Child welfare services in Norway have seized five children from a Christian couple on charges including “Christian radicalization and indoctrination,” according to a British-based religious rights advocate group.
The children of Ruth and Marius Bodnariu were taken by Norway’s child welfare services, the Barnevernet, on November 16. The Barnevernet seized the Bodnariu’s two oldest children out of school without notice to their parents. Agents also showed up at the family’s home where they seized the two sons and arrested Ruth, who was taken into custody along with her husband who was arrested while he was at work.
At the police station, Marius and Ruth were interrogated but were allowed to return home with only their baby and not the four other children. However, the baby was also taken into custody the following day.
In the following weeks, the parents were denied contact with their children. They were told that the children “had integrated well into their separate foster homes and didn’t miss their parents,” according to the Christian Institute.
A document secured by the family’s lawyer revealed that the parents were accused of being “radical Christians who were indoctrinating their children.”
What the hell is "radical Christian indoctrination"?
Teaching too much Love? too much compassion?
Teaching to trust in Christ?
Teaching to pay your taxes and give to those that don't have?
There is probably more to this story. Norway isn't a wacko country, which leads me to believe that the family in question are likely wackos. Perhaps they are Westboro Baptist-style wackos, or members of a pseudo-Christian cult like the Witnesses or the Mormons.
Hold everything lightly. If you don't, it will hurt when God pries your fingers loose as He takes it from you. -Corrie Ten Boom
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If they had a social gospel in the days of the prodigal son, somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home.
I looked into this story. Apparently, the family's two teenage daughters were defending their family's Christian practices in school, specifically corporal punishment. The girls admitted that spanking occasionally happened at home but that it was never abusive. When Child Protection Services got wind of what the girls said, the parents were called in.
Norway has a anti-corporal punishment rules to protect the country's children, notably to protect children from abuses by immigrant parents from non-European backgrounds where family discipline tends towards violence. In the case of Ruth and Marius Bodnariu, the rules backfired.
Backfired badly.
Hold everything lightly. If you don't, it will hurt when God pries your fingers loose as He takes it from you. -Corrie Ten Boom
+ + +
If they had a social gospel in the days of the prodigal son, somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home.