Headline of the Week Weak
Filed under: Headline of the Week
"Minnesota Church Files Restraining Order Against Autistic Parishioner"
He's not allowed to come to mass…because he's got autism and acts up! CLICK HERE to read the article accompanying this headline.
Church Files Restraining Order Against Autistic Parishioner
A Minnesota church is coming under fire for the way it's treating one of its parishioners.
Adam Race, 13, and his family did not go to mass at Bertha's Church of St. Joseph Sunday morning like they usually do.
The Todd County Sheriff told Adam's mom if she did take him to St. Joseph's, she would be arrested.
St. Joseph's has filed a temporary restraining order against Adam. In a statement, Father Dan Walz said he filed the petition as a last resort out of "a growing concern for the safety of parishioners".
Adam is severely autistic. He is home-schooled, and has attended St. Joseph's his whole life. He is also more than six feet tall and weighs more than 235 pounds.
In court documents, Father Walz said Adam's growing size makes it harder for his parents to manage his behavior during mass. Father Walz said Adam struck a child, bolts unexpectedly from church nearly knocking people down, including elderly people.
He said Adam also spits and urinates during church.
Carol Races said those allegations are either exaggerated or false. She said Adam is not angry or violent, he has never spit in church, and that on rare occasions, he has been incontinent.
Carol blames Adam's worst behavior, revving a church member's running car after mass, on a lack of accommodation from the church.
"They don't understand how the mechanisms of autism are working at the moment of these disruptions and so forth," Carol Race said. "And I want to point out that in the last couple of months Adam has been perfectly well-behaved. So that's what's shocking to me."
Carol said sometimes Adam is noisy and must be restrained during mass, but she said her family always sits in back and leaves church a few minutes early.
A hearing has been set on May 19th in Todd County Court.
TO ALL OF YOU PEOPLE GOING ON ABOUT HOW "WRONG" THE CHURCH IS FOR BANNING HIM —– > SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!! Please!!!!!!!!!!!!
this isn't rocket science, you know.
if somebody comes to church, and constantly acts up + disrupts the service, what the fuck do you expect them to do??? they aren't special ed. teachers, and it isn't their jobs to watch over him and make sure he's acting right!
and just because he is autistic doesn't mean he should be allowed to get away with it with no reprimands! i support the church's decision ;/
if anything, letting him continue to attend will run all the others whom maybe beniffiting from the services away! :-S
he shpuld be treated like everyone else??? no he shouldn't if he is running around peeing, screaming, and knocking old people around. and thats the truth!
I agree, we are all God's children, HOWEVER, he hit a child. Other people's safety is more important. He also sounds like a distraction. And if he is incontinent, put depends on him! I don't want him piddling next to me on the church pew. Ick!
Perez I am the mother of a 16 yr old autistic son. He too is 5'11 & almost 200 pounds. He has severe behaviors too.
I stopped talking him to church. I took him to Ash Wed a fews years back only I knew how packed it was. So I waited outside. I asked the usher to please have the priest or someone come outside because of Stephen, 15 min later the usher said "The priest that he wouldn't be able to come outside" and that was it. I wrote him a letter but he didn't want to hear it. The catholic church showed no compassion for out situation. Reading this makes me really sad.
If this child is being restricted for having a serious and unfortunate disabilility then all those young children shrieking during mass should be banned as well. I thought the church was to love and accept all tyoes of God's creatures! They should be ashamed of themselves!
That's fucked up.
Fuckin church nazis.
Always picking on "different" people and telling them that they can never be apart of their religion because they're judgmental pricks.
I don't think God ever intended to EXCLUDE people.
I hope God comes and smites all of you.
Re: WHATEVER – It people like you who make our world the way it is. Ignorant and uncompassionate.
Father Waltz did not help this family AND others. The family is trying to worship like everyone else but they have an autistic child. The priest should have made other arrangements (going to this family's home and prayed with them or sending someone) but he choose to file a restraining order. So this family and every other one should just keep there children in doors?
This should not have gotten this far.
I'm really sick of people with autistic kids whining that their kids aren't treated fairly. If kids (exceptional or not) behave well and are not threats to others, people don't complain about them and try to ban them. In this case, knocking people over, bolting from church and creating a disturbance, urinating in church are just unacceptable. If he is incontinent, make him wear adult diapers. Its totally unhygienic to urinate in public. Who cleans up and scrubs the carpet and disinfects after this kid's accidents? if the family is too busy restraining him, they should pay for steam cleaning and sterilization of the church after his accidents. this is just gross. stop whining about your bad kid and keep him home until he can behave and then it will all be good.
