Loyola wrong to reject new ethics and religion course

Principal Paul Donovan tried to explain the school's stance, stating that "aspects of the course come into conflict with what the school teaches its students in terms of ethical norms." And his point? Since when is being exposed to a different or even contradictory set of values an inherently bad thing? Why are some people reacting with such terror at the thought of their children being subjected to the teachings of different religions?

Religion is more than just a belief in a deity. It's a philosophy and a way of life. Depending on its influence on us, it can define who we are, how we view the world and how we interact with one another. If Quebec's goal is to foster increased tolerance and understanding between different cultures and religions, then why not start at the very beginning; in elementary school?

It seems inherently contradictory that we, as a society, should be advocating more tolerance and understanding of our differences, yet we resist the opportunity for our children to be exposed to and understand the ideas and beliefs of others.

Loyola is hardly the only institution reacting with concern at the news. ADQ leader, Mario Dumont, was one of the very first to express worry that children in primary school would be "confused" at the new curriculum, because, in his words, "it would lump together as equivalent holy days, Easter, Christmas, Id al-Fitr and Diwal". God forbid (no pun intended) that what someone else believes in may be just as important as what we believe in!

A number of Jewish and Roman Catholic schools have also judged the new course as problematic, while the Quebec Secular Movement has also expressed its dissatisfaction, believing that a religious culture program should have no place in the public school system at all. Protestants are the only ones who are ok with the course, since they claim that the family –and rightfully so—is the place where responsibility for religious orientation should be exercised and parents shouldn't be transferring this responsibility to schools.

At the end of the day, this profound uneasiness with the new ethics and religion course seems to be a bit hypocritical; a contradiction of sorts for the many who profess complete and utter faith in their respective belief system. Isn't fear as a knee-jerk reaction a supreme sign of doubt?

If your values can't stand a little scrutiny, a little debate and a little comparison to other religious values out there and if you, as a parent, have so little faith in your ability to instill those values in your children, then how strong can these values possibly be?

Whether you worship in a church, a mosque, a synagogue or a temple, you owe it to yourself and to your children, who will have to make a life in an increasingly multicultural and multi-religious environment, to expand your horizons. Knowledge does not weaken faith; it weakens prejudices and misunderstanding.