A Massachusetts couple claim they’re victims of religious discrimination because the state won’t allow them to adopt foster children because they spank their own kids.
Gregory and Melanie Magazu sued the Department of Children and Families after their application was rejected because they admitted to using corporal punishment.
“It’s been hard because (being a foster parent) is something that’s been in my heart, that I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Melanie Magazu — who grew up in the foster care system herself.
She and her husband, who are members of Grace Reformation Bible Church, were turned down in 2013 because the state does not allow foster parents to use corporal punishment, as the Magazus do with their own three children.
“Because of the significant trauma children in DCF care may have experienced, Department policy requires that foster parents agree not to use physical punishment as discipline,” said department spokeswoman Andrea Grossman. “This couple was denied as foster parents based on their use of corporal punishment on their biological children and the negative effect that could have on foster children.”
The state argues that many foster children come from abusive homes, so exposure to spanking and other corporal punishment could be traumatizing — but Gregory Magazu said that’s how he shows his Christian love.
You simply do NOT get to use corporeal punishment against children placed in the care of the state, which is exactly as it should be.
And if you want to adopt children, and your go to punishment is to hit them, then you are unfit for the job. And if that is against your religious beliefs than you REALLY need to think about changing your religious beliefs.
As I have mentioned before I work with some of the most challenging young people you can possibly imagine and if I even made a fist in response to one of their behaviors I would be out of a job. Period!
Many of these children have been horribly abused and neglected, and it really takes very little to re-traumatize them. Which is something these two ignorant morons seem unable to grasp.
I have also worked with families who thought that the way to deal with escalating behaviors was to escalate the severity and frequency of the beatings. And yes some of them used their religion as as excuse for the beatings.
Yeah those people do not even SEE their children anymore.
I don't mean to be overly nosey but I was wondering what it is you actually do for a living, Gryphen? For the longest time, I mistakenly thought that you only operated this blog. At any rate, I appreciate all of the good work that you do.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing all he does. And he never ever asks for donations, I'm broke, but soon as I'm back on my feet will donate to the blog, he puts a lot of work in to keep it fresh and interesting.
DeleteOh, and Gryphen: Glenn Beck looks nothing like you. He ain't that lucky.
I worked with adults with mental illness and substance abuse. Many of these adults were molested and raped as children, saw their mothers physically and mentally abused, beaten by the hands of a drunken father. Mental health problems and alcohol and drug use are the results of what they received by adults who were their parents, guardians, foster parents and their priests. These children suffer from PTSD and grow up very damaged. But with a lot of nurturing, love, support and care they can heal. We must stop this type of religious abuse that children are on the receiving end of and the state is absolutely in the right to say that spanking/beating is not allowed. These people need to be investigated and their kids removed if need be.
DeleteMe too 4:05 am! And, please, this is just a sincere question, no snark. I'm asking because my career has been in the medical/mental health (substance abuse) field and your work strikes a chord with me.
DeleteOT: NPR is claim Trump is the choice for Religious Right! WTF? If this is true and it is NPR we as a country are in major fucking trouble. http://t.co/mwNGwJuWm0 unless he is give free shit away how is he pulling 30 thousand ppl to him? Can y'all see his bimbo wife as flotus?
DeleteOMFG! This is pretty distressing.
Griffen's claim to fame is being a teachers aide. But to hear him talk you would think he had advanced degrees. He hammers silly Sarah about making everything about herself, yet he makes some of the most narcissistic comments in his posts.
DeleteI sure hope that lawsuit goes nowhere except maybe with an investigation into how these people treat their own children. All children need to be nurtured especially those in foster care. No people could be more unacceptable as foster parents that this Massachusetts couple. Yet another good reason to take away the tax exempt status of churches in this country.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
"Yet another good reason to take away the tax exempt status of churches in this country."
DeleteWhen, oh when, will the silent majority finally wake up and demand that churches pay taxes? Not paying taxes is how they get so rich and powerful. While the rest of us have to make up for what they don't AND what they take out of the public coffer for public schools.