All of you calling him a retard or a monster need to shut the fuck up. This is a human child, and one who is loved and worthy of love and respect. I thank God I was blessed with 2 healthy kids, but if they were autistic I would love them just as much. I agree with the church's decision, but some of you people are disgusting.
The problem is that the church is intolerant of others who are different. And if pushing over old people is "a cause for banishment" (dumb, dumb, ugly Jessica!#3), than many-MANY kids aged 0-20, should be banned from my church! This church is overracted and should realize that "Jesus would NOT DO THAT!". There's an autistic girl and someone with down suyndrome at my church and neither has been banned. This church SUCKS!
I used to work with a few retards and most of them got fired/banned from the premises. They were always causing trouble and breaking things and making prank phone calls. Down syndrome, not autistic but still
I agree with #28, #30 & #35! I feel sorry for the parents, though. It is really tough to have a child with various disabilities but if they can't act accordingly in public places then make alternative plans. I understand the church even offered private mass? I would have jumped on that offer.
Re: Lisa – Wow…I would think somebody with autistic children would have alittle more compassion for another autistic child. What right does anybody as a society have the right to decide what behaviors are of a norm and what with acting out from the norm due to something beyond the control of the individual should exclude them from being a part of society. Shame on you! I feel bad for your children.
Of course God loves this child BUT if he is completely disturbing mass the parents should be considerate of the church. The problem with this country is so many people feel everyone needs to be able to do everything.
they should keep the boy home if he is causing this much of a problem.
we have a child like this at my daughters school who bites and hits other children and he too is twice as big as his peers. i feel for the parents but you can't carpet the world. sometimes it's best to buy a pair of slippers
Re: Theresa – your an idiot.
Re: Theresa – We have a right to decide what behaviors are the norm when people are injured. NO ONE has a right to knock over your child, something the mother has already admitted to having occurred. I bet you'd be singing a different tune if that were your child or grandparent injured. It's a sad situation. If he were only noisy, I would say the church was wrong. But at 200+ pounds and unable to control himself, he's like an accident waiting to happen. A loaded gun.
So whose rights are more valid? The rights of the family to be included in the church service? Or the right to the other parishioners to be physically safe when they attend church?
k so i work with a lot of autistic kids. some of them are more severe than others. however, this situation is ridiculous. the family says that they sit in the back of the church and are ready to go out if they need to because of Adam - he's autistic - he has problems sitting still, concentrating, etc. if you treat him like a person and not like a monster - he'll act like a person.
This is the stupidest thing in this damn world. He can't go to church because he is autistic. People, worst has happened. A kid in Port St. Lucie got voted out of class because he was autistic. I mean, people should understand people that are different or else thgey are idiots.
Re: ivy – I CAN'T FOR THE LIFE OF ME UNDERSTAND WHY GOD LET'S PEOPLE LIKE YOU LIVE AND TAKES THE INOCCENT.YOU SHOULD DO THE SOCIATY A FAVOR AND KILL YOUR SELF.I HOPE IF IN THE FUTER GOD HELP US YOU HAVE CHILDREN THEY ARE MENTALY AND PHYSICLY HANDICAPD YOU DUMP SON-OF- A BITCH…
I've always liked you, Perez, but you've gone a little too far this time. Why don't you check your facts before you go blabbing your mouth all over the internet. As someone who is from the town this boy is from, I know first hand how violent and disruptive he can be. Plus the church has stepped out of their way to accom his special needs, but the boy's family is more worried about getting their 10 minutes fame than actually working things out for the boy.
EVERYONE has a right to attend church! They could very easily create or put Adam into a room (ie, like a kids room they have at many churches) where the audio is piped in & you can still see/hear the service but of course it's a separate room. Do you think it was Adam's choice to be autistic? Let's show some sympathy you church-goers and give the poor child a chance to worship. What a sad, pathetic world we live in when innocents are booted out & even a flipping pastor condones kicking Adam out.
como pretenden que nos amemos todos y que todos seamos iguales si ellos mismos no lo creen… malditos!
