Regular church attendance during childhood may help create important social structure for children. It can help them understand the faith their parents observe and connect them to their local religious community.
Sometimes, parents who belong to different religions end up marrying. A Presbyterian may marry a Catholic, for example. Since both parents are technically Christian, they may try to work together to raise their children while they remain married.
However, if parents divorce, they may quickly find themselves disagreeing about the best way to raise their children. Both parents may want their children to attend worship at their church. Who has the decision-making authority regarding where the children attend service?
Parents should try to cooperate on important decisions
Typically, the family courts prefer to see parents working together rather than fighting against each other. It is common practice for family law judges to grant both parents shared authority and parenting time.
They generally need to reach agreements regarding major decisions for their children. For many couples, there may have been a pre-existing arrangement regarding the children’s religious upbringing. The children may officially belong to one church but may occasionally attend services at the other parent’s church as well.
Frequently, those pre-existing agreements and prior parenting practices have a strong impact on what happens after parents divorce or separate. Maintaining the status quo is often the best option available. Each parent can potentially take the children with them to religious services during their parenting time. Such arrangements might result in the children attending a different church every other week.
Other times, parents may integrate terms regarding religious observations and upbringing into their custody arrangement to avoid conflict in the future. The children may continue attending the same church they always have to preserve their social connections and keep things consistent.
In cases where disagreements about religious observances and values cause intense conflict between the parents, it is sometimes necessary to take the matter back to family court. Judges can fine-tune the allocation of legal decision-making authority to give one parent the final say in religious matters. They may also rule on how to settle specific disputes. In cases where parents end up litigating, judges generally make decisions based on what they believe is in the best interest of the children.
Consistency, community connections and family culture are all important considerations when making decisions about religious observations. Learning about how the courts handle complicated custody matters can help parents cooperate when possible and advocate for their children effectively when necessary.