the children your s will still be in contact with.

Well SGB4MV, I am with you on the small discreet locket of your mother, why not indeed?

Implying unpleasant things about Sikhs or Muslims is not a true Christian attitude IMO. I get quite cross about Muslim women not being allowed to wear a headscarf, or even a chador if they wish.

Just wanted to point out once again (in response to WannaBe's post) that children get taken into care for all sorts of reasons. My friend, who had to go into hospital for a prolonged period following the birth of her last baby, was not in any way an abusive or bad parent: she was simply not allowed to take her two older children with her into hospital- hence the need for foster parents. This did not imply an inability to make decisions about their parenting.

Also, children can be removed from their parents because they are thought to be at risk, without the same level of certainty as you need to send somebody to prison. We were wrongfully suspected of sexual abuse when dd's joint condition was misdiagnosed as psychosomatic. Thankfully the true diagnosis was reached before anything happened; otherwise I imagine dd might well have been taken into care. (I would clearly have been totally incapable of showing ss how I intended to protect her from further abuse, seeing that I was convinced no abuse had ever taken place in the first place). And I would not have been particularly happy if she had converted to Mormonism during her absence.

I think it is about the reintegration thing. And remember this might not just involve the (potentially but not necessarily) inadequate birth parents but the whole extended family.

(trying to imagine my mother's reaction if dd had been taken into care and returned to us a Jehova's witness)

Converting to Christianity doesn't involve any pomp or ceremony. Theres no rituals or must dos before you're allowed in. It just means believing something.
Maybe mind control would be the way to go.

Not for being a Christian though. Obviously some Churches think so my local c of E is quite strict but I've been part of several free churches where being baptised often comes later after you've decided what you believe. the conversion becomes first, the baptism doesnt make the conversion.

What I'm saying is that for this girl she had obviously already decided what she believed before she was baptised. You could stop her being baptised but the only way to prevent her belief would be mind control.

Sounds more like religion to me than belief or faith which I consider to be different things.
Maybe I should stop considering myself a Christian as I haven't been baptised (yet - took my parents 20 years).

In her case whats the point of preventing the outward sign (baptism) if its already happened internally.

ps I wasnt saying any Churches rejected it just that it wasn't an emphasis like it was at the cofe church we approached to get married in.

I know many people whose DC have been baptised, or christened as it is usually called, and who are not religious themselves and do not raise their DC with any apparent faith. I also know people who were themselves baptised (as infants) - and they wouldn't know what a bible was if you hit them over the head with it. So in that respect, the rite in itself implies nothing (this only really applies to children though.)

The difference is that members of churches who practise child baptism would accept that this is not necessarily going to lead to a living faith as the child grows up. It is more a question of accepting a child into the community.

But to those churches/Christian groups who baptise adults, it is an enormously important sign of personal commitment.

I was born into the Lutheran church (as all Swedes were at that time) and christened more or less as a matter of course at a few months old. This is a totally different thing from the baptism as practised by our local evangelical church.