Maybe they should accomidate there members that have these issues a little better. this i am sure wont be the last one. and ia m sure its not the first;
This is yet another shameful example of how disabled people are treated. If the boy is incontinent, there are things to take care of that and ensure the boy is left with his dignity intact. Shame on those parents!
As far as spitting goes, it doesn't matter if a person is mentally deficient or typical/normal, there is no excuse for spitting. This can be redirected with the proper therapy. I would be extremely offended if someone spit on me and I don't care if they are special needs or otherwise. That is considered assault.
As the parent of a lovely boy with autism, there have been times where my son's behaviour has been disruptive. This is just one of the many things we have to deal with as parents of these special children. We remove our son from the situation so as not to disturb others. This is called "courtesy". Same as a wailing baby should be removed from a church service, a restaurant, a movie theater etc.
Some places are just not meant for everyone.
I teach an EMH/MI middle school class. I have 7 spectrum students in my class out of 18. I expect them to behave as well as the other students do. I don't give them a free pass because of their Autism. Granted, they are not severely autistic, since they are verbal and only mildly cognitively impaired, but they still have some behaviors that are not acceptable. And we work to teach them that some of these behaviors are not acceptable, especially socially. We take them on community outings to work on these behaviors, such as applauding and laughing in appropriate situations. They have moments where behavior is a problem, but so do most students. We try not to treat them any differently from any other student, but sometimes the parents make that difficult.
There are some parents out there that think autism gives them special rights. It doesn't. They want their child to be treated like anyone else except when the child does something wrong. When something goes wrong, it's the disorders fault, not the child. It makes me sick when the parents think they have all the rights in the world because the child has autism. It's not helping the child. If anything, it is hurting because it is allowing the child to behave inappropriately in public places. And that works against everything we teach in school.
pathetic!!
i work with kids with autism and this just sickens me. When will the world become the least bit understanding for people who are different from them? any one who thinks this is justified is just falling into the same trap that this church is: fear for things it doesn't want to deal with or doesn't understand…
i've seen parents take their kids and leave the park when my guys show up to play, and believe me, they notice and it hurts their feelings. and people give nasty looks when we take them shopping or to baseball games or out to eat. it's horrible that we have such intolerance for people with developmental disorders. and that this happened in a church, a place you would expect to be decent and understanding, makes it even worse.
my heart is broken for this guy and his parents…this is why i will continue to advocate for awareness and the rights of people with developmental disabilities.
First of all, I am a special education teacher. I agree that the church shouldn't ban him from mass - if an autistic child isn't accepted by the church, how can we expect society as a whole to accept him? ON THE OTHER HAND, the mother should have NEVER let it get to this point. He clearly isn't able to be in that setting without being extremely disruptive and a danger to himself and others. The parents should know better.
Re: Ev – Well THATS real respectful. i like how you say that we're the ones who are judgemental when you're saying most of us christians are this and that and whatnot. at least try not contradicting yourself in your own smart comments if you can't show some respect.
As a Mom of an autistic 12 year old, I have stopped taking him many places because he cannot be controlled. We don't go to other kids birthday parties because he gets angry because the presents aren't for him, we don't go to the movies, he doesn't attend weddings or funerals and I would never even dream of taking him to church. My reasoning is, is that his disruptive behavior bothers everyone and he acts out because he doesn't want to be there. The Mom and Dad should alternate going to church and one of them stays home with the child or hire someone to watch him.
I understand it, if the accuations are true.. My cousin has authism, and his mother denies that he is violent. But he knocked down his granmother, broke an arm on a girl that worked with him, knocked down my little brother when my bro was 2 years old and beated most of the other family members too… He is BIG and strong, people are scared of him because nobody can ever tell what mood he is in (he has no language). SO if this boy is anything like my cousin, i understand that they dont want him in church. But if its false accusations its a totaly different story…. Yep, everybody is welcome in Gods house. But i doubt he even knows what God is…
What this reporter failed to mention is that this church offered a number of accomodations for this young man and his family, such as seating him in the cry room, podcasts, and (I believe) even attending mass at home.
People need to balance the needs of the community versus those of this young man. If he disruptive and unable to control his bodily functions, there is no reason why the whole parish should suffer through his outbursts and behavior.
