Today on Listen Up: (Un) reasonable accommodation? Canadians wrestle
with the question of how prominent place faith should have in the
public square.
When a provincial election was held in Ontario
recently, the one issue that quickly dominated all debate—was the
question of whether public funding should be extended to private
religious schools.
In Canada, the space and place for religion
in public life is facing new scrutiny. Just how much space can faith
occupy in the public square? Today, we examine two issues that
highlight the desire of some Canadians to publicly express the
fundamental freedom of religion.
Raheel Raza is the director of interfaith affairs for the Muslim
Canadian Congress, which is opposed to public funding of religious
schools.
Arieh Waldman
Arieh Waldman was the plaintiff in a case that went before the United
Nations that resulted in the UN declaring Ontario’s exclusive
funding of Catholic schools as discriminatory. He is also the author
of: State Support for Religious Education: Canada Versus the United Nations.
Listen Up is looking at the challenges religious pluralism is bringing to public life…
Whether its hijab-wearing girls playing soccer, kirpan wearing boys
attending school or Christians displaying nativity scenes, Quebecers
are wrestling with just how much room – if any – should be
made for religion in public. This fall a traveling commission is
hearing from a wide range of folk all across the province.
Listen Up’s Patricia Paddey went to Montreal to learn more…
Solange Lefebvre
Solange Lefebvre is the Chair of Religion, Culture & Society at the
University of Montreal and is one of 15 academics and thinkers
comprising an advisory committee that supports the traveling
commission.
Glenn Smith is another leading Quebec academic. He heads up Christian
Direction; a Montreal organization that will be submitting a brief to
the commission on reasonable accommodation. Christian Direction is a
multi-faceted ministry committed to the spiritual transformation by
Jesus Christ of all of life in the cities of the Francophone world. He
is a professor of urban theology and missiology at the École de
théologie évangelique de Montréal at the
Université de Montréal and at the Université
chrétienne du Nord d’Haïti. He is a sessional
lecturer at McGill University.
Justice, love, welcome and goodness. Visit the House of Friendship on
Duluth Street in Montreal and you’ll find all of those things.
This is a public space-- created to support community life and peace values in this neighbourhood.
For more than 3 decades, this Mennonite church affiliated organization
has been meeting the needs of immigrants and refugees as a public
expression of Christian faith. Offering affordable French language
classes to new immigrants is only one way they demonstrate care for
their community. And the community is grateful.
Joel Coppieters
Joel Coppieters is a journalist who covers the faith beat. He’s
also a man who has wrestled with the deep questions of life. Once a
church pastor, a crisis of faith led him to call himself an atheist.
But years of study not only convinced him of the truth of the Christian
message--but restored his hope in that message as well--and today
he’s beginning preparations for ministry once again.
MONTREAL STREETERS:
Listen Up TV asked: Do you think that people should be allowed to express their religious beliefs in public?
“No. I don’t think so. I think religion is a very personal,
personal belief. And I don’t think people should be out there,
shouting or preaching in the streets, or at work or at social outings
about their religious beliefs. I think it’s a very personal thing
and you can’t really put your views upon someone else.”
“Religion, like sex, should be in the bedroom. Not for the
public. The public should be free to do what they like to do. In
school, maybe they should have a way to hold hands and to pray between
themselves, without saying a word, and perhaps we’ll be better
people.”
“I don’t know. I think it’s a private thing. There is
temples and things like that where you can go and express yourself and
even in your room in your own house you could do that, but otherwise,
in public – I don’t know.”
“..of course, being in a free society, I think it’s really
important for us to be able to express – what we think is wrong,
but in terms of religion, religion is a private thing, right? We each
have our own religious beliefs.”
“I think that people should be able to express their views on
religion, but also I think more importantly is that people should
respect each other’s views.”
What are poised to lose in this debate over reasonable accommodation of
religious differences in Canada? In Quebec, a sentiment is “hey – we
secularized this province; we don’t want immigration bringing faith
back into public life.” In a different political battle, the debate
over school funding for faith education stirs up fear that religion
will divide children, tax dollars, and worldviews.
We’re up
against something bigger than political process here because the
character and history of God is to communicate with people. And
millions will wrestle with how to express their voice back to God.
Because Christ lives through Christians, Christianity has never been a
private faith. Christians always advertise Christ. To children, to
neighbors of different faith, to the media. Deciding to become a
Christian may be a private act, but the effect it has on you, always
goes public. This protected human right of expression of religious
belief is fighting to hold ground in Canada, a position it always took
for granted. If faith expressions continue to go the route of being
banished, we lose an important strength in our social fabric of what
holds us together. The public expression of teachings grounded in a
God bigger than the human race. The God whose teachings motivate love
and respect each other and ourselves. Teachings that under gird the
foundation of the democracy we cherish. It is the character of God to
persist in finding new and meaningful ways to get humanity’s attention.
This debate about reasonable accommodation across the country is one
more expression of that. How far are we willing to go to let the
reality of God have expression in our lives?
Listen Up with Lorna Dueck is available ON-LINE in a variety of ways.
Click here to find out more!
Pacific 1:30
am Monday
Mountain 2:30am
Central 3:30am
Eastern 4:30am
National Religious Broadcasters (NRB)
Eastern 8pm Monday
10:30am Wednesday
DVD's of all our shows are available for sale. To place an order, please call (905) 336 9777 x27. Copies are $15.00 which includes shipping. Payment can be made by cheque (made payable to Listen Up TV); VISA or Mastercard.
Read Lorna's Globe & Mail columns by searching
our archive.
Read 'Media & The Message'. Lorna says if the church wants to impact society, we need to share our stories.
On April 30, 2005 Lorna was privileged to receive an honorary Doctorate of Christian Ministries from Canada's largest Christian university, Trinity Western University. Lorna was recognized for the witness and leadership that Listen Up TV has provided in public messaging: "a leader in the voice of evangelical life in Canada."
