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You are totally right in I should not take Europe as a whole. Very poor form on my part. Thank you for looking into it.
It is just freedom of religion issues are pretty big here when they happen, the story of the parents being told that they can not give religious tutelage to their child was big in many none “Big 5” religious circles.
Silly and ill-informed rulings come down every day. However, they are usually fixed within the judicial system.
What is amusing to me is how often people do not know what the laws are in their country.
In the US church/religious status is important as it provides tax exempt status. also it allows certain exemptions of laws in order to allow for the free practice of said religion. Many religions have been formed here for the free use of certain drugs. There are many legal battles, but for the most part they side on the behalf of the religion.
Where this is almost never the case is when the state or federal government can show exploitation or possible harm of a minor. So that accusation is often used in those cases. A big example of this is currently in Arizona and Utah where there is a splinter organization of the Mormon faith. There it is common for men to have more then one wife.
While this practice is illegal in both states, there is no way to prosecute them based on religious freedoms, so they have gone after the church based on exploitation of minors. Forcing a 15 year old to marry a 40+ year old was the first attempt and that failed. They later went after the leader of the church with the accomplice to rape charge. That seems to have stuck for now.
This post has been edited by paxx: Nov 20 2007, 11:08 PM
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--Paxx
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Judge: Parents can't teach pagan beliefs
Athena Judge: Parents can't teach pagan beliefs May 27 2005, 04:28 PM
May 27 2005, 04:28 PM