No one is reporting the efforts that the parish made to accomodate him and his family before taking these actions. It was only after they insisted that he HAD to attend mass and sit with the congregation did the parish take further steps.
this is bullshit!! it's reasons like this why people like me don't go to church!
The whole story isn't coming out here. Adams mom was offered a private church time for their family and they totally refused. Adam is uncontrollable at times, he is huge and is hard to control. I worked in a special needs class for 4th-7th grade and believe me, some of those boys were extremely hard to handle. When he is a threat to others, by knocking down the elderly and urinating, distrupting service….then he needs to stay away. Other arrangements were offered as an alternative, and Adams mom refused them. What is the church to do? They need to protect the congregation.
couldnt they have just asked the parents to make sure he leaves any time he acts up? or even ask them not to bring him? a restraining order is kind of harsh
Re: JESILYN – wow! i really admire your christian thoughts in this post! you truly are one of those people who give religion a bad name. Didnt your mother ever teach you 'if you have nothing nice to say then dont say it at all'?
Yes i think the boy should have the freedom to do what others do but not if he`s unwitingly going to be harming others in the process
i understand that the priests want to protect others and it must be very frustrating to conduct mass with him acting on, but instead of banishing him they should go out of their way to accomodate him. a lot of churches have Cry Rooms for parents with babies - its essentially a little room in the back with glass for viewing but the room is more insulated to keep the sound from disturbing others. there are speakers to make sure the people in the room can hear everything clearly.
I have an autistic son who is almost 11 and I do not take him to many public places for respect of others. I love him dearly, but if he is a danger to others I need to take all factors into consideration.
I believe everyone has a right to attend church, but not when it directly infringes on someone else's right to be free from harm. If the child was simply disruptive, I don't think a restraining order would be needed. However, doesn't a 90 year old woman who attends church have the same right NOT to be plowed over by a 235 pound man? It's about accommodation. If the young man was not autistic, this would be a nonissue. It's not discrimination if there is a legitimate purpose to the exclusion. Physical harm to others is perfectly legitimate.
If it is true that the church offered a separate service for him and the mom still refused, then shame on her for thinking her child has a right to do anything he wants, autistic or not.
I wouldn't want to go to church if I could possibly get knocked over or peed on by a 235 lb man. It's sad, but it's true.
a couple weeks ago i was at an angels baseball game.this kid next to me had on a sweatshirt in 90 heat pulled over his head & kept elbowing me. after the 3rd time i said to my friend this kid keaps hitting me.i wasn't loud or rude but his dad heard me & took his sweatshirt off his head & told him to stop. then i realized he was playing game boy & although he looked normal he was for sure slow.my friend was about to say something but i quickly said it was no big deal because of the kids condition.this kid kept touching me, stepping on my feet & even laying his head on my shoulder. the tickets i have are almost $100 each-my parents are season ticket holders. i ended up watching the rest of the game in the diamond club instead of enjoying the seats a couple rows behind home plate. i was tolerant because of the kids situation. if he was at every game & did this to me after a while i would be really pissed.look-the church offered to accomodate the family.why do they need to go to mass w/ the rest of the congregation only to prevent them from worshipping in peace.this family needs to stop being the victim & being focused on themselves.
First, I am a mother of 2 children with autism.
I'm sorry but if all of what the church is saying is true, then I wouldn't bring my child to church. The child's not ready. If she can homeschool him then she can give him Bible study at home too. AND wait until AFTER puberty before reintroducing him to the Church. The church is not going anywhere.
Church might be home to God but there are PEOPLE occupying it and people aren't forgiving, patient, or understanding as God.
It is outrageous and also illegal. the priest should look at the americans with disabilities act!
THATS FFFFFFIIIIIIIEEEEEERRRRRRCCCCCCEEEEE!!!
LIKE THOSE HIPPOCRATES AT HIS CHURCH SAY "GOD" DOESNT JUDGE SO THEIR ASSSSSSSSES SHOULDNT GIVE A F***. AND 4 !kjo! ARE U SURE U DONT ATTEND HIS CHURCH. CAUSE THE BOY IS AUTISTIC NOT A DERANGED JUVENILE…… LMAO THATS WAS A READING
DONE.
I don't care if you have full blown tards or just a touch of tards, it does not give you the right to act a fool. Retarded people are ruthless sex fiends with one thing on their mind :Brains! I once saw a tard scoop the brain out of a cat and eat it as if it was a cheeseburger. I say lock em all up and throw away the fucking key.
