As if the fear of big-brother needed to be underlined any further among conservative Christians, we have just that by way of New Hampshire judge ruling ordering a home-schooled girl to spend some time attending a public school due to the "rigidity" of her mother's religious beliefs. He suggested that the girl needed to broaden her horizons and consider other worldviews.
Excuse me, but it seems to me that the instruction of children when it comes to beliefs and a "worldview" is the sole prerogative of parents and has nothing whatsoever to do with government. Or at least that's the way it used to be...and that Americans expect it to be.
But here you go [2]...
The girl's mother, Brenda Voydatch, has engaged the Alliance
Defense Fund, a Christian legal group based in Scottsdale, Ariz., to
contest the ruling, in which the judge granted a request by the girl's
father, Martin Kurowski, that the girl go to a public school.
On Tuesday, the girl, Amanda Kurowski, started fifth grade at
an elementary school in Meredith, N.H., under court order. Amanda's
"vigorous defense of her religious beliefs ... suggests strongly that
she has not had the opportunity to seriously consider any other point
of view," District Court Judge Lucinda V. Sadler said.
But a "point of view" other than what? And who decides?
The mother has primary physical custody of Amanda, whom she has
home-schooled for several years in math, English, social studies,
science, handwriting, spelling and the Bible.
The course load, except for the Bible study, is similar to what public
students get and the mother's home schooling has "more than kept up
with the academic requirements of the [local] school system," the
judge's statement said. The child also takes supplemental public school
classes in art, Spanish, theater and physical education and is involved
in extracurricular sports such as gymnastics, horseback riding,
softball and basketball....
In other words, she's doing just fine, if not better than other kids on the "three R's", even by the judges admission. So what's the problem? It seems the father doesn't like the fact that's she's a Christian...and being educated and raised as one by her mother. So he's petitioned a judge make sure she's "exposed" to things her mother has exercised her parental prerogatives to keep the child away from.
The problem here is not so much that the father brought the case, but that the judge found any "reason' whatsoever to intervene. Incredible.
Her parents have been feuding for years over how she should be
educated. The father tried to get Amanda removed from the mother's
tutelage in 2006, but another judge ruled against him. However, the
court did appoint Janice McLaughlin as a guardian of the child's legal
interests. ..."[Mr. Kurowski] believes that exposure to other points of view
will decrease Amanda's rigid adherence to her mother's religious
beliefs and increase her ability to get along with others and to
function in a world which requires some element of independent thinking
and tolerance for different points of view," Judge Sadler's ruling
said.
So what led to the judge thinking this was necessary? The court "guardian" determined that the girl "appeared
to reflect the mother's rigidity on questions of faith." The guardian was also concerned that the girl seemed concerned about her father's choice to "spend eternity away from her proves that he does not love her
as much as he says he does."
Someone call 911! The girl appears to "reflect the mother's rigidity on questions of faith"! Better yet, someone call the press, as we seem to have found a mother that gets it right when trying to train up her child in the way she should go in life and faith.
What we have here is a court system that's either intolerant of, or ignorant/unfamiliar with what it means to be a Christian. The real variety, not the "I'm OK, you're OK, let's ordain homosexual ministers variety".
According to the brief filed by the child's mother, Mrs.
McLaughlin dismissed critical evidence and key witnesses in the case
because they were "connected to Christianity."
When the mother tried to give the guardian material on
home-schooling, Mrs. McLaughlin reportedly said: "I don't want to hear
it. It's all Christian-based."
And there you have it.
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