For a while now I've been thinking about writing a book called Divorce Sucks. Part self-help marriage book, part research expose, part memoir of my own childhood. Obviously, the title is an eye-catcher. It would certainly offend some. But if I could help one family stay together in a hope-filled way, then maybe we could reduce the number of stories like this.
In a strange narrative certain to find exposure soon on a Law & Order episode, a Chicago man has been arrested for baptizing his daughter. Now, obviously, this story needs context; this is not some new persecution of the Christian faith. What this is...is a complicated divorce mess. 'Cause divorce sucks.
See, Joseph Reyes, the father in custody, is in a battle for custody of his daughter. Joseph is Catholic. His ex-wife, Rebecca is Jewish. And the reason Joseph got arrested was because he had their daughter baptized without Rebecca's consent or even knowledge. Because their religious differences are such a point of contention in the divorce and custody case, Joseph has been charged with criminal contempt. If found guilty of indirect criminal contempt, Reyes could be sentenced to up to six months in jail.
The story gets better. It seems that Joseph, in a disastrous move repeated by spouses everywhere, converted to his spouse's religion, doing so just because he thought it would make his wife happier. Well, obviously, it didn't (they got a divorce). And obviously, his conversion didn't really count, or stick (he's in jail for baptizing his daughter in the name of the father, the son, and...).
What this shows is a classic example of the dangers of compromise in marriage. In an effort to make ourselves more "compatible" with our mates, we often compromise key parts of ourselves; we cut off or alter critical components of our personhood in order to keep things, well, kosher.
More tomorrow...
This is really new thing which i came to know. Thanks for blogging about this. I am surprised to know that. As i have gone through many sites and blogs about Divorce Law. But this is really wonderful. One more site which i found good is http://www.vetranolaw.com you should check it once.
Posted by: Vetrano & Vetrano | June 01, 2010 at 05:11 AM