Re: Lisa –
It's not illegal if the exclusion is for a legitimate non-discriminatory purpose. From the sound of it, the church attempted to make other accommodations and the parents refused. IF the allegations are TRUE and this man is a danger to other, the exclusion and restraining order will be upheld. Disability or not, you don't have a right to harm other people, and a place of public accommodation has the right to refuse you entry if you do. IF the allegations are TRUE this is not about a disability - it's about the dangerous behavior that may result due to the disability.
I understand that you want to 'protect' the rest of the church goers but this is d absolutely ridiculous. He has a sever form on autism, it's not like he's doing anything on purpose. Maybe is the church actually studied autism or learned about it they would make accommodations for him instead of just saying stay away for good. If i was the family, i would sue someone for it.
It's very sad that those that claim to do God's work is turning their back on one of God's people.
I'm ashamed to be from Minnesota. So much for "Minnesota nice," eh? Oh well. Fucking catholics.
Re: Mikey –
THANK you… I'm sure they "prayed really hard" about their decision to ban this poor kid from attending service and that "jesus" showed them the way.
Fucking ridiculous.
This is Disgusting so much for anyone being excepted into a church.
The church is going against it's own preachings, love one another, help out those in need, SHOWING TOLERANCE. Autism is a disability that is on the rise and unfortunatly is not showing any signs of successful treatment/prevention or a cure. This church should rally together and show tolerance and support. I fully believe that ANYONE who posted in favour of the church has never experienced Autism in their life, or supported someone with it, and they should educate themselves and see how tough it really is!
i have an over 6 foot tall autistic brother who, while generally sweet-tempered, occasionally gets frustrated to the point of outbursts or even empty threats of violence. these are anticipated and contained by my family, who have learned the best ways to comfort and calm him, but occasionally he does cause disruptions that are similar to the ones described in the story. luckily my family's church is patient and understanding, choosing to be flexible themselves, rather than simply banning him from services. if the family learns the best ways to contain his outbursts, and the church realizes that they will sometimes happen, then both parties may find that the autistic young man's strength in dealing with his disorder, and the kindness that transcends his disability, may actually touch lives in the congregation, the way they have touched mine. kuddos to perez for posting this story.
My friend's stepbrother is SEVERELY autistic. His mother has to have 3 different care workers come into her home to help her take care of him. They 3 work in shifts not all at once. He's a lot to handle all day that's why she has 3 different people. He's not as big as this kid but he does have verbal and sometimes physical outbursts. Its very intimiating to be around b/c you just can't predict what he will do. He doesn't mean to hurt anyone but does not understand his own actions. Its also hard for autistic kids to be around a lot of noise or activity. They have sensory issues. It sounds like the church and parishioners are scared by Adam b/c of his size. It also sounds like the mother is doing her best to control him during service by sitting in the back and trying to leave early. Its so sad that the church felt the need to place a restraining order against this child.
Re: sister – Why do you all think you know the situation better than the church. They said they have tried for a long time to remedy the situation. It's all nice and fine for you all to pass judgement. But what if somebody gets hurt and the church was deemed to know about the danger of this kid, but did nothing…Can you say HUGE LAWSUIT? This is all about the lawsuits, people and if his family had any concern for community they'd have left on their own.
Re: Christina – OMG..SUE someone because the church is trying to protect itself and it's other members? You're insane.
This is an outrageous violation of basic human rights! This "church" needs to acquaint themselves with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal law that requires accommodations for individuals like this young man. This "church" also needs to acquaint themselves with the human and Christian principles they are supposed to be espousing.
Re: amanda – I hope you are not saying put this dangerous kid in the room full of infants and mothers changing diapers? The kid is a clear menace and as he gets older and goes through puberty, look out! If he pisses in public now, what is going to do with erections? I shudder. Sorry for everyone.
thats just awFULL! my brother has down syndrome called fragilex. God loves everyone even people with down sydrome i guess that church doesnt realize it
that is the saddest thing ive ever heard. im sorry to hear that
Thank goodness for everyone who posted who pointed out that the church has tried to work with this family. Yes, it is unfortunate and sad that this boy has a disability, but it is certainly not fair and right to expect the entire world to bend over backwards b/c of it. It is not appropriate to allow any child (whether they have a disability or not) to act that way in a public place, ESPECIALLY inside sacred Mass. The parishoners have the right to attend Mass w/o being disrupted or injured. I think it is quite disrepectful and rude of the mother to allow it to continue, instead of doing the GODLY thing of accepting the other options this Church has offerred. ALSO, it is HIGHLY offensive that those of you who choose NOT to follow in Christ, to take this opportunity to attack and slander the Catholic church and christians in general. Maybe you should take the time to evaluate your spiritual condition and look into actually attending church so that the hatred in your hearts can be melted away.
