Atheist father sues to keep son from attending Catholic HS

[virgo]

I thought this was an interesting story. (http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080406/NEWS01/804060502&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL)

The father is an atheist, the mother is Catholic. They divorced a few years ago. The son has attended a Catholic school his entire life and has chosen a Catholic HS as the place he wants to go. His father dosn't want him to go to a Catholic HS, so he is asking a judge to intervene.


As a practicing Catholic whose eighth-grade son, Michael, has always attended parochial schools, Susan Bisig says it would be best for him to attend St. Xavier High School.

The 144-year-old Catholic secondary school also happens to be Michael's first choice.

But Bisig's ex-husband, David Ryan, an atheist who has joint custody of their 14-year-old son, wants Michael to attend a nonreligious high school.

And he says the Kentucky Constitution is on his side because it says no one shall be "compelled to send his child to any school to which he may be conscientiously opposed."

[fuzzis]

Good freakin' grief. Seriously? These parents can't put their crap aside long enough to not subject their child to this? No wonder they're divorced. :smt105

[virgo]

I guess I really don't understand...I mean the kid has been going to a parochial school since he was in kindergarten. He has already sat through all the religious classes, etc. Four years of high school isn't going to be any different. And I know for a fact that St. X is a great school. It's not like the kid wants to go to a crappy school.

[mac]

I don't see how it's that big of a deal, especially if he's been in parochial schools up to now. Sounds like the father just found another way to stir the sh*t. If he really had a "conscientious objection" why wouldn't he have filed this suit before now?

[dollfus46]

I thought this was an interesting story. (http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080406/NEWS01/804060502&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL)

The father is an atheist, the mother is Catholic. They divorced a few years ago. The son has attended a Catholic school his entire life and has chosen a Catholic HS as the place he wants to go. His father dosn't want him to go to a Catholic HS, so he is asking a judge to intervene.
Interesting concept. I'd bet the judge let's the kid decide at this point. He probably wants to continue to go on with his classmates anyway.

[opheliapo]

That man should be ashamed of himself.

[Blockhead]

He's just trying to keep his son's booty hole intact. Can't fault him for that.

[mi_nombre_es]

How about this weird Idea. LISTEN THE BOY! he has got to have more sense than his parents.

but in all honesty, I could see where the dad is coming from. Education and religion should be SEPERATE. The child himself is at an age where he needs to decide whether he is gonna be catholic, athiest, or whatever he wishes and be vocal about his wishes.

People will say "he is a minor he can't decide for himself"....BS.....Kids his age decide (indirectly to their actions) to have kids and drink alcohol/do drugs (direct action).

The sad thing about this whole situation. You are taking the decision out of his hands and letting a court decide how to run this boy's life because his mom is pushing him to go to a religious school and his father wants him in a secular school.


This kind of shit makes me think about going back to school to finish my psychology degree all the way to Ph.D. It is a limitless market out there with how our kids are growing up overmedicated and screwed up.

[onlyme]

What if it was the other way around? The boy had been attending public school, was supposed to attend a public high school now and the father sued because he wanted his son to attend a catholic/parochial school? Same difference, really, but I bet that the reaction on this board would be very different.

[fuzzis]

mi_nombre...who says his mother is pushing him? Seems like a pretty big assumption there. What if the child has decided a Catholic education really *is* what he wants?

[mi_nombre_es]

mi_nombre...who says his mother is pushing him? Seems like a pretty big assumption there. What if the child has decided a Catholic education really *is* what he wants?


I will not progress my point no further because I don't want to start a 199 page bitching thread about religious parents being overbearing. Just want to keep some sanity in this insane thread.