Letters to the Editor on similair topics or in response by other members of the community.
If you have contributed a "Letter to the Editor" to a newspaper or an online source and had it published send the link in and we will add it here.
The views of the following letters do not necessarily reflect those of the CDRH. They are posted for our readers to see the response from others within the community. We feel the importance to show both sides of the discussion and make them available to you. We all know that in order to make a logical and rational decision we need to view both sides.
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Faith-based funding is about fairness
Tue Sep 25, 2007
To the editor:
Re: Just say no to idea of more faith-based school funding, Scott Templeton letter, Sept. 23.
Parents in Ontario have been sending their children to public, Catholic and faith-based schools for more than 100 years.
Can Scott Templeton provide one example of a riot or a march that has been caused by this fact of history?
Can Mr. Templeton explain how the Catholic system is causing segregation?
A parent's tax dollar should follow their child to whichever school system the parent feels would benefit their child.
It is a simple act of fairness.
Stephen Burkholder
Whitby
Why does it cost more to educate when religion brought into picture?
Mon Sep 24, 2007
To the editor:
Certain individuals state or imply that public education is affordable and available to every child in Ontario.
It is only when a child brings his or her religious convictions to that public system that it apparently becomes too expensive.
Certain parents have also stated that they would prefer all Ontario children to be educated in one Ontario system, so that they would be exposed to a mosaic of individuals.
However, it appears that that mosaic must be purged before entering such a public system.
Would Dalton McGuilty please stand up.
Robert Cummings
Oshawa
John Tory's education stance makes voter feel cheated
Mon Sep 24, 2007
To the editor:
As a citizen who takes the responsibility of voting very seriously, I feel cheated this time around.
I believe John Tory is by far the best choice for premier. But his ill-advised and unrelenting stance on using my tax dollars to fund faith-based schools means I cannot vote Progressive Conservative this time around.
I feel cheated because I now feel there is presently no party that represents my point of view.
Dalton McGuinty rates, at best, a six out of 10 on his performance while in office.
The NDP is a wasted vote, since they stand no chance of forming a government. Their platform is too simplistic (attack the Liberals past record and promise anything, no matter how realistic).
Anyone who has children in the current public system knows it cannot be watered down any further. Just because children cannot afford to attend their own faith-based schools does not mean they cannot get an education. The very worst they can do is be taught the curriculum in the current public system, the very one Mr. Tory wants to force upon them.
I don't know what Mr. Tory's real motivation is, but in no way do I believe he is being honest with us -- this is a purely political move.
Kevin Potts
Oshawa
Funding faith-based schools would be costly, divisive
Mon Sep 24, 2007
To the editor:
There is talk in the news about opening faith-based schools which would be funded by already overburdened taxpayers.
In my opinion this matter should be stopped at the outset. Those schools would be another divisive force amongst the Canadian populace and costly duplication of almost everything that is already in place in both the public and Catholic schools, the latter guaranteed under the Canadian Constitution, which is not the case for other religions.
I would venture to say that the proponents favouring this change are of minority religious groups. I believe their churches should provide the religious education the parents are seeking for their children after/before school hours, as well as the funding for that religious education.
The present school system is working just fine and let's not get into another system that divides the country. The government and church should remain separate. We already see an erosion of our Canadian culture and yet we continually see more and more demands made by people that are, in my view, not fully committed to our Canadian way of life and culture and who want to continue with their old way of life, often to the detriment of our Canadian heritage. Why did they leave their country of origin in the first place? Our political representatives need to stand up now for Canadian values and quell this issue once and for all.
Ken Baird
Politics and religion are volatile mix
Mon Sep 24, 2007
To the editor:
Regarding the separation of politics and religion, one could argue politics must stay out of religion as much as religion must stay out of politics.
1) Is there such a thing as religious freedom and liberty if religious convictions are to be controlled by politics?
2) Does politics justifiably allow religious convictions to be practised only in church?
3) If education and religion are to be separated should one denominational conviction be allowed to control the religious convictions of all other denominations within that "public" system?
Let government control education and confine itself to that sphere if it is to be considered as just and reasonable. We, as individuals, under the same government must be allowed to practise our religious convictions whether it be at church, in school, on the job, or in whatever sphere of life we find ourselves in at any one point in time.
Any other approach as regards religious freedom would be entirely non-democratic and without justification.
Robert H Cummings
Oshawa
No curriculum can respect everybody's beliefs
Mon Sep 24, 2007
To the editor:
Re: Time to have one publicly funded education system, Mark Robinson letter, Sept. 12.
