ANTI-CHRISTIAN INTOLERANCE IN EDUCATION

I knew that sooner or later the anti-Christian liberal agenda would reveal their intolerance for any view but their own. And so Alberta’s socialist, anti-Christian NDP provincial government is going to force Christian schools to implement policies supporting and affirming lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer (LGBTQ) lifestyles.  It does not take much intelligence to recognize that liberal secularists demand tolerance and acceptance yet won’t give it.

Apparently pluralism is not so pluralistic. One cannot value or espouse a variety of educational choices then force all the choices to conform to one view, model or ideology.  Choice means there are different options from which to choose.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s has taken up the charge for intolerant tolerance against Christian schools that refuse to implement the government’s dictatorial guidelines for LGBTQ policies.  Under the headline “Province funds millions to school board fighting  LGBTQ guidelines: Over 6 years the Independent Baptist Christian Education Society received $4.5 million” quoted various opponents of Christian education. 

Duncan Kinney of Progress Alberta asked whether providing funding to Christian charter schools is a worthwhile use of taxpayer money – as though Christians are not taxpayers. He demanded to know, “Why is four and a half million dollars going to a private school that is actively fighting a province that is trying to create safe spaces for LGBTQ youth?!” Don't assume the schools in question are unsafe.

Well, Mr. Kinney, one must ask why a significant number of

Duncan Kinney

Albertans found the public school system so intolerable that they felt compelled to create an alternative system in the first place? Did they really feel so alienated, so unrepresented, so unwelcome, such hostility to the Christian values they held most dear? The answer is a resounding Yes! Why do so many thousands of families see the public education system as the system of last resort, the worst of all possible alternatives for educating children? Why do grandparents like me give a sigh of relief that our grandchildren are not relegated to the public school system? If you are so right, Mr. Kinney, why do so many thousands upon thousands of parents disagree with your views? Is your view the only right view?

Why should only the secularist public school system – the worst of all – only receive taxpayer money? Our society is made up of so much more than just secularist citizens. What about Muslim or Sikh parents? Should they be forced to alter their religious and cultural beliefs to accommodate fashionable special agendas and not the other way round?

Mr. Kinney asked if private Christian schools are a worthwhile use of taxpayer money? That question is not answered by the LGBTQ question, rather how students in those schools perform in provincial academic testing.  How many go on to post-secondary education in comparison to the public school system? The numbers are impressive. Yes, Mr. Kinney, Christian schools are a worthwile investment.

As expected, provincial Liberal leader David Swann has jumped on the anti-Christian bandwagon demanding that private school charters be revoked, resistant boards be dissolved and funding withdrawn if they refuse to go along with the LGBTQ agenda.  (Swann simply refuses to make his swan song after repeatedly being rejected by Alberta’s electorate.) 

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

Catholic education is constitutionally guaranteed. Therefore Catholic education first loyalty is to education in a Catholic context. If Education Minister David Eggen is going to interfere with that, then a legal challenge is in order.  Catholic education was here long before David Eggen and will remain long after the arrogant twit is gone.

Anti-Christian intolerance must not be tolerated.  We live in a multi-cultural, multi-faith, pluralistic society, or so we are led to believe. Allow people their space – not just the homosexual and transgender agenda space.  We must not infringe of each others’ beliefs; let each live by their own values. Do not threaten to dismantle the boards or withhold equal funding of those one disagrees with. There’s room for us all and no need of government tyranny to force one or the other.

That is the essence of real pluralism.

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Postscript: Shortly after this column was posted, Duncan Kinney responded with the following twitter message:

Duncan Kinney @duncankinney Sep 02 @MarkDavisPickup These private schools are welcome to free themselves from the tyranny of public taxpayer funding at any time. media

I responded to Kinney's smug tweet by challenging Kinney's assumption that only secular anti-Christian public school system is the only system deserving taxpayer support (assuming that Christians are not taxpayers. It also falsely suggested that Christian schools could divest themselves of the NDP government's edicts. Not true. Education Minister David Eggen has threatened to dissolve resistant school boards and sever funding from Christian schools who refuse to comply with the government edict.