Court Order Bans Child From Church

[Miranda]

BERTHA, Minn. (AP) - The mother of a 13-year-old autistic boy says she wanted to take him to Mass on Sunday despite a court order that bans him from her church.

Carol Race ended up attending a different church - after the Todd County sheriff stopped her and said she'd be arrested if she brought Adam to the Church of St. Joseph in Bertha.

There is a restraining order barring Race's son from St. Joseph's. The Reverend Daniel Walz wrote in court documents that Adam's behavior was disruptive and dangerous. Adam is more than 6 feet tall and over 225 pounds.

The pastor wrote that Adam spits, urinates and once struck a child during Mass.

Race says Adam doesn't spit, and that the urination is incontinence. She admits he once struck a child.

Race has already violated the restraining order once, and is scheduled to appear in court for that on Monday.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press.)

[Rev.Reverence]

Weird news. Very weird news.

I do not know what to say; other than WEIRD!

[Simon Bar Sinister]

To quote Matt Johnson, God doesn't go to church. This woman's wasting her (not to mention everyone else's) time.

[TitsMcGee]

I remember reading about this a while back. Makes you think though. Every time the government trys to regulate something to do with church/religion people scream speration...but when there someone going to the chuch the people don't like they get a restraining order. Kinda seems unfair to me that they can have it both ways.

[Msterbeau]

Autism or not... the boys behavior (assuming it's true) IS rude, disrespectful and dangerous. Until it's better controlled, I wouldn't admit him either.

[phee]

Autism or not... the boys behavior (assuming it's true) IS rude, disrespectful and dangerous. Until it's better controlled, I wouldn't admit him either.

Yes....

Pretty much it in a nutshell

[pomba gira]

Autism or not... the boys behavior (assuming it's true) IS rude, disrespectful and dangerous. Until it's better controlled, I wouldn't admit him either.

Agreed. Especially given his size. It's not fair for the congregation & clergy to have to worry about this uncontrollable kid running amok and hurting someone while they're trying to worship/fellowship.

Advocating for your special needs child and wanting people to accept him is one thing. Ignoring the fact that he puts other people at risk is quite another.

[Rayne]

My opinion is that it never should have gotten to a restraining order. The mother should have realized her son poses a threat to others and should make other arrangements while she attends church.

I have an Autistic son. I also have a psychologically disturbed daughter who can be quite violent at times.

There are days I have to cancel everything because one of them is having an off day.

[Msterbeau]

My opinion is that it never should have gotten to a restraining order. The mother should have realized her son poses a threat to others and should make other arrangements while she attends church.

I have an Autistic son. I also have a psychologically disturbed daughter who can be quite violent at times.

There are days I have to cancel everything because one of them is having an off day.

+2

[SaGa]

if it was a different denomination i could see this going differently. not excmmunicating him through court order. but a happy medium whould be reached, mostly to justify that they follow christs teaching(why else whould pastors be nice, other then to point out in there head that there following the love rule) some pastors thou truely believe but you dont usually see the church sacrifice instead of become a huge multimillion dollor building. i may be agnostic, but i still have respect for someone to truely believe in giving the shirt off there back or there last meal for someone else.

either way good for him for not having to sit through religion. bad thou is that perhaps he be less exposed to "formal" activities so he might accually be more sloppy.

(PS - this whould of been a funny moment if they thought a demon was in him and thats why)

[ttogreh]

I feel for the family, I do. Still, a disruptive person that has proven himself to be dangerous to others... is just that. Striking another child? That's just beyond the pale.

[LadyKay]

Very difficult for me to give a clear answer to this since I do not attend the church and do not know just what happen to cause such a drastic action. I did hear about this a few months back and what I read said that the boy would get up and run for the door and that one time he knocked down an elderly women. If this is indeed true, and he is knocking people down and hitting children, he could be endangering others. But like I said, I don't go there. So I can't judge if this is indeed the case or not.

Personally I wouldn't go to court over it. Even if a judge rule that I should be allowed to attend the church why would I want to go knowing that I was not welcomed. I would just find another church.

[Reaper]

Better for it to happen that way. Don't need the mother or any other person for that matter, suing because of something that happened and caused injury to himself or another.

[pomba gira]

I'm sure a lot of people are "oh the poor little boy, they're discriminating because he's different". But those people don't understand how dangerous autistic, emotionally impaired, or profoundly cognitive impaired children can be to anyone who isn't trained to calm and/or restrain them... even if they're a "normal" size for their age, which this boy definitely is not. When you choose to work with these kids it's with the understanding that you are highly likely to get HURT, maybe seriously, somewhere down the line. We've all heard the stories that end "and she was on disability for six months after that and still has to walk with a cane". So it's appalling that this mother would insist on taking the child to a setting where he's already acted out, and where people are afraid of him... therefore giving off fear vibes and pheromones which are likely to agitate him even more.

[sass_in_the_pants]

if it was a different denomination i could see this going differently. not excmmunicating him through court order. but a happy medium whould be reached, mostly to justify that they follow christs teaching(why else whould pastors be nice, other then to point out in there head that there following the love rule) some pastors thou truely believe but you dont usually see the church sacrifice instead of become a huge multimillion dollor building. i may be agnostic, but i still have respect for someone to truely believe in giving the shirt off there back or there last meal for someone else.

either way good for him for not having to sit through religion. bad thou is that perhaps he be less exposed to "formal" activities so he might accually be more sloppy.

(PS - this whould of been a funny moment if they thought a demon was in him and thats why)

He wasn't excommunicated through court order. That's not even possible.

I had read somewhere else that he had BITTEN other parishoners.

Yikes.

I don't know why anyone would take their child somewhere that they could pose a risk to themselves AND others. And if she didn't want to miss Mass, you can listen to it on the radio and have an EM come to your house to give you Communion. No big, people do it all the time.