I would challenge Mark Robinson to produce a curriculum that is respectful of everyone's beliefs, particularly in the disciplines of history, science and literature.
How could Mr. Robinson even attempt such a project? In what way could he simultaneously satisfy the parent and child who hold a strong atheistic or secular humanistic position and the parent and child of a strong Christian position, not to mention Judaism, Islam and all the other faiths?
What Mr. Robinson fails to realize is there is no neutral position: there are no neutral values. What could possibly be a neutral position between "God doesn't exist" and "God exists"? These two statements are mutually exclusive. Or perhaps he may try to find a neutral position between "I adhere to moral laws because I subjectively determined that it was in my best interests" and "I adhere to moral laws because I am responsible before God for my actions."
Again, Mr. Robinson will be vainly searching for a middle ground which doesn't exist. Mr. Robinson should not be telling religious people to check their beliefs at the door when he obviously has no intention of doing the same with his beliefs.
John Monster
Hampton
Creationism belongs in religion class only
To the editor:
Re: Theory of evolution is just a theory, Sharon Thompson letter, Sept. 19.
Sharon Thompson states "evolution is a theory," and by disagreeing with Mark Robinson's statement, she is saying evolution is not a fact. Apparently, Ms. Thompson is ignorant to what the word theory means in a scientific context.
A theory is a widely accepted idea in the scientific community that has scientific evidence to back it up, unlike creationism.
I bet Ms. Thompson does not know that gravity is just a theory, which by her account means it is not a fact and that other theories should be taught as well.
Maybe, as an alternative in physics class to gravity we should also teach children the alternative theory that we are held down to Earth because we have tiny sticky hairs on our feet.
There is plenty of scientific evidence to support evolution such as the fact that in 1975 a bacteria was discovered to have developed an enzyme called nylonase, which aids it in the breakdown of nylon, a synthetic material first made in 1935.
Unless God regularly intervenes in the lives of organisms, the development of nylonase without evolution would not have been possible.
Please, leave creationism in religion class where it belongs!
Thomas C.A. Royle
Courtice
Faith-based schools offer much to society
Principal argues merits of full funding for all schools
Mon Sep 24, 2007
By Fred Spoelstra
Thanks to Adam Mercer for his contribution to the ongoing debate on the issue of funding for independent schools in his opinion column -- “Pleased Yoda would be at full funding” -- on Sept. 9.
While he does well in presenting how funding for Roman Catholic schools in our province is embedded in the constitution, I must take issue with how he presents the case against funding for other religious-based independent schools. Is it really necessary to present such an extreme position of “what this might lead to” in terms of groups that may receive funding?
There is ample evidence in western provinces such as British Columbia and Alberta that funding religious-based independent schools does not bring about any sort of proliferation of alternative systems of education. The decades-long history of funding in these provinces also shows that funding does not bring about any sort of mass exodus from public schools.
Mr. Mercer correctly implies that people operate from a particular world view and perspective on life and that this translates into a particular philosophy of education. I wish he had taken the next step and stated that, while this is true for faith-based schools, it is equally true for public schools.
In effect, public education is rooted in a particular world view and perspective as are faith-based schools. Our society needs a healthy and vibrant public school system. Our society needs healthy and vibrant faith-based schools reflective of the diversity in this incredible land in which we are blessed to live. To deny this is a not-so-subtle form of intolerance and, in effect, states that the world view and philosophy of public education is the only one which may legitimately have endorsed institutional expression.
The public has a vested interest in knowing that all schools are meeting minimal educational standards and expectations. As a faith-based independent school offering the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, we are regularly inspected by officers from the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training.
Curriculum documents and school handbooks are reviewed and classes are visited by the inspector. In addition to provincial core requirements for the Ontario diploma our students are all required to take full-credit core subjects in world religions, media literacy and additional full credits in science, mathematics, social science and physical and health education.
Faith-based independent schools have done an excellent job of contributing to the public good. For more than 40 years, the independent faith-based high school of which I am the principal has graduated students who are responsible, tolerant and respectful citizens. Most go on to post secondary education and do very well.
Most of our families are middle class families who struggle to pay tuition fees while also paying their taxes toward the public system from which they do not receive direct benefit. Funding religious based independent schools isn’t only about fairness. It is also about what best contributes to a healthy and vibrant society in recognition of the wonderful diversity that exists in our Canada.
Fred Spoelstra is the principal of Durham Christian High School, based in Bowmanville. This is his first submission to this space.
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