Political persecution is an awful thing, a sign of a corrupt government that can't stand on its own two feet, and has to kill or torture its critics rather than foster democracy. That's why the United States, and all civilized democracies, have a long and honorable tradition of granting asylum to victims of persecution.
It seems that in Tennessee, teaching science also qualifies, along side torture and murder, and the German Government is guilty of this awful crime!
A German family was granted political asylum in the United States, justified because of political "persecution" by the German government. This persecution consisted of nothing more than the government teaching science and history, things that every child should know.
It's a double insult: the asylum process, which was designed to foster open democracies, dialog and to spread knowledge, is now being used to prevent children from learning. How sad.
This is a recurring theme in conservative religions. People who believe in impossible things, like creationism, have to shun honest dialog and real knowledge, because with real knowledge, their beliefs don't hold up. Again and again, I find myself writing on this topic, but it seems to be a never-ending story. In Saudi Arabia, a university is censored. In Texas (and many other states), Christians try to suppress real science. And fundamentalists actively claim that rational thinking is misguided.
This German family has fallen victim to one of religions oldest memes, which teaches its victims to shun learning. It's ironic, that religions are, in a sense, doing the same thing as corrupt governments: They stifle dissent, and block real learning.
The Tennessee judge who granted asylum to these Germans is almost certainly a fundamentalist Christian, and has mixed his religion with the law. I hope his decision is appealed and overturned. It sets a dangerous precedent for American science, and trivializes the whole idea of political asylum, which should be reserved for real political dissidents who are in genuine danger.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
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Dear readers -- I am no longer blogging and after leaving these blogs open for two years have finally stopped accepting comments due to spammers. Thanks for your interest. If you'd like to write to me, click on the "Contact" link at the top. Thanks! -- CJ.
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I agree with you!
ReplyDeleteHappened upon your blog today... I am a 17 year old homeschooler. My 7 siblings and I have been homeschooled all our lives. Honestly, I don't know how to say this, but I find your post/argument very weak and one sided. I have a friend who has friends in Germany that homeschool their children... one day the parents were (without warning) placed in jail, with their children seized and placed somewhere. (I can't remember, but I think it was a orphanage-home-thing at first, until friends were able to acquire temporary guardianship.)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the thing I find one sided is this... you assume the basis of the judge's ruling, and even the basis behind the family's homeschooling is merely because of Christian influence. You insinuate that these children should know what their govt. wants them to learn, in the way they want them to learn it, and nothing else/different.
Even if these first two are true, does that weigh heavily enough on your moral scale of judgement for govts. that you scorn them so heavily, not inquiring into the German govt's. motives and/or the moral (or immoral) basis behind their action in the matter?
Let me see... what political formula does this (these children should know what their govt. wants them to learn, in the way they want them to learn it, and nothing else/different.)follow... communism? (No, I'm not calling you a communist, because I doubt you are, but maybe you should re-analyze your thinking?)
If I wanted to learn the way the US would have me educated by now... I would not have accomplished nearly as much as I have in my schooling. I am a junior... I have written plays, acted in them, taken art lessons, I play 3 instruments, played 3 different sports (Without being particularly good at any, save one.), entered into county fairs, written 2 books, this year I finished my math course-work in March, I substitute high-school text books with college ones. (Written from an evolutionary point of view, usually.) I am headed to law school after my senior year. My mother taught us English, my dad taught us science and math. (And we've given them a lot of grief, believe me. They're the bravest people I know.) I have an active social life, I love helping old people, which is something I have noticed a lack of in the general public-school crowd... tell me, which would you rather have; "enlightenment" by evolutionary means, and the current youth attitude, or "religionism", and my attitude...
Another question, do you know any Christian homeschoolers? Or even devout/not contradictory Christians? While governments and social formulas can be analyzed from a distance, what do these *people* you chastise think? If you had/have children, and the time, and wouldn't sacrifice anything either way, which would you choose... public school? Or homeschool?
This would mean that you spend as much time or more with your children than they do with their friends. You invest in them. You help them on their journey in life. And while I'm not saying non-homeschool parents don't do this, I'm eternally grateful for the sacrifices my parents have made for me, not for them.
P.S. my married siblings are home-schooling their children... all 14 of them. :)