Canada to Homeschoolers: Can't teach homosexuality is a sin

Lifesitenews: Under Alberta’s new Education Act, homeschoolers and faith-based schools will not be permitted to teach that homosexual acts are sinful as part of their academic program, says the spokesperson for Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk.

“Whatever the nature of schooling – homeschool, private school, Catholic school – we do not tolerate disrespect for differences,” Donna McColl, Lukaszuk’s assistant director of communications, told LifeSiteNews on Wednesday evening.

“You can affirm the family’s ideology in your family life, you just can’t do it as part of your educational study and instruction,” she added.

Paul Faris of the Home School Legal Defence Association said the Ministry of Education is “clearly signaling that they are in fact planning to violate the private conversations families have in their own homes.”

“A government that seeks that sort of control over our personal lives should be feared and opposed,” he added.

According to McColl, Christian homeschooling families can continue to impart Biblical teachings on homosexuality in their homes, “as long as it’s not part of their academic program of studies and instructional materials.”

“What they want to do about their ideology elsewhere, that’s their family business. But a fundamental nature of our society is to respect diversity,” she added.

she justified the government’s position by pointing to Friday’s Supreme Court ruling upholding the Quebec government’s refusal to exempt families from its controversial ethics and religious culture program. That program, which aims to present the spectrum of world religions and lifestyle choices from a “neutral” stance, is required of all students, including homeschoolers.

“Just last Friday, the Supreme Court of Canada released a unanimous decision on – now it’s S.L. v. the Commission scolare des Chênes 2012 – and that’s the same, section 16 has to apply to everyone, including home education families,” she said.

Full story: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/exclusive-homeschooling-families-cant-teach-homosexuality-a-sin-in-class-sa

German home school refugees granted asylum in Tennessee

Originally post at DeskofBrian.com: http://sites.google.com/site/thedeskofbrian/state-of-the-nation/germanhomeschoolrefugeesgrantedasylumintennessee

Recently I discovered homeschooling was illegal in Germany and violators could face fines and/or jail time. As I continue to research the attack on home schooling families, the NY Times (and others) reported on the Romeike family who were granted asylum in Morristown Tennessee.

Uwe and Hannelore Romeike, desired homeschooling their five children, which is illegal in Germany, their native land.

My previous "State of the Nation" on Homeschooling Illegal in Germany

The Romeikes are Christians and Uwe, a piano teacher, discusses in the article how the unruly behavior in schools (public and private) were a distraction for his children.

“I don’t expect the school to teach about the Bible,” he said, but “part of education should be character-building.”

The article confirms my research as Germany (and others) characterize homeschoolers as “fundamentalist religious nuts who don’t want their children to get to know what is going on in the world, who want to protect them from everything.”

Absurd.

Even worse, as I mentioned, the family would face severe penalties in Germany for homeschooling:

"But they soon discovered differently, he said, facing fines eventually totaling over $11,000, threats that they would lose custody of their children and, one morning, a visit by the police, who took the children to school in a police van. Those were among the fines and potential penalties that Judge Burman said rose to the level of persecution."

“We’re all surprised because we consider the German educational system as very excellent,” said Lutz Hermann Görgens, the German consul general in Atlanta. He defended Germany’s policy on the grounds of fostering the ability “to peacefully interact with different values and different religions.”

The German education rates very high, but one of the goals, that you as a parent and a student must submit ti, is social conformity and as German courts describe it: social integration.

Fortunately America remains a safe haven for freedom. This battle to protect homeschoolers rages on, both in Europe and here in the states and we'll further explore those details.

In the meantime, the Romeikes can raise and teach their children as they see fit, not under the iron fisted mandates from the state.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/us/01homeschool.html

Having Some Fun: Timothy Hawkins

A co-worker, Dave has sent me some great videos, most notoriously the "Government Can" parody by comedien Timothy Hawkins. Here's the latest dealing with the misconceptions of home schooling.