Does my religious belief have any impact on my custody or visitation rights in a California child custody case?
The issue comes up from time to time when one parent insists on having every Sunday so that they may take their children to his or her religious services. The Court will not make these types of orders nor will they evaluate one parent's religious belief over the other parent's belief. The Court will also respect a parent's right not to believe in anything at all or whether they believe in some obscure belief.
For the Court to take any action contrary to a parent's desire to take their children to their religious services or weigh in on a particular parent's belief, there must be a showing of compelling evidence that a parent's religious belief and observances would be harmful to the child. For example, if a parent's religious belief involves animal sacrifices where the children observe these activities or even participate. Absent such a showing, a parent is free to believe as they wish and share those believes with their children.
Is the other parent questioning your right to attend services and your right to share your beliefs with your children, contact Covina attorney Paul Eads and we will work though whatever concerns you may have.