Tag Archives: Country: Germany

The Power of Symbols and Symbols as Power: Secularism and Religion as Guarantors of Cultural Convergence
Susanna Mancini, 30 Cardozo L. Rev. 2629 (2009)

“In the following pages, I will analyze cases decided and laws adopted in various jurisdictions with sharply different models for managing the relationship between the state and religion: Italy, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. I will also consider the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which is invested with the task of striking a balance between unity and diversity in 47 nations with deeply divergent constitutional traditions. Despite the differences among all of these systems, all cases rely more or less explicitly on a dichotomous construction of the relationship between Christianity and Islam, according to which the former–to be sure in a secularized form–is projected as a central component of Western civilization, while the latter is cast as a threatening ‘other.’”

LifeSiteNews: “Human rights advocates are calling the case of a German homeschooling family ‘a critical human rights battle.’ On September 22nd, the Schmidt family of southern Bavaria in Germany will face a hearing in which government officials will decide if they may keep custody of one of their sons.”

The Local (AFP): “The Federal Constitutional Court decided in favour of a woman in the southern city of Schweinfurt who wanted to adopt the now three-year-old child of her female partner, with the consent of the father and social services. The lower court had argued that such a move would be unconstitutional because it placed the rights of the partner of a parent above those of a biological parent. The constitutional court rejected this argument on Tuesday, saying that life partners who assume the role of a parent to a child have the right to formalise that role.”

One News Now: “The founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association says home schooling in Sweden will soon be banned altogether, with a few minor exceptions.”

Brussels Journal: “The Federal Republic of Germany is a democracy. It is no fun, however, to be a Baptist in Germany. For the past two decades, the German authorities have been clamping down on Baptists who want to raise their children in accordance with their own religious principles. In Germany, the state rather than the parents is considered to be primarily responsible for the well-being of children. Hence, the draconic measures taken against Baptists. When, however, it comes to meeting the demands of Muslim the German state is far more lenient.”

The Local: “Sources within the state government, led by the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), told the paper that the state government had withdrawn their case, thus bringing the country a step closer to recognising gay marriage.”

Deutsche Welle reports: “Conservative politicians across Germany have lashed out at Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries’ repeated demand that laws be changed to give homosexual couples the right to adopt children.”

“Another legal battle is brewing in Germany as yet another German family faces ruinous fines and the loss of custody of their son, because they have committed the crime of homeschooling.”

Deutsche Welle reports:”Klaus Jetz, head of the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD), told Deutsche Welle that the political focus of this year’s Christopher Street Day parades, which will begin this weekend in Berlin, will be on amending Article 3 of the German constitution.”

Religion Clause Blog: “Spiegel Online today reports on efforts by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany to obtain legal recognition in various German states as a ‘public law corporation.’”

Yahoo News (AP): “Conservatives scored victories in some of Europe’s largest economies Sunday as voters punished left-leaning parties in European parliament elections in France, Germany and other nations.”

Law and History Review: “When women contracted German measles in early pregnancy, they were ‘entitled’ to therapeutic abortion, according to one 1959 magazine. Williams Obstetrics, the standard medical textbook, advised doctors that therapeutic abortion was “justifiable” in such cases if the pregnant woman and her husband decided upon it.”

The Christian Institute: “ADF lawyer Roger Kiska said: ‘It’s pretty clear that states are not allowed to indoctrinate their children, and that parents have the ultimate right in raising their child according to their own religious and philosophical convictions.’”

“‘Parents, not the government, are the ones ultimately responsible for making educational choices for their children,’ Kiska said. ‘These parents were well within their rights under the European Convention of Human Rights to opt to teach their children a view of sexuality that is in accord with their own religious beliefs . . .

The two parents were convicted under German law when they chose to educate their child at home on the subject of sexuality rather than allow her to participate in a four-day “sexual education” course . . . in conflict with the family’s Christian faith.

ADF attorney Roger Kiska appeared on Reality Check Radio with Mike and Claire Monokian to discuss a pending case and the status of homeschooling in Germany.

