Court Establishes Religion      1/14/1998

”A court cannot -—shall not -—establish a religion for someone, and here the court effectively has established a religion for these three children“ -—Michael Greco, attorney for Jeffrey Kendall (Washington Times, 12/11/97).

Jeffrey Kendall, a Christian, and Barbara Zeitler, an Orthodox Jew, filed for divorce in 1994. During divorce proceedings, Zeitler claimed that Kendall's new found beliefs were frightening their children. As a result, the court appointed a guardian to investigate. It was found that two of the three children were under stress, allegedly because of Kendall's religious views. What is not made clear is whether the children's stress was due to the religious teachings, or the bitter fighting and recriminations between the two parents.

As a result, the New Jersey state Supreme Court ruled that Kendall could not share any beliefs which would alienate his children from their mother. Judge Neil Lynch ruled it was in the children's ”best interest“ for Kendall not to share certain aspects of his beliefs that Lynch determined to be harmful. Now we have a court system, and not the parents, as the ultimate judge of a child's well-being.

The court determined that some of Kendall's views have caused emotional distress for his children. For example, he has been prohibited from taking his children to church where they could learn that non-Christians are destined to ”burn in hell.“

Concerned Women for America believes a child's well-being is best determined by his or her parents, not by an impersonal court. The very personal matter of religion should be decided by the family alone, not the state or court system. Judge Lynch's order is a serious breach of religious freedom, and a violation of family privacy. One more example of a judicial system out of control.

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