My mom brought this story to my attention yesterday.
Will this be precedent for future cases? I think this is flat out wrong and ridiculous.
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Too Religious to Keep Her Daughter? [Could you be next?]
Inside Edition ^| 3/5/08 | Inside Edition
Posted on 03/05/2008 7:59:02 PM PST by Howdy there
11-year-old Libby Mashburn is at the center of a child-custody battle with far-reaching consequences.
Libby's mother says she lost primary custody of her daughter because she was deemed to be too religious.
[A Judge in Alabama ruled that Libby could not be taught the Bible by her Baptist mother.]
Libby tells INSIDE EDITION, "I think children should be able to choose who they want to live with."
Libby's mom Laura Snider is a member of an [large] ultra-conservative Baptist church in Alabama. Libby spends several hours each week attending sermons. On weekends, she goes to Sunday school.[She attends church at the normal times, and for normal lengths. Sunday school, and Sunday AM and PM worship, and Wed. night service.]
The church encourages its parishioners to dress modestly, so Libby's closet is filled with skirts that fall below the knee.
Libby's mom, like other women in the church, doesn't wear makeup or swim in public. When they do swim, they don't wear swimsuits, instead they wear long dresses that Libby shows INSIDE EDITION.
They shun popular culture, so Libby doesn't watch much TV. She's heard of teen idol Hannah Montana but says she has never listened to her music.
[However, as a homeschooled 1st grader, Libby had visited Nepal, and many states in the US. She also tested above 3rd & 4th grade levels in most subjects when she was only 6.She scored on a high school level in vocabulary on the CAT.]
The question is: Should Laura Snider's religious beliefs be a factor in determining custody in a divorce? Libby's mother says the Alabama Supreme Court thinks so. The court awarded 60% custody to Libby's father, William Mashburn.
"We've been punished for our religion," says Brian. "We've been harassed for our religion. You know when you take a child from people because they're too conservative to put her in a situation because that's more "mainstream"...I don't think that's what the law is there to do," he tells INSIDE EDITION.
Across the country, child-custody disputes with religion as the flash point are increasing, and Libby is just the latest kid to get caught in the middle.
More indepth articles here:
Article in the NY Times
Our Daughter Libby, a short movie with full details
Courtroom observers discuss Libby's custody trial
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