The mp3 runs just over 11 minutes.

Christian Today: “‘They did a lot of research on the governing law in Europe as well as international law coming from the United Nations documents, and they determined that since this was so contrary to their faith and that it would do damage to their ability as parents to raise their children according to that faith, that they would teach their child at home on this issue and only this issue.’”

OneNewsNow: “‘The family, the Elscheidt family, believe that this was contrary to their faith,’ says Kiska. ‘They did a lot of research on the governing law in Europe as well as international law coming from the United Nations documents, and they determined that since this was so contrary to their faith and that it would do damage to their ability as parents to raise their children according to that faith, that they would teach their child at home on this issue and only this issue.’”

One News Now: Roger Kiska, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund’s European office, explains the Elscheidt’s situation. “The family, the Elscheidt family, believe that this was contrary to their faith,” says Kiska. “They did a lot of research on the governing law in Europe as well as international law coming from the United Nations documents, and they determined that since this was so contrary to their faith and that it would do damage to their ability as parents to raise their children according to that faith, that they would teach their child at home on this issue and only this issue.”

GayPolitics.com: “Guido Westerwelle, who is openly gay, is well-positioned to become Germany’s next foreign minister, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.”

Christian Telegraph:
“Preparations for a conference on psychotherapy set for May in Marburg, Germany are being disrupted by an ‘action alliance of queer, feminist, and anti-fascist and anti-sexist’ groups that want two Christian therapists removed from the roster of speakers, reports Hilary White, LifeSiteNews.com. In response, a group of at least 600 prominent German professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds has issued a public statement and petition to protest the ‘totalitarian aspirations of the gay and lesbian associations.’ . . .”

AFP: “In a vote that caused lively and sometimes heated debate, 51.3 percent of those that voted were against allowing children in secondary schools the choice of taking religion instead of ethics, final results showed.”

AP: “The German parliament approved legislation Friday limiting the use of genetic testing in an effort to prevent the technology’s abuse.”

WorldNetDaily: “‘Parents, not the government, are the ones ultimately responsible for making educational choices for their children,’ Kiska said. ‘These parents were well within their rights under the European Convention of Human Rights to opt to teach their children a view of sexuality that is in accordance with their own religious beliefs instead of sending them to a class and stageplay they found objectionable. ‘These types of cases are crucial battles in the effort to keep bad decisions overseas from being relied upon by activists who attack parental rights in America,’ he said.”

Associated Press: “Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet approved a new law Wednesday to require the vast majority of the country’s Internet service providers to block child pornography sites.”

“Parents, not the government, are the ones ultimately responsible for making educational choices for their children,” said ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska.

The two parents were convicted under German law when they chose to educate their child at home on the subject of sexuality rather than allow her to participate in a four-day “sexual education” course and related stage production at her school, both of which taught views of sexuality in conflict with the family’s Christian faith.

Euro News: “Five of Germany’s internet providers have agreed to block access to pages containing child pornography within six months.”

BBC: “Police in Germany have said they have broken up a child pornography network suspected of involving around 9,000 people in more than 90 countries.”

HSLDA: “The Georgia House of Representatives recently adopted House Resolution 850, which calls on the Federal Republic of Germany to “recognize the basic, fundamental rights of parents and allow their citizens to determine the educational upbringing of their own children.”

Aaron J. Leichman reports in the Christian Post: “HSLDA, with support from the Alliance Defense Fund, has hired immigration attorney Will Humble of Houston to handle the Romeikes’ case. According to ADF, Germany is the only European country that has outright criminal bans on homeschooling.”

“. . . [Uwe Romeike] He had to pay fines equivalent to hundreds of dollars for his decision, and he’s afraid that if he returns to Germany, police will arrest him and government authorities will take away his children, who range in age from 11 to 3.”

