Posted on 11/14/2009 5:06:22 AM PST by Halfmanhalfamazing
The landmark judgment could force a Europe-wide review of the use of religious symbols in state-run schools.
A panel of seven judges in Strasbourg said the display of Christian crosses, which is common but not mandatory in Italian schools, violated the principle of secular education and might be "disturbing" for children from other faiths.
It upheld a complaint filed by Soile Lautsi, a Finnish woman with Italian citizenship, who complained that her children had to attend a state school in northern Italy which had crucifixes in every classroom.
The court awarded her 5,000 euros (£4,470) in "moral damages", which will have to be paid by the Italian government.
It stopped short of ordering authorities to remove crucifixes from all state-run schools and the long-term implications of the ruling were unclear.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
No doubt the EU should reconsider the sanity of their judges in taking up such a ridiculous case.
Happy now, Ireland?
And so EUROPE is telling local schools in ITALY what to do.
One World Gub’mint. Coming soon to YOUR neighborhood.
Grrrrr. Beam me up, Lord. :(
According to the article, the uproar this decision caused was pretty extensive. The removal of crucifixes from the Italian schools is ridiculous. I am not a Roman Catholic, and as a fundamentalist Protestant, I object theologically to the concept of the crucifix, however, I realize that this image is integral to the RC faith. Since Italy is a Roman Catholic country, I would expect expressions of that faith to be everywhere. I am not sure why some lady from Finland would find it so objectionable. It is just another example of immigrants to countries who do not adopt that country’s culture, but rebel against it and run to the courts to complain. It is shameful, indeed.
But on the other hand, we have State Sovereignty in our Constitution, yet we still cannot put up a nativity scene without out a complaint from the agnostics. (I think there should be a complaint if it is NOT present ... same law, same rights). Under the false guise of separation of Church and State. So even if you have such a jewel in your Constitution, it only has value if you (1) understand the value and (2) are willing to protect it.
Last week I asked a person if they knew what the 10th amendment was ... their answer was not only shocking, it was a sign of the times ... "Its part of the Lord's Prayer, isn't it?" (And this person was allowed to vote in the last election! ... and got it wrong ... any wonder?).
No education is ever religiously neutral. This is axiomatic.
The Italian schools have only two choices:
1) It can remove the crucifixes. This is not religiously neutral. It teaches the children that they must compartmentalize their faith. The public face of their faith must be hidden. It teaches them that their religion is somehow shameful and must be hidden away as if it were a bathroom activity.
2) It can have the crucifixes. This subjects children who may not be Christian to the daily lesson that the government smiles more favorably on some religions than others.
Government schools, freedom of religion, and freedom of conscience CAN NOT COEXIST! It is impossible.
Solution: Begin the process of privatizing all K-12 schooling. ( At least in the U.S.)
But...Government schools present a special problem, even if government school districts were the size of a suburban subdivision and had no federal, state, or even county or town control.
The special problem of government schools is that **all** government schools are are fundamental abomination when it comes to basic human rights and First Amendment freedoms. ( Even if totally controlled locally and even if districts were the size of a suburban housing development.)
Why?
The following is true ( even if districts were the size of a city block.)
1) NO school can be religiously neutral. Therefore...The voting mob gets to impose their religious worldview on their neighbor's child, and can force their neighbor to pay for it.
2) ALL government schools are socialist! Just by attending the school, day after day, the child learns to be comfortable with taking money from their neighbor to pay for something their parents want for free. If the child is comfortable with their neighbor paying for their schooling, it is a short step to being comfortable with food, clothing, housing, retirement, medicines, hospitalization, free transportation, and hundreds of other socialist programs.
3) All school must restrict free speech, press, assembly, and expression of religious belief if they are to maintain safety and order. When government schools do this, it teaches children to be comfortable with the **GOVERNMENT** restricting speech, press, assembly, and expression of religion.
4) All government schools are backed by the power of armed police with real bullets in their guns. That **is** what government does. That is the very purpose of government..to enforce law!
Therefore...While I agree with you concerning the 10th Amendment, government schools are an abomination even if there were no federal, state, or even county, or town involvement.
prayer:
I know Lord this IS your Will. Please give us the strength to endure what is about to hit all the nations. For evil knows no rest. That we hold on to faith and realize that you are STILL IN CONTROL. COME QUICKLY LORD JESUS!
So it starts!...Christians around the globe including America will have to go underground to worship.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
While I agree that there is a larger movement to oppress Christians, and that removing religion in government schools of the process, government schooling has its own special problems.
Christians around the world who promoted and accepted government schooling **foolishly** forgot an important principle:
Any government powerful enough to force Christianity on non-Christians in its government schools is powerful enough to BAN Christianity in those schools and force an atheistic worldview on Christian children!!!
It is impossible to have a religiously neutral education, therefore, in the U.S. we should strive to move to a completely private system of universal education. As for other nations, such as Italy, we should persuade them to do the same.
ACORN stole the last election and is elated that they have wrested control of our nation from patriots and constitutionalists. Such people exist today but know they will be mowed down like ripe wheat if they take action.
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