The argument, as we understand it, is that under our Canadian Constitution, we have the right to ensure that any school teaching or activity is consistent with our philosophical and religious values. It takes a while for that claim to digest. What is frightening about it are the bigotries, the hatreds, the teachings of vitriol and the misconceptions of ages past that can be interlaced in those religious values. Times change, attitudes change but the larger the religious ship, the longer it takes to turn it from the perceptions of its past.
This argument is creating conflict. It challenges Canada as a secular society. That is a value our country offers and attracts the world beyond our borders. We host the world’s religions without challenge other than our protection of individual rights. When those rights are challenged on religious grounds, our society demands that the state must win.
It does no good for any religion to ignore the realities of society. The Anglican Synod, for example, can never heal the schism in its church by ignoring the rights of same sex partners. There is considerable doubt that ignoring the question will do much to change the patterns in human sexuality in this country or anywhere else.
If the Catholic bishops really want to take on the Ontario government over anti-bullying measures, they will do more harm to themselves. It has all the characteristics of a battle between balloons and pincushions, each armed with pins. It is not a battle that the Catholic bishops can be allowed to win. They can take the supposed moral ground if they want but it is the government that holds the purse strings.
At this time of ill-advised austerity, government and economists are taking a hard look at the millions spent each year on the duplication of a Catholic school system. When you look back at the 2007 provincial election, you can consider John Tory’s religious schools offer as a referendum on separate school systems in the province. The decision was clear.
You can claim that the Canadian Constitution enables the Separate School system in Ontario but the constitution was written 145 years ago. It is out of date. It dealt with different times. It dealt with different sets of prejudices.
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Copyright 2012 © Peter Lowry
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