Nazi-era laws make it illegal to homeschool in Germany

Here’s a story that should cause some pause for some of you. Imagine the police swarming your house and dragging off your teenager for a psych evaluation and ultimately placing her in a foster home. Why? She’s being homeschooled.

Homeschooling is illegal in Germany. A Nazi-era prohibition, the ban grew out of Hitler's worry that too much parental control would supersede the state's influence. [Hmm...] According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), Germany has about 400 homeschooling families. Most teach clandestinely or are in court. Parents who homeschool face fines, imprisonment, and loss of custody of their children.

[HT: WMB]

Just to follow up...

I thought this post was a good follow up to Fred’s sermon this Sunday. Here’s a quote:

…It’s hard to know how to respond to stories of Christian persecution abroad. Of course it is easier to be a Christian in the United States. Ordinarily that would be a good thing; in important ways, our system works. Religious freedom is guaranteed and, in most cases, is protected. That is the way it should be, but the flip side of our religious freedom, of course, is that American Christians, by and large, do not experience the persecution for their faith that is the constant companion of our brothers and sisters elsewhere, along with the powerful spiritual growth that no doubt follows as a result.

…I suspect if we Christians really lived out our faith we would be just as unpopular in the United States as anywhere else.

Read the article and tell me what you think.

Are American Christians Persecuted?

How do you define persecution? Does America fit the bill? If you’ve got an opinion, get in on the coversation.