Educating Germany has kindly posted the translation of the German High Court’s decision regarding homeschooling. While the family affected is devoutly religious, note that the language does not apply specifically to their religious beliefs. The grounds of endangerment have nothing to do with the physical or emotional well-being of the children in the home.
The mental and emotional welfare of the children is lastingly endangered because the first Party rejects and hinders the school education which is important for the development of the children in a pluralistic society. It is a moot point whether the home education of the children ensures an adequate transfer of knowledge, as children should also grow up in communal life.
It is all about that infamous socialization.
And a couple of carnivals:
The Carnival of Homeschooling invites you to discover the various hats homeschoolers wear.
Lo-Fi Tribe has posted the Carnival of Christianity.
Principled Discovery is a place to stop and discuss news and information related to faith, family and particularly education. Pour yourself a cup of tea and join the conversation! 
Congratulations on receiving the Homeschool Blogging Award nomination.
You’re part of a great bunch.
We are having a Homeschool Book Giveaway at
http://Heartofwisdom.com/blog A new book will be given away each week
(Bloggers receive three entries by posting a link).
Watch for our Winter Sale: 50% on all E-Books!!
Thanks.
Robin @ HeartofWisdom
http://heartofwisdom.com/blog
The ruling of the German High Court should be a red flag warning to those here in the US of what is on the horizon. When the State counts more than the family unit then many other freedoms are lost.
I promise, I’m person and not a robot leaving spam.
Welcome to my new home, T.F. Stern! And why would you think I’d think you’re spam? Or are you the one who has been leaving me lengthy dissertations on a subject I cannot decipher?
And you are right. When the family exists to serve the interests of the state, their is a serious problem.
Interesting choice of words: communal life.
For a long time I was very interested in and supportive of a global (communal) world view, but I have come to realize that community and tolerance and respect can still exist when boundaries are established and respected and protected. We don’t necessarily need to be global (communal) in order to be tolerant and respectful of others.
Global as I wanted to understand it then doesn’t seem to be what global means today. Communal…interesting. And scary when it trumps the communal aspect of the family unit/traditions/goals/values.
I read this earlier. I can’t do anything but shake my head sadly. Change is very scary for many societies and yet, change is what keeps a society vibrant.
Thanks for the bird link! It does look like a goldfinch. I had no idea they changed their foliage and color in winter! I’m certain the beaks are paler in winter. I’ll have to scrub the window just in case it decides to return again.
Peace and Laughter,
Cristina
I meant paler in summer, of course! I guess I should get some sleep…
I agree, Shawna. Although it must be noted that the term translated as “communal” does not necessarily have the same connotation in German as it does in English. The original German word is “Gemeinschaftsleben” which could be translated as “communal living” but it isn’t what we think of as communal. It is more like in community. In fact, my dictionary translates the term as “community life.”
It is saying that children should grow up in community. Which I don’t disagree with, but homeschooling does not hinder this.
Whoops, yes, as the translator of the judgement, I would say that community life is the correct way to say it. What they are assuming is that homeschoolers are isolated from the community and that the community life is mirrored by school life.
Thanks, Rina. It is always nice to have confirmation of my German. : ) Translating is difficult work. I can read something in German and understand it perfectly fine but when I sit down to translate, it comes across so awkward. Especially these types of documents because they are typically so dominated by the passive and they come up with constructions that require three sentences in English to make sense of.