This is so wrong. The church has no right to ban anyone from attending.
Re: Shannon –
My little brother, 12, also has Asperger's as well as ADHD. However, our family has never really been "into" church (thankfully). But there are times when he will act out in a public place, and, although he's much better at controlling himself, it's not like he does it on purpose. Now, if the church did in fact offer private mass for him, it is still discrimintion. I've never heard of anyone being banned from a church since the Salem Witch Trials.
fuck that he's autistic…who is without blame, cast the first stone.
This isn't about discrimination, this is about protecting the other members of the church. I don't blame them for filing a restraining order. As much as people with disabilities should be able to enjoy church, so should the other people attending.
So you welcome sinners, who choose to be sinners, and not someone with autism, who HAS to live with it. WOW!!!! WWJD (What Would Jesus Do)
there is no god… just stop going to church anyways.
This is very unfortunate and I am sure it wasn't an easy decision for the church to make afterall he has gone there for 13 years.I would assume that things have gotten really bad for him to be banned.If he is grabbing at young girls and his parents have to sit on him to keep him under control I would have thought the parents would have taken him out.I don't think it is right that someone has to have a restraining order against them for something they can't control but it is also not right for the other people in the church to have to dread going not knowing what will happen and if they are in danger of being hurt.I mean nobody like going to a movie and having a sceaming baby disrupting them and any descent parent would take them out.Not that I am trying to compare a baby to an autistic child but they are both similar in the way that they are innocent because they don't know what their actions do to others.The way the mother is behaving I believe this is a publicity stunt.By not accepting the offer for a private mass is a a good clue to that.
Get it through your heads — it's 'reasonable' accomodations. If you can't control Corky sufficiently to keep him from soiling a house of worship or beating up others or even disrupting the service, you'll have to watch service on TV.
Have you seen my base ball?
He IS a danger to the people around him, harming children and elderly people could result in the accidental death of a church member. He sounds HUGE, and if hes severly autistic im sure hes LOUD as fuck during mass which is SO distracting and rude. Churches arnt evil places, Im sure the priest/pastor (or w/e) is correct why would he lie?? I have an autistic cousin, he was SO bad before his parents got him into a special program for autistic kids that helps them behave more like normal. It helped my cousin Matt, I hope they look into a program like that.
ALSO why does he need to go to church??? HE CANT understand it. He cant recieve the offering. Whats the fucking point??? There are services where the priest or church leader can come to your home and do w/e religiouse stuff they need to do, (in order to go to heaven) JUst like Priests will come to your home and bless your house, or how they make rounds in hospitals doing mass and blessing the dying/sick!!! Im sure there is another way. He doesnt need to attend mass he just fucks it up… *and how the FUCK did he get into someone elses car!>?!?!??! WHERE WERE HIS FUCKING PARENTS?!?!??!?!?!?! THEY OBVIOUSLY DONT KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON HIM. HE SHOULD BE KEPT ON A TETHER.
OH on second thought. DONT THEY HAVE A "QUIET" ROOM. the kind of room pretty much ALL churches with the big glass window to watch pass and the speakers inside to listen.. Why cant he go into that room with his family. they can still leave like 5-10mins early.. and keep a wrist band leash on his arm so he cant run away. Is his DAD around?? cant his dad keep him under control?? They need to get him into that Behavioral program for autistic kids (Matt couldnt even speak b4 the program, now he wont shut up.)
This should of had never gotten as far as a priest getting a restraining order against a family that needs the emotional and spiritual support of the church.
Some of these selfish and uncaring comments are really disturbing. First because none of us are immune to a disability, we all can expirience at some point in our lives a tragic accident that might leave you with brain trauma or in a wheelchair. I thougth that people went to church to serve GOD and live by his teachings, if this priest really cared about ALL of his LAMBS, than he would find a way to accomodate this family instead of turning them away. This is why I am so turned off by religion!
