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12 Comments

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“Christianity under-represented in public schools, Peel trustee says”

By David Topping

peeleschools.jpg
Seriously?
Photo by sevennine from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

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  • David E

    I believe the trustee is rather concerned about the increase in other faiths in his community vis-a-vis Christianity. Maybe the parents who he serves are more evangelical than mainstream and therefore would want greater prominence because their faith expects it of their parishoners.
    Then there is also the concern about being overtaken by “outsiders” much in the same way
    that neighbourhoods were concerned about the arrival of Italians or Portuguese into their environs about 50 or 60 years ago.
    French Canadians are equally concerned about the dilution of their life and heritage vis a vis outsiders as are the Jews of Israel vis a vis the Arab population
    So now it spills into Mississauga schools and the school board. When will the heritage and religious tensions filter down to the students?

  • Gloria

    WAR ON CHRISTMAS!

  • burnstoemerge

    Outside of a “World Religions” class (which I took in high school and was one of my favourites), religion shouldn’t really play that big of a role in public schools.
    Children and teenagers will learn about each other’s faiths through each other. At least, that what’s most people I know did throughout school. It’s a lot more healthy than some institution telling you what religious is supposed to be.
    I don’t believe there is a shortage “White/Christian” culture at all. People are so used to fear-mongering and rejecting new ways of doing things, they begin to think that because Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day aren’t the only holidays celebrated in schools Christianity is under attack.
    All so-called “Christian” holidays can be celebrated without religious connotations in a cultural way at school and in other public places, and with religious ideas at home if the parents so choose. Other holidays are truly not at the same level as “Christian” ones because they have not become stat holidays, so the argument can go both ways.
    I say “BOO-HOO” to these Christian fanatics.

  • davedave

    What an idiot.
    There should be no religion in schools in the first place. Indoctrinating/brainwashing children into believing in supreme beings is the parents’ job, not my tax dollars.

  • Mark Ostler

    Christians were the first people to conquer the natives in Canada. So Christians win and everything after that gets to be about them. At least, that’s what the more extreme Christians believe. But you know what? Tough luck. Society is headed in the opposite direction and has been for quite some time. I say deal with it.

  • Marc Lostracco

    72% of Canadians are Christian—how much more representation do they need? We don’t live in a theocracy.
    Christianity is hardly “under attack,” to use the catchphrase de jour of U.S. fundamentalists, who are rapidly increasing in number anyway (in the U.S., 81% of the population identifies as Christian and 1 in 4 identify as Born Again—one of which is in the White House).

  • dowlingm

    I think his point is that stuff like Santa, which is technically not a religious part of Christmas, is encouraged in the school and that “counts” in terms of the “parity of esteem” required when he’d rather forgo Santa in favour of Jesus.
    As noted by others however I would rather forgo all religious festival observances in public school, and withdraw funding from Catholic schools to place them on a level playing field with other religious schools.

  • paigesix

    Torontoist moving to a tumblr format?

  • Dipp

    Maybe it’s under-represented because the kids get all them Christian days off (e.g. Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, etc.). So maybe the solution here is to give all these other “ethnic” days state-holiday status.
    Student 1: YAY!
    Student 2: What’s crackin’, homeslice?
    Student 1: Tomorrow’s Eid yo! We be off!
    Student 2: Whatwhat!! Let’s hit bong!
    (It’s been some years since I attended public school, I can only assume this is how the kids talk now.)

  • robswizzle

    Great photo/cutline combo.

  • rek

    I don’t think said trustee really “gets” the public school idea.
    Next time, on Torontoist:
    “Not enough healthy people in hospital, Peel trustee says”

  • antiboy

    I wonder if these trustees end up googling themselves later and crying over all the bloggers (and blog commenters) that make fun of them all day long. I sure hope they do!