November 8, 2013 – St. David’s Episcopal Church, Austin, Texas
| 8:00 – 9:00 |
Check-in/Breakfast
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| 9:00 – 9:10 |
Opening remarks by CFFP President, Janet Heimlich
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| 9:10 – 9:20 |
Welcome by Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra H. Lehrmann
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| 9:20 – 10:20 |
Where Faith Meets the Law: Child Welfare Laws and the First Amendment
Speaker: Ann M. Haralambie The United States Constitution protects parents’ fundamental right to raise their children and protects all people’s right to the free exercise of religion. This session will address circumstances under which child welfare laws permit the state to intervene to protect children from faith-based practices deemed to constitute abuse and neglect. |
| 10:20 – 10:30 |
Break
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| 10:30 – 11:20 |
Let the Children Come: The Ambiguous Legacy of Christian Understandings of Childhood
Speaker: David H. Jensen Children have occupied many different roles in the history of the Christian churches, They have been heralded as models of faith and trust, yet also denigrated as examples of selfishness and sin. Does the conflicted legacy of Christian interpretation of children and its occasional sanction of child abuse leave any room for a child-friendly Christian faith? This presentation will explore some of the problematic legacy of Christian theology on children and recover some promising resources within the Christian tradition for developing communities of faith that honor and cherish the voices and contributions of children. |
| 11:20 – 12:20 |
Child Abuse and the Faith Leader
Speaker: Rabbi Ze’ev Smason How far must a faith leader go to protect and advocate for children? This presentation seeks to identify child-toxic theologies and communal practices and understand the obstacles to a Children First policy in our communities. Rabbi Smason will discuss his experiences and challenges in getting involved in a recent dramatic international child abuse case and suggest policies faith communities should adopt to best protect children. |
| 12:20 – 1:00 |
Lunch
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| 1:00 – 2:00 |
Religion, Culture, and Criminal Law
Speaker: Rita Swan This presentation explains what religious defenses exist in state criminal codes, what complications they have caused, and why they get enacted, as well as what special challenges prosecutors may encounter in such cases. In covering how these laws can be changed for the better, Dr. Swan will discuss how religious exemption laws were repealed in Oregon. |
| 2:00 – 3:00 |
Law enforcement’s Role in Protecting Children in Isolated, Oppressive Faith Communities
Speaker: Sam Brower What are the challenges that law enforcement personnel face when investigating crimes of child abuse that have alleged to have taken place in authoritarian faith communities? How does law enforcement and other officials charged with protecting children from maltreatment overcome those challenges? Mr. Brower will answer these questions and discuss how law enforcement can prevent future crimes by opening up a dialog with faith leaders and congregants who live in problematic communities. |
| 3:00 – 3:15 |
Break
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| 3:15 – 4:45 |
How Do We Make Faith Child-Friendly?
Child Maltreatment Survivor Panel Discussion A panel of survivors of religious and cultural child maltreatment will discuss the beliefs and faith practices of their upbringing and how they enabled the abuse and/or neglect they suffered. A question and answer session, which will allow for audience participation, will examine ways to introduce faith into children’s lives that is nurturing and not harmful. Panel members include Bethany Brittain, Joel Engelman, Liz Heywood, Jerry Minor, Stacey Patton, and Jaime Romo. Steven Hassan will moderate the discussion. |
| 4:45 – 5:00 |
Closing remarks
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