Federal Court blocks Washington State law that would violate the seal of the confessional

[Gatsby]

So? Human sacrifice was super important to some religions, Does that mean we can’t have laws against it?

The people who flew planes into the towers were just practicing their religion.

Human sacrifice and flying planes into towers directly harm others. Performing or receiving the sacrament of confession harms no one. At worst, it's just a harmless superstition and no one is any worse off than they were had it not happened.

There are limits to what should be allowed in the name of religious freedom.

Do you think there should be any limits to what a defendant is allowed to confess to his own defense attorney, before the defense attorney is required to report him to the police and/or the prosecutor?

 

[RaleBulgarian]

Sure, it works well enough on an individual level. But on a societal level, no one has figured out how to build a society around non-religion so far. All the places that have tried have either fallen apart, replaced it with a new quasi-religion (e.g. communism), or lived on the fumes of their civilizational past until birth rates collapsed.

Maybe someone will figure out a way to do it some day. But I suspect it's not that simple to build a successful society without some sort of religious principles.

Although currently under attack by Traitor Trump and his evangelical MAGAt supporters, our government (the representative body of our society) is, by design, a secular one.

 

[AConcernedCitizen]

Human sacrifice and flying planes into towers directly harm others. Performing or receiving the sacrament of confession harms no one. At worst, it's just a harmless superstition and no one is any worse off than they were had it not happened.

Adults have a responsibility to report abuse of children when they know that children are being abused.

Do you think there should be any limits to what a defendant is allowed to confess to his own defense attorney, before the defense attorney is required to report him to the police and/or the prosecutor?

Yes. If the defense attorney is made aware of a bomb in a school that is set to go off in 2 hours, the defense attorney should absolutely have a responsibility to alert the police about the bomb so that the school can be evacuated before it goes off.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Adults have a responsibility to report abuse of children when they know that children are being abused.

They could write that law. Tennessee has a law making all adults mandatory reporters. This law singles out clergy while leaving parents out of the regime. If anyone should have a duty to protect their child, it's parents. But they left them out and decided to focus on clergy.

Also, isn't the confessional anonymous?

 

[Loulit01]

They could write that law. Tennessee has a law making all adults mandatory reporters. This law singles out clergy while leaving parents out of the regime. If anyone should have a duty to protect their child, it's parents. But they left them out and decided to focus on clergy.

Also, isn't the confessional anonymous?

Laws about the confessional, patient confidentiality and so forth cover confessed past sins and crimes. If anyone is told about intent to commit a future crime, or suspects that someone has intent to harm themselves or others, that must be reported.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Laws about the confessional, patient confidentiality and so forth cover confessed past sins and crimes. If anyone is told about intent to commit a future crime, or suspects that someone has intent to harm themselves or others, that must be reported.

Nope.

From the opinion linked in the OP's article: "It also requires certain professionals, when they have reasonable cause to believe a child has suffered abuse or neglect, to file a report with law enforcement..."
(emphasis added)

Note the past tense. It does not say they are mandatory reporters when they have reasonable cause to believe a child will suffer abuse or neglect.

 

[Loulit01]

Nope.

From the opinion linked in the OP's article: "It also requires certain professionals, when they have reasonable cause to believe a child has suffered abuse or neglect, to file a report with law enforcement..."
(emphasis added)

Note the past tense. It does not say they are mandatory reporters when they have reasonable cause to believe a child will suffer abuse or neglect.

But this is the law that's been blocked, no?

 

[AliHajiSheik]

Exactly! Religion is like a dog running amok without a leash. Perhaps the leash needs to be tightened a little.

Muslims would not want you comparing their religion to dogs. Haram and all that.

 

[Gordy327]

Muslims would not want you comparing their religion to dogs. Haram and all that.

I do not really care.

 

[AliHajiSheik]

I do not really care.

Cool, I wouldn't have believed you if you didn't include "really."

 

[Lursa]

They could write that law. Tennessee has a law making all adults mandatory reporters. This law singles out clergy while leaving parents out of the regime. If anyone should have a duty to protect their child, it's parents. But they left them out and decided to focus on clergy.

Also, isn't the confessional anonymous?

Should the clergy tell the parents then?

Note that one purpose of the law is to expose when a parent(s) is abusive.

 

[Nickyjo]

Should the clergy tell the parents then?

Note that one purpose of the law is to expose when a parent(s) is abusive.

Check out a great old Hitchcock movie, “I Confess,” in which a priest is accused of murder. But he knows whodunnit cause the real murderer confessed his crime to him.

No doubt, given recent revelations about clergy, in a modern version of the film the crime would be child molestation.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Should the clergy tell the parents then?

I would think they won't. I'm not sure what this has to do with the enjoined law.

Note that one purpose of the law is to expose when a parent(s) is abusive.

Sure. BUt if they tell their attorney and their priest, only one is required to report. THere's no reason for such disparate treatment.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

But this is the law that's been blocked, no?

Well, yeah. Isn't that what we're talking about?

 

[Lursa]

I would think they won't. I'm not sure what this has to do with the enjoined law.


Sure. BUt if they tell their attorney and their priest, only one is required to report. THere's no reason for such disparate treatment.

You brought up parental responsibilities

 

[Grizzly Adams]

You brought up parental responsibilities

As an example of all the people they didn't make mandatory reporters.

 

[Lursa]

As an example of all the people they didn't make mandatory reporters.

Based on who should or shouldnt report what those parents revealed. (parental responsibilities)

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Based on who should or shouldnt report what those parents revealed. (parental responsibilities)

What?

No. I pointed out they made clergy mandatory reporters but not parents. It had nothing to do with who revealed anything. Just that if anyone would seem to have a responsibility to protect a child it should be the child's parents, yet this law doesn't make them mandatory reporters if they find out someone is abusing their child. It's an example of the singling out of religious actors as having some special responsibility above and beyond that of the general public that made this law likely to be enjoined.

 

[Hatuey]

The right wing version of no snitching exists so Catholic priests can protect pedophiles. Remember that these are the same folks who criticize inner cities for not working with the police after 100s of videos of unlawful executions showing what that gets you.

What a time to be alive.

 

[Lursa]

What?

No. I pointed out they made clergy mandatory reporters but not parents. It had nothing to do with who revealed anything. Just that if anyone would seem to have a responsibility to protect a child it should be the child's parents, yet this law doesn't make them mandatory reporters if they find out someone is abusing their child. It's an example of the singling out of religious actors as having some special responsibility above and beyond that of the general public that made this law likely to be enjoined.

Correct

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Correct

Whatever, man.