Baptism permission of divorced parents

[zaneclark]

Parents are divorced. Mother wants 8 yr old baptized. Father says no. GHB says “permission is not required of a parent or guardian who has no legal basis for opposing the baptism.” So, can he be baptized? It’s still not clear.

[russellhltn]

The full quote is "The parents or legal guardians give permission. Permission is not required from a parent or guardian who has no legal basis for opposing the baptism." Also "Mission and area leaders can provide guidance." (Not tech forums ) (38.2.8.2)

I imagine this comes down to what rights the courts have granted the father. Does he have custody at all? Is he still considered a guardian?

[garystroble]

If the divorced parents have joint legal custody, one of them can say no and there is nothing the Church can do.

In any event, make sure you get signatures of both parents (if they agree that is) on the baptism interview form prior to the baptism and confirmation, as it will be required to record the ordinances and print a certificate.

[russellhltn]

get signatures of both parents (if they agree that is) on the baptism interview form prior to the baptism

Good point. You don't want to be put in a situation where a baptism was done, but you can't record it. You don't want to get into a situation where the family said it was done, but refuses to give you the signatures to make it valid. GH 38.2.6.1 "a baptism is not valid if a membership record was not created."