Tolerance in the West

CT is noting that Germany has outlawed homeschooling. The HSLDA has more info.

Machen in Christianity and Liberalism had an excursus on state schools which was surprisingly harsh, given that it was written 80 years ago. He made this interesting point:

A public-school system, if it means the providing of free education for those who desire it, is a noteworthy and beneficent achievement of modern times; but when once it becomes monopolistic it is the most perfect instrument of tyranny which has yet been devised. Freedom of thought in the middle ages was combated by the Inquisition, but the modern method is far more effective. Place the lives of children in their formative years, despite the convictions of their parents, under the intimate control of experts appointed by the state, force them then to attend schools where the higher aspirations of humanity are crushed out, and where the mind is filled with the materialism of the day, and it is difficult to see how even the remnants of liberty can subsist. Such a tyranny, supported as it is by a perverse technique used as the instrument in destroying human souls, is certainly far more dangerous than the crude tyrannies of the past, which despite their weapons of fire and sword permitted thought at least to be free.

This seems almost shrill and vitriolic at first, but he has a point. If there is only one place to go to be educated, and everyone must go there, and one central authority controls that education, and no one can challenge that, the possibilities are a little unnerving. One source is now shaping the thought of the entire populace. What if, for example, that one central authority starts to have ambitions of lebensraum once again?

September 21, 2004 09:12 AM
3 Comments

It looks like more of the German People are longing for those days again. Via Drudge Report: http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2004/09/20/1095651251593.html?oneclick=true

Pondered by bhuffine at September 21, 2004 09:38 AM

The Chief Rabbi of Munich recently visited our synagogue and spoke about life as a religious Jew in modern day Germany. The educational system in Germany is very different than in the US, particularly as relates to religion. In Germany, specific religions are recognized as official, and as such, if you practice that religion, you must receieve instruction in that religion as part of your public school education. So the Jewish kids take classes on Jewish education while the Christian kids attend classes on Christian education. Religions which are not officially recognized, like Islam, get nothing (I dont know what these kids do during religion hour).

The point is, while the lack of home schooling is probably not good, the educational system over there is a bit different than over here, and does provide a bit of personalization that would likely come with home schooling.

Pondered by Greg at September 21, 2004 10:34 AM

Since America isn't yet a nation of philosophically identical fools, one might conclude that the apathy of the common student serves a mighty purpose in avoiding being brainwashed by the system.

Pondered by argyle at September 26, 2004 11:19 PM