~by
JenT, founder of BlessedCause
posted
11/28/03
Judge Limits Mom's
Religious Freedom
Dr. Cheryl Clark is in the fight of her life for
religious freedom and custody of her child. Denver County Circuit
Judge John W. Coughlin has ordered Dr. Clark to "make sure that there
is nothing in the religious upbringing or teaching that the minor
child is exposed to that can be considered homophobic."
Dr. Clark committed her life to Christ and
ended her lesbian relationship. Her previous partner, Elsey McLeod,
sued for joint custody of Dr. Clark's daughter and won. The decision
stands in direct conflict with precedent throughout the country that
denies visitation to a third party based solely on that person's prior
sexual relationship with the legal parent.
Dr. Clark currently attends a church which
displays religious pamphlets by Promise Keepers and Focus on the
Family based on the Bible. They are objected to by lesbian McLeod who
apparently seeks to limit Dr. Clark's religious freedom. Because of
Judge Coughlin's outrageous ruling, Dr. Clark would have to risk being
in contempt of court should she attend her church.
An appeal has been filed which states, "The
state cannot get into the business of approving which churches Dr.
Clark may attend with her daughter, what theology or doctrine Dr.
Clark and [her daughter] may study or believe, nor can it create a
state-approved list of which churches are homophobic and which are
not, nor which teachings are homophobic and which are not, nor can the
state even prohibit churches from teachings which the state considers
homophobic."
"This is the state coming into a home and
telling a mother what she can do and say in her home," said Mathew
Staver, president of the Liberty Counsel. "Forbidding the raising of
children in the parent's Christian beliefs is an anathema to parental
rights and religious freedom, must the mother rip out pages of the
Bible that say homosexuality is against nature, or must she cover her
child's ears if her pastor preaches about sexual purity?"
The Denver court gave McLeod joint custody of
Clark's adopted daughter, Emma, even though McLeod had no legal
relationship to the girl. It also, in conjunction with the ruling in
favor of McLeod, said Clark cannot raise her child with any religious
teaching or upbringing that is "homophobic."
Staver said courts cannot "give parents a
no-win decision of either abandoning their Christian beliefs or
abandoning their children."
The definition of "homophobic," Staver noted,
is "all across the board," from being fearful of homosexuals to
disagreeing with their lifestyle.
"It takes no stretch of the imagination to
envision a judge finding the mother in contempt of court for merely
teaching her daughter about the Biblical truths on homosexuality," he
said.
Bill Maier, vice president of Focus on the
Family, stated, "The purpose of Focus on the Family is to strengthen
the family in America. It is a sad commentary when a judge would
consider a church homophobic because they display our materials."
Sources:
Washington Times
WorldNetDaily
