So I have a Huge Confession to make…
When I found out that one of our Local Public Schools in York Region was allowing Prayer on Fridays for the Muslim Children, I was Livid!
Society keeps secularizing Christmas, Schools are taking God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, you don’t even HAVE TO say the Pledge of Allegiance! And so many more examples of NO PRAYER, No GOD, and yet here, in my own Back Yard a PUBLIC, SECULAR INSTITUTION was allowing and encouraging Prayer.
Though I understood the Why…I found it and still do find it Un-Just, yes, UNFAIR (I know, the World isn’t fair, but still)! Thus, I opposed it, adamantly.
Lo and Behold! I am not the only one!
After reading this article, I selfishly and pridefully feel validated, but more than that, I can Empathize…
There are so many “Christians” and “Christian Interpretations” of God and His Word that if someone (I don’t want to point any fingers here) were to come into my Childrens’ schools and start taking about the 144,000 that will be saved, or how the Rapture was not on May 21st but WILL BE on October 21st…and oh so many more examples.
Please do take the time and read this article…I for one am Supporting Ron Banerjee, of the Canadian Hindu Advocacy. Perhaps for my own Selfish Reasons too…but also because I CAN Truly Empathize…
How about You??
Here’s the Article to which I am referring from Sun TV by Tom Godfrey, released on Monday.
Another Article from City News.
Search and you’ll find many more…
From The Pews 
wow. interesting to realize the concept of seperation of church and state now in our current society; its affects. i’ve attended public schools where there are seminaries located on school grounds which churches pay/rent for to allow children to attend some sort of religious education on school grounds but off school time or whathaveyou. it’s great for that particular religion, but who could imagine a seminary for denomination? how do we have publics schools and private belief systems? how do we have a God-less country and Godly children? How can we teach the virtue in diversity when some prayers are okay and some prayers are not?
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Excellent Questions, Sarah!
We will never please all of the people all of the time, as cliché as that is, but it is true.
When it comes to matters of Religion, we are quite guarded, defensive and maybe even apprehensive when others speak of it, insult it, attack it…
Which is to be expected…
My Mamá Lola always told us that Our Faith was Like our Mother. We defend her no matter what 😉
All Religions teach that they hold the Truth…and if you go back to what my Mamá Lola has always told us, you’re not going to deny that she does, right? Why would you even question it? And yet, as adults, as teens, as Human Beings, we question most everything, which is really a GOOD Thing!
Herein is where it can get tricky…don’t just question, follow-through and seek Answers. God will Guide, the Holy Spirit will Enlighten…
As I continue to reply, I realize that I’m all over…my thoughts many times are precisely that, all over, but if you have read anything else I have ever written, you realize that already 😉
Sarah, thank you for taking the time to stop by and read what I write, I am extremely flattered.
In regards to what you put forth, your questions, they are excellent ones as I said, and I truly believe that as one of México’s President’s, Benito Juárez, once put it:
“Entre los individuos, como entre las Naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz.”
Amongst Individuals, as with Nations, Respect of another’s Rights is Peace or Brings Peace….
As a catholic who grew up totally inside a government funded Catholic school, I always found it weird that ONLY Catholics had a separate school board and that other religions had to go to private schools that their parents paid for. In our multicultural country, I do not see an “easy” answer that is reasonable to all religions. I agree that it should not be at the school because you cannot accommodate all groups under that type of structure (can you imagine the number of prayer services if the other 20% were accommodated similarly?). Maybe one day the government will fund other religious schools as they do Catholic, maybe one day we will loose government money and go back to doing it privately as other religions generally do. Either way, the public system must remain apart from religion and parents must put in the extra effort for their children to get religion in their day if they are attending public schools.
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I see what you’re saying…
But realistically, can you keep a Public System void of Religion?
Morals are based on Religious Beliefs…The Golden Rule…
How one acts and IS in Public is Directly influenced by your “Private” Religion.
I for one do not believe that you can keep them segregated, there will always exist an overlap.
Does that justify that Catholic Schools and some Catholic Universities receive monies from the government?
You see, not just Catholic Christians benefit from Public (which is also compromised of Catholics) funds, other denominations do as well.
Millions go towards the erection of Mosques, diverse culture museums, exhibits…and many cultures are directly tied to Religion…so we all benefit financially for our Religion and/or Identity in one way or another.
Moreover, from my limited knowledge of Canada’s school system, and what I know of the American Government Aided Private Universities, the Public Sector has quite a Say in what is done and not done on Campus.
Thus, though the Catholic School Board is receiving some monetary assistance, it is not Alone, in its decisions.
Furthermore, and I know many will not like this response, but that does not change the fact that it is what it is…since 1841, Canadians and Canadian Legislature deemed Catholic Education a Right for the Catholic-Majority Nation.
Now, one has to acknowledge that the growth and the funding for a Separate School Board has been anything but easy.
For decades, Catholic Canadians still paid tuition for their Catholic Education.
The monies received by the Separate Schools were not on par with those of the Public Schools…
But who am I to verse you on Canadian History 😉
It’s not an easy solution…mostly because it sounds horrid to say as we do in the States…and as the Prime Minister in Australia has also stated…the Country has a Constitution, if you are coming to this Country, then you are expected to Respect this Constitution. If you already reside in the Country, then you understand how laws are made and enforced. These are this Country’s values, and they are not going to change. And as a Citizen of this Country you are EXPECTED to RESPECT these Values.
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