Divorce Advice for Men | Fathers Rights Divorce | Child Custody

By Sara Pitcher

Noblesville, Indiana Divorce Lawyer

The question of who gets to determine the religion of a child is a common one when parents with different religious beliefs divorce.

The United States Constitution grants parents the right to direct the upbringing and education of children under their control.

The United States Supreme Court case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters established the principal that parents have the right to direct the religious upbringing of their children.

Parents' liberty interest in directing their child’s religious upbringing can be found in the Fourteenth Amendment substantive due process clause.

Each state takes a different approach to the issue of deciding the religion of the child. In reaching a decision about religion in a family law case, most courts will follow one of three standards.

Six weeks after his ordination, Dr. Steve Mentzer found his marriage of 10 years and his ministry in shambles as he dealt with the shame of a Christian going through divorce.

He left the ministry for four years before returning to use what he had learned to help others in similar situations. Mentzer turned his experience into a book called Broken Vows Shattered Lives that chronicles his thoughts and actions alongside valuable help for those like himself wondering if they have failed God.

DadsDivorce.com editor Matt Allen talked with the pastor and counselor from his Pennsylvania office about divorce as a Christian, the reactions from his congregation, and why this book also applies to those who aren’t religious.

By Dr. Steve Mentzer

Excerpted with permission from Broken Vows Shattered Lives

Read the Q&A with DadsDivorce.com editor Matt Allen and the author about dealing with divorce.

No one can deny the fact that the family has changed in the last forty years.  We have faced during the last half of the twentieth century an all out assault upon the family.  When nearly one out of two marriages fail, the destruction of society’s values diminish. However, upon the Christian family, the destruction of the family strikes directly at the heart of God’s first established institution.  It was not the church, but the family God started in the Garden of Eden.

Author Isidor Buchmann joins us in the latest edition of DadsDivorce Live to talk about his book "God's Grace in Divorce." Buchmann's book focuses on dealing with religion, his wife’s mental illness and divorce.

As explained on his website, Buchmann wrote the book after many heated debates with his Christian friends about how divorce, though justified to some, can lead to judgment and criticism of those in the Christian community. Buchmann says the book breaks the myth that all divorces are self-infected and preventable.

By Jennifer M. Paine

Attorney, Cordell & Cordell, P.C., Detroit office

Note: This is Part 3 of a three-part series on religion and custody. Click here to read Part 1 and click here to read Part 2.

In general, there are three methods your court may use to address religion in your custody case: through a best interests of the child analysis; as a sanction for parental alienation; and in an order compelling action or inaction to prevent harm to a child.

The past two parts have looked at the three aforementioned methods. Today's final part will discuss tips and tricks on how religion can sway your case.