Do parents have a fundamental right to direct their childrens education? For one Christian family, answering yes came with a cost: Leaving their homeland, livelihood and extended family in search of religious freedom in the United States. The Romeike family fled Germany under the threat of fines, criminal prosecution and even losing custody of their children. Their crime? Homeschooling them—a decision made after they examined the government-mandated public school curriculum that clashed with their Christian values. Homeschooling is illegal in Germany, so the Romeikes knew they were taking a risk by teaching their children at home. However, authorities had not aggressively persecuted homeschool families in their part of the country—something that changed in the Romeikes case. To the familys surprise, police came to their home to physically transport their children to public school, as authorities levied fines against them exceeding $11,000. So, the Romeikes crossed the ocean to what they hoped would be political asylum and religious freedom, only to find the Obama administration vigorously challenging an immigration court ruling that allowed the family to stay in the U.S. Their case is now headed to the U.S. Supreme Court, with the U.S. Justice Department arguing to send them back to Germany—where they would face the renewed threat of religious persecution.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 02:22:20 +0000
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