Perhaps this is just a bump in the road or a simple mistake that got lost in the bureaucracy of big governmentā¦ but maybe itās a sign of things to come.Ā EagleRising.com
In the fall, Marius and Ruth Bodnariu lost all five of their children over the course of two days when the government of Norway ripped the children from their loving home. The Bodnariuās two daughters and three sons were seized by the governmentsā Child Welfare Agency because the principal of their school said the parents had been āindoctrinatingā the kids with their beliefs. Their Christian beliefs.
On Nov. 16, the Norwegian child welfare agency, called Barnevernet, removed the Bodnariuās two daughters from school without their parentsā knowledge. Later that day, police arrived at the Bodnariusā home and removed two of their three sons, leaving the 3-month-old baby with Ruth. Marius rushed home from work, and he and Ruth went to the police station to find out what was going on, but received no answers. The next day, police came again to the home and removed the baby, claiming Ruthās display of tears at the police station the day before posed a danger to the child,Ā accordingĀ to a relative, Cristian Ionescu.
Two days later, Barnevernet officials informed the couple the children were āintegrating wellā into two separate foster homes. The Bodnarius were accused of āChristian radicalism and indoctrination.ā One of the officials allegedly said to Ruth, āThe kids don’t even miss you. What kind of parents are you?āĀ ChurchMilitant.comĀ reported.
On Dec. 2, Daniel BodnariuĀ postedĀ on Facebook the couple had finally received documents detailing what led up to the removal of their children. The investigation started when the principal where the girls attend school notified Barnevernet she had concerns about how the girls were disciplined at home because the parents were āvery Christian,ā as was the extended family. She said the family had āa strong faith that God punishes sinā that ācreates disability in children.ā The principal noted although the girls were creative, intelligent, and showed no signs of physical abuse, she believed the parents needed āhelp and guidanceā in raising their children.
Now thousands of their fellow Norwegians and others from all over the world are joining with the family to protest the gross overreach and destructive behavior being displayed by the Norwegian government.
Itās not just in Norway, either.
Just two years ago the Obama administration fought to deport the Romeike family back to Germany after they had fled Germany for religious persecution. The Romeikeās were initially granted asylum because the threat their family faced from the German government was real, but the Obama administration reversed its decision and was finally able to deport them in 2014. The familyās lawyer, Michael Farris, summed up the administrationās attitude towards religious freedom like this, āThe Obama administrationās attitude toward religious freedom, particularly religious freedom for Christians, is shocking. I have little doubt that if this family had been of some other faith that the decision would have never been appealed in the first place. They would have let this family stay.ā
Fortunately for the Romeikeās (and for freedom lovers everywhere), the family was granted a stay of deportation and given permission to stay in the USA indefinitely after the Supreme Court refused to hear their case.
But stories like this and the one in Norway are becoming commonplace, and one has to wonder when American Christians will begin to care. Will we wait until itās too late and our own citizens begin to feel these pressures? Well, that time may already be here.
The views expressed in this opinion article are solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by EagleRising.com