Is religion in the schools unholy?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/03/2015 (4141 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s no easier way to start a fist fight than to insult your neighbour’s religion. Thus it has always been and forever shall.

A relatively new conflict, however, pits organized religion against secular values, particularly as it affects schools.

It may never be resolved, but in Manitoba, a compromise was achieved when the public school system was declared non-sectarian, with provisions that allowed for religious education under certain circumstances.

The Lord’s Prayer was removed from the morning announcement and moved to a separate room in schools if enough parents signed a petition for prayers or religious instruction.

It was a reasonable approach that seemed to satisfy all sides in the debate. It recognizes religious education in a diverse, multicultural society belongs in the home or church, while accommodating parents who want religion to be part of their children’s daily school life.

Now, a Winnipeg school trustee wants the province to amend the Public Schools Act so school boards have the final say on whether religious groups should be allowed to offer their wares in the school system, even if enough parents are demanding it.

Trustee Lisa Naylor says she is concerned “the act has the potential to put children and parents in a position to be coerced into religious instruction they may not really want or even fully understand.”

Ms. Naylor said local boards are in the best position to judge whether a religious program is appropriate.

The spark for her uproar was a petition by the Child Evangelism Foundation (CEF) to offer prayers and religious instruction in one Winnipeg school outside regular hours, either in the morning or at lunchtime.

The request has been held up because the petition may not have been properly documented, which at least one other trustee has alleged is just a stalling tactic and a denial of religious freedom.

Ms. Naylor is concerned the CEF has supported anti-homosexual causes in the past. In fact, the group says it has never preached on this subject, nor provided support to anyone who does.

About one-third of the students in Hanover School Division, which has a large Mennonite population, take religious instruction in school from the CEF. A spokesman said there have been no conflicts or complaints about the nature of the instruction.

Ms. Naylor is correct in opposing any organization that might preach doctrines that are in direct conflict with human rights law, the Charter of Rights and provincial anti-bullying legislation. In such cases, secular values and their legal foundations outweigh freedom of religion. Provincial legislation should make this clearer.

The rookie trustee, however, has condemned the CEF without conducting enough research or even hearing from the group. That is hardly due process, and might itself be a form of bullying.

Her rush to judgment is also an example of why elected officials should not be allowed to play Solomon on questions of provincial law as it affects the rights of parents to petition for religious instruction.

Ms. Naylor says she opposes any religious role in schools, but most parents have already decided against religious education for their kids in public schools. If not, schools would be full of religion. Even mainstream churches have generally abandoned public schools, leaving the field open to evangelical groups that believe it is their duty to spread the gospel.

Some parents, however, want their children to say the Lord’s Prayer or listen to a Bible story at school. There’s no harm in that, providing it doesn’t intrude on other rights, or lead to fist fights in the schoolyard.

The debate over the role of religion in public schools is as old as Manitoba, but the current legislation strikes a delicate balance that respects the diversity of values in the province. Leave well enough alone.