Finally Christians and Muslims have something to agree on: They don’t want public school teachers teaching their children on matters that go against the teachings of their respective religions -- topics ranging from homosexuality and birth control to evolution and global warming.
In Ontario, Canada, newly passed Bill 13 promotes diversity and acceptance in an attempt to curb bullying. Punishing bullies used to be sufficient, but apparently not anymore. Now our kids need to be taught about sex -- both homosexual and heterosexual -- to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings.
Here’s a concept: Why not teach kids to respect all people, regardless of their skin color, gender, religion, or parental status? Why all of a sudden do kids need to be taught about sexuality, environmentalism, and religion (but not Christianity! Never Christianity) in order to play nice?
Back to Ontario and this Bill 13. Many parents have complained about the new policy, and have asked that they be notified when the controversial subjects will be taught in class, so that they may exempt their children from those sessions.
One parent, Steve Tourloukis, says:
I’m not an extremist, but I must ensure that my children abstain from certain activities that may include lessons which promote views contrary to our faith.
Tourloukis is suing the Hamilton school board for their refusal to communicate with him before his elementary aged son and daughter were taught in the classroom about “family, marriage, and human sexuality.” He is supported by the Parental Rights in Education Defense Fund.
Parents absolutely should have a right to notification and an option to withdraw their children from controversial teaching. Teachers’ rights to teach do not supersede parents’ rights to parent, and their wishes should be respected. After all, we’re the ones that are raising them -- from diapers to graduation caps; it’s parents that do the heavy lifting. When they turn 18 and go out into the world, they can complain to their therapists that mom and dad wouldn’t let them stay in class to hear how fish are more important than people, or how lesbians do it.
The state does not know how to raise our children better than we do, and the implication that they do is insulting. Kids don’t have to be taught about homosexuality in order to be nice to the kid with two mommies or two daddies. Kids rarely care about that stuff anyway. Let parents decide how much they want to tell their kids about alternative lifestyle choices.
While they’re at it, they should teach their kids to be kind to everyone, no matter what their families look like.
Image via Glen's Pics/Flickr
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Comments 84
If you are so afraid of your children being exposed to anything outside your narrow religious doctrine then you should send them to a religious school. Then they can grow up to be ignorant bigots just like mommy.
Chrissy Potter Shah - in the comments before yours, I see nothing but a mature discussion going on and a tolerance for others views but also an acknowledgment that children should be taught differing views and then the parents should discuss it with them......
I completely agree with the fleurdelys3110 , leslie and jessie.
You're what's wrong with the world Jenny.
With people like you, there is no room to evolve and move forward as a society who accepts ALL people.
Global warming is a SERIOUS issue...not just about, "fish being more important than people".
Finally, you're ignorant.
As others have said, if you want your kid to learn the tenets of your religion with no contradictions from actual facts, don't send them to public school. That seems like pretty rudimentary logic.
@another guest....that's the point I was trying to make in my earlier comment....the uneducated few want to dictate to the masses...America is the most religiously conservative country in the western world and we are also almost dead last in every subject ....see any correlation? Global warming is real and whether or not it is manmade is not something that anyone knows at this point but it seems that it IS manmade...why on earth would you not want your child taught what SCIENCE seems to say is a scientific certainty? You have no right to filter MY child's education to the point of it being worthless because you are too afraid that science and birth control and KNOWLEDGE will destroy what must be a precarious and weak faith you and your children have in your religion.
another guest...only the first part was directed at you haha
@billsfan, you don't have to defend something just because Jenny Erikson writes it. Use some commonsense. I'm sure Jenny puts on her big girl panties before she posts a blog here and isn't surprised when people tell her how looney her opinions are. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows that knowledge is nothing to be feared and that sheltering our children from the world only holds them back. If you and Jenny are really that afraid of exposing your kids to anything outside of your narrow world view, then please homeschool or religious school them and let the rest of us have the opportunity to raise well-rounded, informed, free-thinking people.
Katy and another guest, the reason I believe that MANMADE global warming is not true is because of all the conflicting reports in the scientific community and emails that some scientists exaggerated the results. Until there is concrete proof and a majority agrees, I wil continue to recycle, save energy and do my part. That doesnt make me ignorant or stupid.