No religion in schools

I’m writing this now because something is bothering me and chances are it might be bothering you as well. I recently read an article that mentioned backlash by some religious members who were upset when the Bluewater District School Board made a decision to ban the tradition of the Gideons offering free bibles to 5th Grade students. While the title was misleading, the final sentence of the article did state that most people were respectful in their decision…that’s what you get for sensationalist journalism.

In the comments section there were a number of things that I took liberties to addressing. There were some who wanted complete separation of religion and education, some who said religion belongs in their home, and of course, those who took the opportunity to say religion was brainwashing. Then, of course, there were some who equated with religion with war. Keep in mind this did not specify any specific religion so it seemed quite insensitive.

These are just my immediate responses on the matter:

To those who say religion is equated with war, I wonder if somebody actually took time to think about it. Mostly they cite how religion was misused throughout the Dark Ages. Unfortunately, they ignore the other forces at play during the time such as nationalism and others. There are recent wars which religion played no part in such as World Wars 1 + 2, Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm and the War of 1812. Thus, those who are insinuate religion with war need to more research on their supposed “area of expertise.”

To those who say religion belongs in people’s home I say this: I honestly can’t take you serious. Have you thought about that means? You’re advocating the destruction of every religious place of worship in the country. Not that would mean anything to me, as a Christian, for the church would just go underground. It also means that I would not be allowed to bring my Bible or any other religious text to school so I could read it during lunch, or study about it at school. This would also cause the foreclosure of countless religious groups who provide food and shelter for the homeless, and many other social programs they are involved with. Those who think religion belongs in the home are blind to what religion does for the greater community at large.

To those who say religion is brainwashing have obviously been brainwashed themselves. They’re blind to understanding anything about religion. In Christianity, for example, being brainwashed would go against everything the Bible teaches. But I guess people who say these things are not searching for the truth.

Now to those who say they want no religion in public school, I say to you, have you ever actually sat down and thought what that would look like? Since before Confederation in Canada religious people have provided education and healthcare. This is a historical fact.

I can understand people saying that the fabric of Canada is changing and we’re not the same country we were, even a generation ago. But you cannot completely eradicate the role of religion in education because it has greater influence than people understand. There are classes that discuss all religions. Also, classes on geography and history have aspects of religion in them that cannot be ignored. For a concrete example, it would be impossible to explain the Holocaust without explaining why Hitler hated Jews and other minorities, and what Jews believe.

There is also a question of books studied for English that have religious connotations. Off hand, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia series, Anne Frank (she’s Jewish) and even Romeo & Juliet (The Priest) have religious references. Robin Hood (Friar Tuck), Anne of Green Gables (Protestantism) and the Scarlet Letter are also applicable here. I could go on, but that requires more research.

There is also the question of Christian art and music of the past, which would obviously have religious significance to them, though I’m not personally aware of such details.

In addition, if you wanted to completely eradicate religion from the education system that would also entail quit using student’s names that have religious connotations. Therefore one would have to quit using the names of the 12 disciples, for example. Is that really what you want? Does that mean I couldn’t introduce myself to my classmates, and most of them couldn’t to me? Don’t be ridiculous?

So please, I encourage you, think before you make a blanket statement like that.