adoption and religion
Adoption and Religion
Nathalie just adopted a Chinese girl, Tram. Tram is six and has been in an orphanage for her entire life. She was not baptised but she learned to live according to the Islamic religion, at the orphanage, and to pray to the god Allah. Tram does not talk English, which makes it difficult for Nathalie to communicate with her. Nathalie is Catholic from birth and religion has always been an important part of her life. Nathalie does not know a lot about the Islamic religion; however, she is really satisfied and happy with her religion and she would like Tram to share her happiness. She has been thinking about having Tram baptised by the Catholic Church. But hearing Tram praying to Allah every night makes her unsure of the decision she has to take. Nathalie fears that her friends and family will laugh at her if, as a Catholic, she has to raise an Islamic child. She also fears that Tram could be teased by other children at school because she does not have the same beliefs that they do. On the other hand, Nathalie knows that it is not just about giving the child a new religion but that it is also about taking away her present one. Nathalie loves her child and fears that Tram might be angry at her later, realizing what she ``imposed`` on her. Nathalie has talked about this issue with her family. Her mother, who is Catholic, thinks that it is normal to baptise Tram in the Catholic religion because it is the dominant religion where they live. Nathalie talked with one of her colleagues, who is Chinese. Her colleague affirmed her that Islam was a good religion and that Tram should have the right to continue praying to the god she wants, even though she is six. Nathalie still does not know what to do about the baptism of her new child.
Nathalie decided that she would go to a counselling session to help her determine what could be done in her case. The first step of the counselling process, the most important one, is the establishment of a...
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