Christian Post: “More than 100 Iraqi Christians arrived in Germany on Thursday to begin a new life away from the violence and persecution they endured back in their homeland . . . By year’s end, hundreds of more Iraqi refugees are expected to be flown to Hannover, Germany, as part of an asylum program coordinated by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugee and the German government.”

Tom Heneghan writing at Reuters’ FaithWorld Blog: “The campaign there, which has its own website called www.buskampagne.de, reports that the transit authorities in Berlin, Cologne and Munich have turned down their requests to run the ads.”

The Religion Clause Blog: “In der Scientology Kirche Berlin v. das Land Berlin, (Berlin Administrative Court, Feb. 27, 2009) (full text in German), the Berlin Administrative Court ordered removal of an anti-Scientology kiosk that had been placed in front of …

LifeNews: “Another study has confirmed the link between abortion and subsequent premature births when a woman is pregnant again.”

20090203 – A Liberal Plot against the Pope? Several Italian religious journalists (including Rodari, for Il Riformista, Tornielli, for Il Giornale) are reporting today on a dossier circulating within the Vatican which could reveal that a plot was planned for …

WorldNetDaily reports: “A German appeals court tossed out three-month jail terms issued to a mother and father who homeschool their children, but the ruling also ordered new trials that could leave the parents with similar penalties, according to the Home …

AP reports: “The head of Europe‘s biggest economy said Thursday that world leaders should be looking at the massive U.S. deficit and other economic imbalances, not just problems caused by financial markets, as they debate a new global order . …

Entangling intellectual explorations of Islam with governmental attempts to sanction one viewpoint over another for children’s religious education is more likely to stifle than encourage the much needed open, free public space for explorations of the meaning of Islam.

The Times of India: British men and women are the world’s most promiscuous people, leaving their American cousins far behind, according to a study. Germans come next with the Dutch, Czechs, Australians, Americans and French ranking third, fourth, fifth, sixth …

The AP: “Germany is dropping its pursuit of a ban on Scientology after finding insufficient evidence of illegal activity, security officials said Friday. Domestic intelligence services will continue to monitor the group, officials said.”

LifeSiteNews.com reports: A Family Court judge in Germany has ruled that the children of a homeschooling family should be returned to the parental home on the condition that their school-aged children be enrolled in a state-approved school and the three-year-old …

HSLDA reports: Despite protests from the Youth Welfare Authority (the “Jugendamt”), a Germany Family Court judge on November 12 verbally restored to Johannes and Cornelia Gorber full custody of their children, who had been removed from the family home in …

A homeschooling family who recently fled Germany has filed for political asylum in the United States. “The persecution of homeschoolers in Germany has dramatically intensified,” said HSLDA staff attorney Michael P. Donnelly . . .

HSLDA reports: The Berlin Wall may have been come down in 1989, but the chill on liberty that existed for decades in Soviet-influenced East Germany seems to have penetrated further into, rather than receded from, the reunified capital of the …

In their latest GayGermany campaign, the German National Tourist Office (GNTO) has unveiled a new approach to lesbian and gay travel promotion.

Germany’s top diplomat in San Francisco has been actively campaigning against a measure to protect marriage that California citizens will be voting on next Tuesday . . .

LifeSiteNews.com reports: By way of the ads, the sponsors of the campaign intended to generate a lively public debate on the country’s disastrously low birth rate, “with the ultimate objective of restoring the idea of having children as a cherished …

The AP carries this headline: Far-right European groups to protest German mosque.  The report indicates that “far right” groups are planning to protest the mosque which features two 177-foot-tall minarets.  ”Last week, the Iranian Foreign Ministry urged France as the current …

After examining the development of the law in our two countries, I can say with certainty that we share one basic conviction: People who enter into a long-term domestic arrangement as a gay or lesbian couple and take on mutual social and financial responsibility may not be treated under the law as if they were complete strangers.

