Re: The Amish

[Steven Jamar]

I doubt Yoder comes out the same today -- even with this Court.  The advent of home schooling to state-set standards changes things substantially, I think.  We now generally accept that the state may set certain standards for education up to a certain age -- though we do "allow drop-outs" -- and that a state may require attendance up to a certain age -- you can't drop out until then.  This was true in the time of Yoder, as well, but we have 30 years more experience and thought now, and some demystification of the myth of the "cute" quaint Amish as utterly positive and benign, of which the article cited by Sandy is just another example.
Accommodation is what is required; not exemption from participation in society in a number of compulsory ways, including taxes and becoming educated.

Steve


-- 
Prof. Steven D. Jamar                               vox:  202-806-8017
Howard University School of Law                     fax:  202-806-8567
2900 Van Ness Street NW                   mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Washington, DC  20008   http://www.law.howard.edu/faculty/pages/jamar/

"If we are to receive full service from government, the universities must give us trained [people].  That means a constant reorientation of university instruction and research not for the mere purpose of increasing technical proficiency but for the purpose of keeping abreast with social and economic change. . . .  Government is no better than its [people]."

William O. Douglas
_______________________________________________
To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see 
http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw
Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private.  
Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can 
read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the 
messages to others.