Recently a bill was introduced into the French senate that proposes banning homeschooling in France, except for in the case of disability. The bill was registered with the senate on December 18, 2013.
In the above picture, the motto of the French Republic is visible for those entering, or perhaps exiting a doorway, and this is not an uncommon place for placing such a political and philosophical reminder. However much liberty may be called upon by the walls and friezes of French institution, if this bill is passed, then liberty is diminished for a false version of “equality.” Maybe everyone can have equal say about his neighbor’s children and their education. Or maybe it is false fraternity. We are all brothers. No man is a father, and no child is a son. Fathers are masters over sons. In this case no man is master over his son, but every man is a collective master over his neighbor’s son.
The bill, found here, gives this “collective” reasoning:
Education is for socialization which requires an education with a collective aspect. By collective, it is meant, that a child must experience the diversity of culture and life conditions for peers. Therefore, since schooling out of the public does not allow for indiscriminate public experience, it may only be allowed as an exception based on incapacity. The bill does not want homeschooling to be an available pretext to be able to force children, since they are vulnerable, into religious submission. This is similar, within the language of the bill, to psychological and physical oppression.
Freedom. Equality. Brotherhood.
Freedom from parents. Equality of the public in control over the child. Brother as master. Brother as state.
It goes without saying, but it is worth pointing out, that people do have the right in France to educate their children. Homeschooling is currently still legal in France.
I asked a friend named Alex, a French Christian pastor, about the current situation and social attitudes toward homeschooling. He said,
The current law is you may do it but you have to be inspected once a year by an agent from the department of education and a child psychologist. The general social attitude is you’re weird if you do it, and perhaps a little cruel towards your children because you are isolating them from social life. And how can you do as good a job teaching your children as professionals?
He continued:
[I am]…not sure how likely it is that this bill will pass. I have just found out about it but I will be watching closely.
America and France received their republics in the same generation, out of the hands of monarchy. I have often heard the analysis expressed that America became free for religion, whereas France was freed from religion. I am not here to promote an apocryphal tale that America’s beginning was all unified Trinitarian work. But, in contrast, the truth of the French revolution is stark enough to compare even to our own self understanding as a nation.
The French siècle des Lumières (“Century of Lights”), the 18th century, was opposed to God. As the current version of the French wikipedia article on the topic of the Century of Lights will tell you, (translated):
“The century of lights, (was) an intellectual movement…of which the goal was to leave behind obscurantism and to promote knowledge.” It explains that “thinkers and philosophers encouraged exchange of thought, and opposed superstition, intolerance and abuse from the church and state.”
Such proposed laws as the one banning a parental right to choose for their children over the state’s right to own the children… such laws practice nothing but intolerance of other people’s ideas. But homeschooling, christian ideas fall automatically into the taboo category of oppressive religion. And so the law of freedom is not necessary to apply equally in that case.
Keep an eye open in the United States, we don’t wish to wind up as free and equal as our brothers-in-law across the way. And keep praying for us and for them. Hopefully we will see the day when the darkness of superstitious trust in God can push back the light of education. Pray that the clear light in all countries is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
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Luke Welch spent three years teaching Bible and other subjects at a Christian private school in France. Legally, no less. He has a master’s degree from Covenant Seminary and preaches regularly in a conservative Anglican church in Maryland. He blogs about Bible structure at SUBTEXT. Follow him on Twitter: @lukeawelch<>
France, Home, homeschool, School, senate
