Here’s a question to chew on this morning, along with your granola:
Should “Some Guy” be allowed to start a Bible study class in his boys’ public elementary school?
Some Guy in question is Paul Jubenvill of Cloverdale, and because the authorities in the Surrey School District won’t let him do it, he threatened to:
a) Take it to the sidewalk in front of the school;
b) File a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal.
Before you dismiss the latter idea with a quick snort (not into the granola please), remember this is B.C., the greatest place on Earth, where Some Other Guy, a clerk for Shoppers Drug Mart, was once awarded $30,000 by the Human Rights Commission for hurt feelings and lost wages after he refused to put six artificial poinsettias on display because, as a Jehovah’s Witness, it violated his religious beliefs to do so.
Sadly, it looks as if we won’t benefit from the wisdom of the tribunal on this one — after thinking about it overnight, Jubenvill has withdrawn the complaint and will now try to get a meeting with school officials. After all the fuss he’s created, good luck with that. Jubenvill says he’s just happy to get into the news — more exposure for the Lord, as if He isn’t already seriously overexposed.
Public schools must be an awful temptation for certain people who want to indoctrinate their children … in public. I’m not sure why they want to take up space otherwise reserved for healthy, secular pursuits like dodgeball or sex ed, but there’s always Some Guy who thinks what we really need is a theocracy. Heaven on Earth, that sort of thing.
But here’s the kicker. Apparently, Surrey high schools already have religious clubs. Oh, that’s different, says district spokesperson Doug Strachan. How is that different? We pay school taxes so our kids will learn to read and write, not speak in tongues.
I realize I may sound a little intolerant to our Christian/Muslim/Animist/Jewish/Buddhist/Hindu readers — to just about everyone, in fact — but seriously, evidence-based education is constantly under fire and we have to keep plowing the trench between church and state. There are plenty of churches, mosques and temples where you can let your faith be your guide.
But for a few hours a day, let’s give the kids a chance to figure out the world without your (no doubt valuable) assistance. I’m sure they’ll give you their full attention the other 18 hours of the day.