When I was 14, my stepfather came home to find me and a girlfriend playing hooky, half-dressed in my bedroom. My mother's response would have been screaming, likely some slapping and maybe some cursing, and because it couldn't be her perfect son's fault, it must have been Diane, that jezebel, who led me into trouble.
ReplyDeleteMy stepdad, a cooler head I won't deny, handled it instead. He took away my record player for three months, which at 14, was like yanking an IV line out of my arm. April, May & June of 1968! 47 years later I remember the punishment, and what prompted it. When she was a rebellious teen, I watched my sister and brother-in-law handle my niece the same way.
A conscientious, clever parent never has to redden a square inch of skin.
Laughing - SSDD - just yanked my son's cell phone - he has the phone, but no access.(Well, we let him check it twice per day. ) Talk about taking out the IV - he acutally said said three sentences to us yesterday ;-)
DeleteAnon 6:25
DeleteCongratulations on your strength.
Eventually, we all come to an age where we understand that punishing us was no more a pleasant experience for our parents than for us, and that they too stewed in the same unhappiness. But if the goal is to truly contribute productive added members to society, parents must endure that unpopularity for as long as it takes for the lesson to sink in.
"but Gregory Magazu said that’s how
ReplyDeletehe shows his Christian love."
Well then someone should show him "Christian respect" and punch him in the fuckin' head,...fuckin' asshole!!
The violence my father used against me as a way of "reinforcing" his religious beliefs into my mind was the primary initial reason for my current vehement dislike of organized religion. And their "do as I say, not as I do" attitude should be enough for anyone to question religion and the nearly-required belief in a god.
ReplyDeleteThere should never be a time when violence is used against a child.
I knew this flood of religious stupidity would start pouring out.
ReplyDeleteClerks not issuing marriage licenses because of Jesus.
Flight attendant refusing to serve alcohol because of Allah.
People wanting to adopt homeless probably traumatized children then beating them because of Jesus.
An American political party always screaming about Sharia but wanting to turn this country into a theocracy.
If organized religion disappeared tomorrow the world would be a saner, happier place.
AMEN SISTER!
DeleteI had an NCO who worked for me during the Gulf War. He was very religious and a very quiet man. Once we were talking about kids and how hard headed and stubborn they could be and how you would deal with that. He shocked me when he said that you beat it out of them. I thought he was kidding till he quoted some bible verses to support his belief.
ReplyDeleteThe wife has that same adoring look at the Duggar women shine on their husbands. Wanna bet they are beaten also? And frankly, I'm really sick of these faux 'Christians' using their religion to try to get their way in everything. The act is getting old.
ReplyDeleteThat was my thought too... Stockholm syndrome.
DeleteJoel Steinberg and Hedda Nussbaum for a new generation.
DeleteThese adoring women looking up at their husbands, wearing their Christian dresses, no make up, could be similar to the Stepford wives!
DeleteI agree, the woman has the same "look" as others in dominionist situations. I noticed next "with a shudder" that the man exposes his lower teeth in the picture. For some reason, I always relate that to a dog baring the teeth just before the attack and find it frightening. Full disclosure, many years ago I helped train German Shepherds and know much of their reactions, albeit in controlled situations.
DeleteI grew up as and around the mormons. I never would allow myself to get sucked in by those people. Their treatment of females didn't sit well with me. It felt like it sucked the air out of me. I was courted by a polygamist when i was 15. He said we knew each other in another life. That was strange. I was a tomboy. Strong minded and I stuck to my gut feelings. I went to keggers,experimented.i stayed on track and graduated. I am christian. God's Great Outdoors is my chapel.
DeleteThose self righteous bastards have f'd up prioritiies. First off, I cannot believe they would rather go to court to proclaim their right to beat their adopted child than just agree not to do it, even if they lie about it, which is the Christian way. Secondly, Child protective services should be all over these morons investigating their treatment of their own kids.
ReplyDeleteChristians, in their minds, are being persecuted, and some Christianist special interest law firm is making bucks protecting their right to impose their special brand of stupidity on the rest of us. Enough of this crap, tax them like we are taxed!