Our Catholic church has a windowed and speakered room right off the the church, we call it the "Children Room." Parents with young or rambunctious children can use that room and still be part of the mass. It works very well for all involved, and no one feels the least slighted. If the family was offered separated accomodations in order to allow EVERYONE to enjoy/participate/and benefit from the mass, but they chose to not to do that, then they left Father with no choice. EACH parishoner deserves to get the most out of Mass.
Re: akorylene – I agree. Parents of autistic kids expect their kid's disease to be everyone else's problem. The priest offered other arrangements, but the mom refused because she doesn't want another reminder that her son is retarded. Her son is HUGE, he pisses himself, and he's violent, and the rest of the church is supposed to tolerate that? Where are his depends? Where is his handler? His mother should be brought up on charges for living in denial.
Re: jessica – UM he has Autism stupid
This makes me SO angry! I have a beautiful nephew who has autism … and I am also Catholic. To think that a catholic church (a priest!) could do this to one of its parishoners is horrible! Yes, I understand that autistic children can have behaviors that are difficult to manage, but this is unreal. What about asking the parents to take him out of the church when he starts to show signs of acting up? The mom already says the family sits in the back! I am eager to see how this turns out in court.
- jessica says – reply to this
Um pushing over old people and urination is a cause for banishment. Stop trying to be "nece perez". So phony
so, exactly HOW is it banishment ?
he can`t exactly..you know..HELP IT.
we `re ALL god`s children,
and he made him like that , excuse him then ?
and yes , he drools , and acts up.
so what ?
he`s still a person that deserves to at least go to church !
They should just burn him at the stake like the catholic church used to when dealing with inconvenient people
Re: kjo – Re: kjo – Re: kjo –
I thought your comment was stupid and uncalled.for. First, learn about Autism and then try interacting with someone who has it. I have worked with individuals with Austism for several years. People with Disabilities have rights! One should be able to go to church. Have you ever tought that the church could accomdate him and his family?
I am so upset about this, my twin sister has autism, and it is something uncontrollable I CANNOT believe the mother would actually be arrested for her son going to mass, MINNESOTA should be ashamed……..
One question I have is why is there such an explosion of autism in america when it's very rare elsewhere in the world? It seems recent so is infant formula or other foods poisoned or chemically altered by your government? America always seems to have a very high amount of disease and I think this is a serious question that should be investigated.
Proud to be CANADIAN
wow are you serious?
what a bunch of racist fucks
anyone who disagrees has a problem
I've always beleived in God…but stuff like this is the reason I don't beleive in the people who claim to speak for Him/Her/It.
If this church cannot find a way to work this out without involving the cops then they are in the wrong business. Perhaps they should start a country club instead.
good fuckin god - what the fuck are people on??????? dawn … if i were you son and you said i drawled i'd slap you up b'atch - how could you even say that about your son, how old are you, are you youself retarded, if that's the case i appologise, if not go shoot you fekin self . . . "gods children" … kiss my fekin ripe one, you sad sad fucks we are no one's chidren other than our parents … who is god??? is he the fuck that lets kids have access to drugs, guns, anything they want … oh no that's PARENTS, get a life saddo's
seriously?
Ignorance is bliss I guess, if these people knew what it was like to live in this boys world they would allow him to come to church despite his behavior.
For a religion based on compassion, these people are certainly not living up to the Lord's teachings. I am disturbed and angered.
Cahtolics are such pro-lifers. They would have insisted that this autistic child be born even if they knew he would be severely disabled. Now that he is born, they don't want him around. Typical !!
seriously "tatag" can you not say anything but "firsttt" … "firsttttttttttttt" go back to school!!!!
some people fail to understand is that the "danger" this guy poses to the other churchgoers may not be what we think. i work with kids with autism and there is almost never any violent behavior, but they may be in a hurry to get in a door and may bump into people. this sounds like what adam does and and this isn't really dangerous. and the urinating…it's not like adam chases people around peeing on them, he just wets himself, which is inconvenient, even gross but not grounds for a restraining order.
but it seems his parents are putting him in a situation that causes him stress. with our guys, we try not to take them places that may make them upset because that just makes their lives harder. we avoid places with tons of people or loud noise because it makes them upset. it isn't to avoid their unacceptable behaviors, it's to help them stay happy and calm. if i were adam's mom i would take my kid where i wanted, because the world should be understanding, but i wouldn't put him in a situation that obviously causes him so much anxiety.
