And so the natural right of parents to direct and oversee the education of their children in a fashion consistent with their religious and moral beliefs has been abrogated by the European Union.

A German family filed a complaint alleging that their freedoms were violated by a German law requiring attendance in public or state-sanctioned private schools. The family's religious beliefs are opposed to some topics addressed in state-sponsored education, including sex education and mythological fairy tales.

Instead, the parents attempted to educate their children at home using a Christian syllabus developed by the "Philadelphia school," a Siegen, Germany, institution that is not recognized by the German government as a legitimate private school.

But the ECHR ruled that the objectives of a state-sanctioned education "cannot be equally met by home education" and that the law didn't violate the family's religious freedoms.

The court wrote that it was in the "general interest of society to avoid the emergence of parallel societies based on separate philosophical convictions and the importance of integrating minorities into society."

It ruled that the parents were allowed to educate their children from a religious perspective "after school and at weekends. Therefore, the parent's right to education in conformity with their religious convictions is not restricted in a disproportionate manner."

Oh, and about the law that was upheld – it isn’t a new one. It was one of the progressive educational reforms by an earlier Socialist government – the National Socialist regime of Adolf Hitler. So even today, it is Hitler who controls what and when German parents can teach their children.

Posted by: Greg at 10:05 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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