Persecuted, right? I heard my fundy brother tell his kids they needed wills to be sure their kids would be raised Christian- liberal judges would take them away and put them in atheist families. Where does that insanity come from??
DeleteThe insanity comes from preachers (some of whom commit adultery or worse), politicians who cheat/lie/deny facts, parents who had the same shit drilled into them. When Reason & Facts equal Liberal Lies -- what can we do ??!!
DeleteUse guns like they do? It really is frustrating & is MUCH worse since that POS Sarah legitimized stupidity.
And anyone belonging to their sect should be on a watch list - no fostering and frequent well-being checks on their kids.
DeleteI wouldn't trust them if they agreed not to do it. I worked in Children's Services and the foster parent training focused a lot on discipline. They had to agree not to do it in order to get licensed but there were always some that reverted back to what they knew or how they were raised. The sad thing was we removed kids who were neglected but never beaten and put them in homes where they experienced physical abuse.
DeleteHis wife has the same dopey look that Michelle Duggar has -- starring at her husband as if he is a god. Sick.
ReplyDeleteExactly the same. Sick.
DeleteIt looks like they washed his shirt and bibs.
DeleteWould you spank an adult whose behavior offended you? Then why do you think it's quite ok to do that to a child?
ReplyDeleteWell, I wouldn't put an adult who offended me into a time out, either, so that's a rather dumb argument.
DeleteThese people want the cash that comes with being a foster parent. In their heart, my ass!
ReplyDeleteBINGO!
DeleteSweet, sweet government money.
And once she gets another 3-4 kids, the older females have to do the housework, laundry, and child-raising in perpetuating this religious nonsense.
It is BIG $$money ..also
DeleteEVERYTHING is about SEX, bullying, & MONEY$$$$$. In that order. Everything.. Get It?!
People who have never experienced PTSD have no idea how easy it is to trigger an episode. You don't have to serve in a war to be afflicted; you only have to experience something so traumatic that it alters your sense of safety. What traumatizes someone varies from situation to situation. Often siblings can be exposed to the same situation, but not all of them will be traumatized by it. It depends entirely on YOUR personal perception of the event.
ReplyDeleteYou don't always know what will trigger you or when. Abused kids don't need any more reminders of what they have been rescued from.
It never leaves you . Lifetime can be long hard trek, it can consume a "good soul" forever.
DeleteThere are several excellent, thoughtful comments to the Raw Story article.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a black & blue bruise on her right side neck. Big enough for a hand. Anyone else see that ?
ReplyDeleteKids need to learn early on that they are not entitled to 'things'. They earn them with good behavior. Bad behavior removes their 'things'. It works amazingly well with little kids, and when it has been reinforced through childhood, mostly works with rebellious teens. Along with the 'things' there should be extra doses of praise for good behavior, and extra doses of disapproval for negative behavior.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with a slapped hand when a child is reaching for something that will seriously harm them. But when discipline only means corporal punishment, there is something seriously wrong with the family dynamic.
Nasty, horrible, sick people. It's always about grifting with these hypocritical xtians.
ReplyDeleteMy brother, sister and I were never physically punished by our parents and my mom was continually complimented on how well behaved and respectful we were. My smart, kind and forward thinking mom always said that physical punishment will make a child fear one's parent but never garner a child's respect.
ReplyDeleteCorrect.my dad was a beater.it only stopped when he realized I Would knock him on his ass and I'm a female.
DeleteI went over to Lifesite, to make sure that were equally supporting Charee Stanley's cause (the flight attendant who has a religious objection to serving alcohol), not just Kim Davis ;o But my comments were deleted and I was blacklisted from further commenting.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.lifesitenews.com/news/confrontation-possible-as-kim-davis-prepares-to-return-to-work
From the article: “The Hebrew and Christian scriptures tell us whoever spares the rod hates his son, but whoever loves him is diligent to discipline him,”
ReplyDeleteThe Bible also says that you should stone kids who disrespect their parents. Is this something these people believe??