During the early and middle part of the 19th century, the view that children belonged first and foremost to the state was spreading among many school leaders at both the national and municipal level. Of course, the family took care of children’s physical care, but the mind of the child must be formed by the state.
It can be quite difficult to imagine the power of this doctrine and the fierce opposition it encountered among poor and religious families. Many parents felt an instinctive horror at the prospect of sending their children to a school where a powerful state would teach them how to think and believe. It is no wonder that some parents kept their children at home rather than submit to what they believed to be indoctrination.
By way of contrast, Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) believed that children belong first and foremost to their parents, whose duty and right it is to nurture and educate them in accordance with their own deepest beliefs. While the state has an interest in the education of its citizenry, it does not have the responsibility to manage or direct that education.
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