[FITZ]

I don't believe in interfering in families. Parents who are supporting their children have the final say whether I like it or not. If the kids' parents had abandoned or abused him, it would be a different matter. I might look at baptizing him into a religion differently than bringing a prostitute for him but even still, I would not have a right to baptize other people's children. I might not like what atheists teach their children but if I was a nurse or other hospital employee, I would not have the right to go behind their backs and make my own decisions for their kids.

[garbanzo]

I understand that - however my point is that it's generally better in some highly individual cases to "bend" a rule than to insist that a rule be followed everywhere and in every situation. That's the whole point of "hidden law" - it serves as buffer between civil society and the government. By "looking the other way" in certain cases we often have a smoother society than by insisting that rules be followed to the letter always and forever. For example, it's generally considered bad form to publicly expose someone's adultery even though we consider it to be wrong.