August 26, 2008"Battesimo" is Italian for baptism, and if one Italian atheist had his way, the word – and its religious significance – would be banished. But that won't happen now, and a potentially very bad precedent of international law has been averted, thanks to an Italian Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney.
The Italian Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics – how do you like that title?! – filed suit in an attempt to end the baptism of children in Italy. Their plaintiff, sought to be "debaptised." The group claimed that baptism of children encroaches upon their religious freedom. They also claimed that because the law does not allow the parents to enroll their children in certain organizations, such as trade unions, the law also "does not allow, as well, that the parents may decide their children become members of a religious association."
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It's unthinkable to ask the courts to force parents and the church to abandon their Christian faith practices to appease a radical, anti-religious agenda, yet that's what this activist group did," said ADF-allied attorney Gianfranco Amato.
The plaintiff withdrew from the suit just before a hearing was to take place, after being convinced by Amato that legal precedents would not support his or the UAAR’s demands.
What's happening in Italy and the involvement of ADF in such cases is happening with increasing cadence. ADF has been actively involved in several recent international legal situations to protect families worldwide and protect America from the effects of poor international legal decisions. Look at these examples:
- Canada: ADF-allied attorney Gerald Chipeur is appealing a decision by the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission that found a pastor guilty of "hate speech" for newspaper columns that presented his Christian views on homosexual behavior. Read more...
- Germany: ADF-allied attorney Ronald Reichert, with funding from ADF, successfully obtained an extension on passports for an American family threatened with deportation from Germany because they homeschool their children. Read more...
- Norway: ADF attorneys have submitted a legal memo to the Norwegian Parliament explaining the negative effects on children and society if it approves a proposed law permitting adoptions by same-sex couples. Read more...
Why does ADF get involved in defending Christian baptism in Italy or homeschooling in Germany? Because American courts are increasingly looking to other countries when making decisions. In fact, the executive director of the ACLU – the chief advocate on international law - is on record as saying, "It's clear we can no longer count on the Constitution... we must emphasize the positive face of globalism." If a Canadian pastor can be prosecuted for speaking out against homosexual behavior, he must be defended. Religious liberty should not stop at our borders. Even so, our judges should not be encouraged by international courts to suppress religious freedom in America. Case by case, we are diligently working to ensure that religious liberty is protected as the essential human right that it is.
On another note, I would like to take this opportunity to commend President George W. Bush and Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt for issuing proposed guidelines in support of the right of conscience for physicians. Given recent attacks on this right by advocates of homosexual behavior and abortion, these guidelines make a strong statement that medical professionals need not compromise their deeply held religious beliefs while providing medical services to the public. On Friday, ADF attorneys submitted a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services disputing claims put forth by pro-abortion groups critical of the proposed guidelines. For more information, please go to http://www.telladf.org/news/story.aspx?cid=4655. A copy of the letter is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/HHSLetter.pdf. Thank you Mr. President!