Everyone is talking about him knocking old people down and urinating. I think that there is probably another side to this story. I go to church with 3 adult mentally disabled people. We love them because that is what we are suppose to do! Yes, they get loud and have made me stumble on occasion but I will live! Those snotty catholics just HAVE to have their silence. They should probably read the bible and see how Jesus treated people with the same problems!
Why don't they kick all the old people out! Most of them piss their pants too!
having a brother with a dissability, i feel for this kid. there is no reason to keep a kid out of mass, unless he doesn't want to go, and i'm sure he does. Shame on you, church.. is it?
by all means i am not religious, but this is ludicrous. 'god' is all loving all accepting and so are his followers.. arent' they, or only us non believers accept all.. hrrrmmmmmmmmm…
this is utter bullshit.
This is total bull crap. They say there a man of god. They all are going to hell
Completely Ridiculous! My church has several members in similar situations, yet we haven't banned these parishoners. As for a private service for the family, they are right to refuse. There is no reason that they shouldn't be able to socialize their son, especially in a church where patience, virtue and forgiveness is taught. There are other approaches available, sounds like the church is content with being lazy about searching those aternatives out. PS. No one freaks out about screaming babies during sermon, or children acting out.
That curch is sooo rude! That is shocking and appaling that they would be so rude to that boy. I actually just volunteered at the Special Olympics today and met so many amazing people with disabilities. Sure, sometimes they do things that sometimes other people wouldn't do because they don't know better, but they should be allowed to do anything that anyone else would.
This makes me FUCKIN sick. Probably more sick because it sounds like it was a Catholic Church (which I already have a problem with). But HELLO bible thumpers… GOD created Autism and the children who have it. GOD would never banish anyone from attending church because GOD loves everyone regardless of their "afflictions". I am a mother of a child with Autism, I understand the concern. But if they were concerned with the childs behavior during service, then they should have arranged for a parishoner or a priest to go to their home to conduct services. I KNOW that this can be done. It is usually done for the people who are to ill to attend. This was handled totally wrong. How can you possibly prosecute people with conditions beyond their control?! FYI: Autism affects 1 in 164 children… what will happen in 20 years when they all grow up?!
PS. Fuck Julie and Jessica for saying stupid ignorant shit. I hope one day you have children with disabilities or illnesses so you can truly understand hyow ignorant you are.
Natalie #26, it has nothing to do with being catholic! that is one church not the whole religion! Stop with the ignorance already.
Re: ilikesilkpajamas – ARE YOU A PARENT OF A CHILD WITH AUTISM OR ON THE ASD SPECTRUM??? IF NOT, THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP CUZ YOU HAVE NOOOOOOOOOO FUCKIN IDEA. ANYONE WITHOUT CHILDREN WITH AUTISM OR CHILDREN WHO ARE ON THE ASD SPECTRUM HAVE NO AUTHORITY HERE!!!!!! GOD YOU'RE STUPID!
This is not even about him. His fuckin cunt of a mother wants her 15 minutes of fame. Oh BOO HOO, they don't want your giant, out of control son beating up old people and pissing on the floor. How OUTRAGEOUS! Not.
They offered this BITCH a private room. They offered them mass at home. But NO, she wants to sit in the church, every week, with her giant retard, who disrupts mass and scares everyone there. She can't control him but still, she wants to be there.
FUCK HER.
Like several others here, I'm a special education teacher who works with autistic children, which is to say I work with a very wide variety of children across the spectrum…but I think some of you here are riding a high horse to nowhere in this case. Let's be real, instead of politically correct. If he pushed your child (who could also be autistic or otherwise disabled btw!) or placed your daughter on his lap, I doubt anyone here would condemn the church's offer of alternative services. Based on the reports, these have been regular events, as opposed to one-time incidents, and have surely been traumatizing to other children in attendance. Just as the right to a free and appropriate public education does not equate to all children having to be in regular education classes all day, the right to worship does not mean that it has to be at regular services. If this church had prevented him from attending mass and offered no alternative arrangements at all, I'd condemn it quite quickly, but that's not the case here. The church is not sinning by protecting the rights of all to be in a safe environment.