German Evangelicals Seek US Asylum

For years, American conservatives and evangelicals have been warning us about how Europe is an evil and godless place.  Now they have their proof:

(MORRISTOWN, Tenn.) Homeschooling is so important to Uwe Romeike that the classically trained pianist sold his beloved grand pianos to pay for moving his wife and five children from Germany to the Smoky Mountain foothills of Tennessee.

Romeike (roh-MY'-kee), his wife Hannelore, and their children live in a modest duplex about 40 miles northeast of Knoxville while they seek political asylum here. They say they were persecuted for their evangelical Christian beliefs and homeschooling their children in Germany, where school attendance is compulsory.

The whole event is being celebrated by American Wingnuttia.  The right-wing Web-site WorldNetDaily writes about how the Romeike family is being subjected to "Nazi-like" persecution and how in the German public schools the children were being forced to learn about sex and witchcraft:

The parents want to provide their children's education because of the propaganda included in modern German textbooks that violates the family's religious beliefs. This includes explicit lessons on sex, the promotion of the occult and witchcraft and an effort to teach children to disrespect authority figures, the family said.

"Propaganda" no doubt includes lessons on evolution which is anathema to the US Christian homeshool movement.

At issue in Germany is the "compulsory education" law - or Schulpflicht - which has a tradition that predates the NS-period: 

Deutschland hat eine völlig andere Tradition: Die allgemeine Schulpflicht - in Preußen schon im 18. Jahrhundert eingeführt - gilt für alle Kinder ab dem sechsten Lebensjahr und hat sich historisch mehr als Recht auf Bildung denn als Zwang entwickelt. Unzufriedene Eltern können allenfalls eine Privatschule gründen, brauchen dafür aber die staatliche Anerkennung. Wer seine Kinder einfach zu Hause unterrichtet, macht sich strafbar. (Germany has a completely different tradition: compulsory education -  introduced in Prussia in the 18th century - which applies to all children from the age of six and has generally been seen as a right to education rather than an imposition.  Unhappy parents can only try to start a private school, but need approval of the state to do so.  Those who simply try to teach their children at home are subject to prosecution). 

In the US it is estimated that that 1.5 million children are receiviing "Christian home schooling".  The "curriculum" does not meet even the minimum standards of public education. Children are taught that the earth is six thousand years old and that early human beings roamed the earth with the dinosaurs.  They learn that former president Bush was "chosen" by Jesus Christ to lead America - God's chosen nation - , while President Barack Obama is a representative of the Anti-Christ. The brightest of these home-schooled kids are then sent on to Patrick Henry College, where students kneel and pray before portraits of Jesus and Ronald Reagan.

In any case, it will be interesting to see how the court in Tennessee rules on granting the Romeike family politcal asylum in the US.  Germany is one of America's closest democratic allies, so granting political asylum would be unprecedented.

Comments

[hattie]

Grr. What can you do? People are such a pain!

[Axel]

Let them go. No one will shed a tear... Just two points:

First, there are lots of private schools in Germany - Waldorf schools, Montessori method schools and especially Protestand and Catholic parochial schools - that are unusually protected by the state (Article 7, Paragraph 4 of the Basic Law) BECAUSE of the notorious historical "Gleichschaltung". These are ordinary primary or secondary schools, which are run by private individuals, private organizations or religious groups and they are offering the same types of diplomas like public schools. In addition, Christian education is part of the regular public school curriculum (secular students can trouble-free opt out and choose ethics or philosophy) in all states except stupid Berlin.

(As a non-babtised "pagan" I attented a Protestant Kindergarden which was guided by a sister. No big deal and it really wasn't to my regret. At school, I switched from Protestant education to ethics because of the better grades and the cuter girls...)

Second, it was actually Martin Luther (!) who pushed the idea of PUBLIC schools, also for girls. To provide a good education was seen as a divine command. For instance, in 1524 he published his appeal "To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany that They Establish and Maintain Christian Schools". He rounded off his ideas about education when in 1530 he published his "A Sermon on Keeping Children in School" and called for a general compulsory education.

According to some economists, not the Protestant work ethic was the main reason for the higher economic prosperity of Protestant regions as Max Weber famously argued but Protestants' higher literacy. See "Was Weber Wrong? A Human Capital Theory of Protestant Economic History"
http://tinyurl.com/dmun2n
and
"Luther and the Girls: Religious Denomination and the Female Education Gap in 19th Century Prussia"
http://tinyurl.com/dmp7ht

[hattie]

Let them go. But then WE get them!

[David]

@Axel,

Very interesting about Luther.

Of course, the link between literacy and prosperity makes a great deal of sense, and may explain the persistence of poverty in certain parts of the US - places like Tennessee.

[Don S]

Rather too narrow a view of home-schooling I think, David. I knew a home-schooling couple who home-schooled most humanities but 'outsourced' the sciences and math to the local public schools. The kids seemed to be the best of both worlds, rather more advanced in the humanities than the common norm, but also reasonably up to speed in the sciences and math.

We used to go to museums and 'living history' events together - with their kids. It was a lot of fun for the adults and I think for the kids.

I don't doubt that much of the home-school movement is as you write - but let's not glamorize the public schools either. The best education seems to be a mix of public schooling and enrichment offered by other groups or the family. The optimum will depend on how good the local publics are and the range of their offerings, plus other resources available.

[Bushama Hussein]

Ship them over by the boatload.

America will set them free from sex and witchcraft!