Interesting article: "USA Trying to Deport Christian Homeschooling Family Knowing They Face Persecution."

[Mei]

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Dave Jolly Filed Under Bureaucrats, Christianity, Education, Family, Immigration, Politics, Religion, World News

USA Trying to Deport Christian Homeschooling Family Knowing They Face Persecution.

"Uwe and Hannelore Romeike are Christians and the parents of six children. When their kids attended the German public schools, they were bullied and harassed because of being Christians. The parents began looking into the schools and what their kids were being taught. They found a number of objectionable and inappropriate things in the textbooks that they didn’t want their kids learning.

They strongly believed that their children would receive a better education grounded in biblical principles by being schooled at home rather than having their children indoctrinated by the German schools. Uwe said:

'We knew that homeschooling would not be an easy journey.'

However, the German government had made homeschooling illegal and actively pursued Christian families who tried to homeschool their children. In 2008, the Romeike family was ripped apart when government officials stepped in and forcibly removed the kids from the home. The parents were fined thousands of euros.

Their only hope was to seek political asylum in a country that allowed Christians to homeschool, so they applied to the US for asylum. A US immigration judge ruled in 2010 that the family did face persecution from the German government and granted the Romeike family political asylum. The family moved and settled in Tennessee.

Remember at last month when President Obama issued his Religious Freedom Day proclamation? He said:

'Today, we also remember that religious liberty is not just an American right; it is a universal human right to be protected here at home and across the globe. This freedom is an essential part of human dignity, and without it our world cannot know lasting peace.'

'As we observe Religious Freedom Day, let us remember the legacy of faith and independence we have inherited, and let us honor it by forever upholding our right to exercise our beliefs free from prejudice or persecution…'

Here’s how he lives up to his statement.

US Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Homeland Security are fighting the political asylum status. Holder claims that the family’s fundamental rights have not been violated by Germany’s law forbidding families from homeschooling. They have asked the courts to withdraw the family’s political asylum and have them deported back to Germany."

Read more here:

http://politicaloutcast.com/2013/02/usa-trying-to-deport-christian-homeschooling-family-knowing-they-face-persecution/

[trottigy]

I sure hope - if the family has to goes back - they will stop breaking that countries laws.

I am sure there are PLENTY of JWs in Germany that are not homeschooling their children. The 2013 yearbook is showing 164,871 publishers in Germany out of a population of 82,302,000 or 1 out of every 499 people.

Perhaps they can send them to a good public school and make sure of their training at home.

[Bluebell]

In Germany unfortunately all kids have to go to school.....this is the law.

But there is a great choice where you can send your children

after the junior school. You start school at 6 years old and change first at 10 years old.

The family mentioned in the report are not JW's !

[trottigy]

In Germany unfortunately all kids have to go to school.....this is the law.

But there is a great choice where you can send your children

after the junior school. You start school at 6 years old and change first at 10 years old.

The family mentioned in the report are not JW's !

It did seem odd to me that Jehovah's people would break the law in this way. There isn't any Bible principle that says - you can't send your child to public school.

I have a good friend of mine who recently moved her to Las Vegas and there are some good schools and bad schools here. He spent 6 months living in a temporary place spying out the schools. He wanted to find a good one for his children. Then he learned how the zoning works - if you live in this area you go to this school, etc. He then moved into the area where a good school was and saw to it that his children go there.

I don't understand why these individuals can't do the same. They move all the way to another country, but can't move to a different city or part of a city in their own country?? Seems like a piece of the story is missing.

[Mei]

What is interesting about this article is that, while the family in the story is not JWs, it clearly appears govts of various countries are removing basic civil rights of citizens. Like Germany, the U.S. has a similar request (in a very recent article here: http://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2013/02/eric-holder-banning-homeschooling-doesnt-violate-fundamental-rights/ ) in efforts to also ban home schooling. Not all families, including JWs, can merely pick up and leave their homes to find a better public school more agreeable to their teachings – though I would agree that would be best.

I know several of our JWs families who have chosen to home school their children based on concerns included in the public school curriculum and what is being taught such as, 1) Evolution (and the refusal of many teachers to teach creationism), 2) more in-depth discussion on “sexual education” allowing: i) the distribution of condoms, ii) abortion without parents’ knowledge, ii) teachings of tolerating homosexuality, etc., 3) the influence to ban religious freedoms, etc. While we are responsible for teaching our children Jehovah’s acceptable ways, sometimes it becomes a major struggle for some JW families with such public school teaching interventions. There are things JWs want to teach and there are things they want to avoid their children being taught in the public schools. While JWs are advised not to break the law, some of our JWs families (here in the U.S.) will be completely devastated if the ban on home school does eventually become a federal law.

Very basic citizens’ rights seem to be diminishing by the day.

While the Germany Federal Administrative Court upheld Jehovah’s Witnesses’ full exercise of faith in 2006, Germany continues to set boundaries on religious practices and institutions as “Jehovah’s Witnesses” (and other religions) “continue to face governmental and societal discrimination.” http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/religious-freedom-in-germany

Religion has become a global issue. According to the U.N., religions have become a source of conflict. It will be interesting to see if the G20 will soon be discussing any suggested limits on religious rights and how those might possibly affect the JWs nationwide.

Jehovah’s blessings to all ~

[Myree]

Yeah, I didn't quite know what to make of it.

Bullied and harassed at school because they were Christians?? Sounds a bit dodgy to me.

Our kids are exposed to questionable things at school too, but hopefully the training they receive at home will counteract that.

Obey the law.

[Bluebell]

From my experience, even it's long time ago, Schools in Germany are quite liberal.

You are not forced to participate in activities which compromise your faith.

This seems to be the same today, because my grandchildren have no problems either.

We are accepted as a religion in Germany especially in schools. There is only no homeschooling.

And the children are going only half a day to school. Mostly they are finish 12pm

We had our grandson for one year in UK and he was two years in advanced for the British schooling for his age group,

Even with only 4 hours daily German schooling