Posted on 11/04/2012 12:22:19 PM PST by VitacoreVision
Homeschoolers Flee Persecution in Germany and Sweden
The New American
03 November 2012
This weekend the first ever Global Home Education conference is being held in Berlin as homeschool families tell of being forced to flee Germany and Sweden.
Related Articles:
German Statesman Backs Homeschooling, Slams State for Usurping Kids
In Sweden, Persecuted Jewish Homeschoolers Win Court Battle
Persecuted & Exiled Swedish Homeschoolers Walk to Freedom, Vow to Fight On
Homeschool Leader Flees Swedish Persecution
Sweden Bans Home-schooling, Religious Instruction
State "Kidnapping" of Swedish Home-schooler Prompts International Outcry
U.S. Judge Grants Asylum for Homeschooling Family
Government Schools Are Bad for Your Kids
A Short History of Government Education
(Excerpt) Read more at thenewamerican.com ...
Your quote; msg # 11, Clearly the authority of a State religion is one of the founding principles of our nation..
Your quote msg # 20, The founding of this nation was in part to escape this. (a state religion).
Your two comments are diametrically opposed, prima facie. So, yes, I misunderstand your comment . . . necessarily.
Again, I ask you, what authority does Religion possess, other than persuasion, absent the authority of the State.
So, yes my #11 statement was poorly written.
As far as the authority of religion, apart from persuasion, I would suggest defining religion AND authority are necessary.
Is the Bible, KJV, an authority, persuasion or both ?
Religion, in the broadest sense, is and has been very authoritative and persuasive.
Persuasion, would imply a persuader, which in turn acts as an authority with or without the State.
To suggest the idea that all truth is relative, may be possible, it leaves most thoughtful individuals unsatisfied.
Very well:
religion noun
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, esp. a personal God or gods:
ideas about the relationship between science and religion.
details of belief as taught or discussed: when the school first opened they taught only religion, Italian, and mathematics.
a particular system of faith and worship: the world's great religions.
a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance: consumerism is the new religion.
authority noun
1 the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience: he had absolute authority over his subordinates | positions of authority | they acted under the authority of the UN Security Council | a rebellion against those in authority .
the right to act in a specified way, delegated from one person or organization to another: military forces have the legal authority to arrest drug traffickers. official permission; sanction: the money was spent without congressional authority.
2 (often authorities) a person or organization having power or control in a particular, typically political or administrative, sphere: the health authorities | the Chicago Transit Authority | the authorities ordered all foreign embassies to close | she wasn't used to dealing with authority.
Persuasion, would imply a persuader, which in turn acts as an authority with or without the State
Some people (usually speaking in a humorous vein) refer to a hammer as a persuader by which they persuade a nail to penetrate a board. A persuader, in the more ordinary sense, is simply someone who persuades people to a particular opinion by their eloquence, and their (hopefully) logic.
In contrast, the State is always a hammer. Its ultimate persuasion invariably is, do what I tell you, or I will kill you. It seldom comes to that, of course, and the State is, in reality, an abstract concept, which means that the ultimate persuasion is enforced by an individual functioning as the State, but he has no authority other than the sanction of the State.
There are, of course, other meanings that are given to the word authority;
3 the power to influence others, esp. because of one's commanding manner or one's recognized knowledge about something: he has the natural authority of one who is used to being obeyed | he spoke with authority on the subject.
the confidence resulting from personal expertise: he hit the ball with authority.
a person with extensive or specialized knowledge about a subject; an expert: she was an authority on the stockmarket.
a book or other source able to supply reliable information or evidence, typically to settle a dispute: the court cited a series of authorities supporting their decision.
but, these meanings are only marginally applicable to this discussion.
In this last sense, the KJV is regarded as authoritative by some, but its authority would be hotly disputed by others.
In your msg # 7, you framed the issue as The authority of the State vs. the authority of religion.
These are two, very different, authorities. If a religion has any greater authority than opinion, it is an authority granted by the State.
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