The CSU, moreover, established itself as the embodiment of a regional patriotism—stronger south than north of the Danube—that fuses Bavaria’s thousand-year history with (mainly Catholic) Christianity

And at the same time that the German government is persecuting home-schoolers in Germany, including Americans who want to homeschool there, Berlin is encouraging its diplomats abroad, including its diplomats in Washington, to home school their children with a state homeschooling curriculum.

HSLDA reports: A homeschooling family in Southern Germany spent six hours in a grueling German Family Court session this week with the hopes of regaining custody of their six homeschooled children, who have been held in state custody since January. …

HSLDA reports: “On July 17, the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament (an advisory body to the European Commission comprised of 728 popularly elected members) heard the first complaint ever against Germany regarding its treatment of homeschoolers.”

The Alliance Defense Fund has been actively involved in several recent international legal situations to protect families worldwide and protect America from the effects of poor international legal decisions.

. . . there is an “obviously large-scale initiative” on the part of Islamic organizations to show their presence in as high-profile a way as possible and in as many places as possible . . .

The NY Times reports: When Roger Kusch helped Bettina Schardt kill herself at home on Saturday, the grim, carefully choreographed ritual was like that in many cases of assisted suicide, with one exception. Ms. Schardt, 79, a retired X-ray technician …

WorldNetDaily reports: “Members of a German homeschooling family who fled to Austria, where the activity remains legal, have moved again – this time to Canada – to escape continuing government actions that now are the subject of a protest lodged …

WorldNetDaily reports: “A mother and father who have been homeschooling their children each have been ordered by a German judge to serve three-month prison terms after a prosecutor said he was unhappy with fines the family paid and he wanted …

Reuters reports: “Germany could elect its first openly gay Lutheran bishop next month, a move conservatives say would alienate many Christians and open divisions in the Church.”

Both political officials and medical leaders in Germany are outraged over a recent vote in the British Parliament to legalize human cloning involving hybrids.

Religion Clause blog links to this report (an English summary) from the German Interior ministry that considers the threat that a Muslim population poses.

Clint Robinson, his wife Susan and their three children have been granted permission to legally remain in Germany through to the end of this year, and to continue to homeschool.

“Yesterday’s Deutsche Welle reports that educators in Germany are hotly debating a March 10 decision by a Berlin administrative court which held that Diesterweg Upper School must provide a 14-year-old Muslim student with a place for his daily prayers.”

. . . about six thousand Christian churches in Germany are financially unable to maintain their church buildings, Christian Telegraph reports.

The parents of Melissa Busekros, the German teen who was taken by police from her home and placed in a psychiatric ward because she was homeschooled, now are being billed by the government for the cost of her forced stay, according to attorneys who are working on her case . . .

As European authorities grope for ways of combating the appeal of militant Islamism, one German security agency has hit on a novel idea: cartoon comics.

But Volker Beck, Parliamentary whip of the Greens in the Bundestag and a practicing homosexual, took offense. He regards “therapy” for homosexuals as “dangerous charlatanism” . . .

Schools in Germany should offer Islam – along with Christianity and Judaism – as a required religion class in the future, the interior minister said Thursday, but he insisted that the courses be taught in German.

Dietmar Hipp reports on Spiegel Online: Must consensual sex between close relatives be punished? Germany’s highest court is about to rule whether incest will continue to result in a jail term. It is referring to the case of a brother …

“Infringement proceedings begun against Germany over Berlin’s failure to bring provisions on equal treatment of gay and lesbian partnerships in line with EU directives on the issue are going down badly with Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats.”

Charlie Francis-Pape and Allan Hall report from the Guardian: Families are fleeing to the UK from Germany to escape a law introduced by Hitler that could lead to their children being taken into care if educated at home. One father, …

“. . . homeschooling is the ultimate repudiation of every grandiose scheme to pull children away from their families and train them in the values of social democracy.”

Homeschoolers in Germany suffered another loss today. Germany bans homeschooling, a ban possibly dating back to the Third Reich. See Home School Legal Defense Association E-lert Service, Sep. 22. Germany enforces the ban vigorously, prosecuting persistent homeschoolers with jail and …