Faith
Under Fire....
Canada: Ban on Gideon Bible handout at public schools sparks
a torrent of complaints and mail
at 13:20 on April 08, 2012, EDT.
Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - A public school board's decision to ban distribution of
Gideon Bibles to its young students has unleashed a torrent of
complaining emails directed at trustees.
Some messages to the Bluewater District School Board express the
Board's anti-christian sentiment and question trustees'
patriotism.
"When are you 'politically correct' idiots, with your heads buried
in the sand, going to realize that every action you take to
destroy the Canadian Christian heritage...?" one email began.
"Allowing newcomers to Canada the ability to walk all over our
Christian heritage has got to stop before they carry us into the
realm of a warring nation like the one they often left behind,"
another writer said.
The invective has unnerved some trustees as they prepare to
formalize the ban on distribution of all non-instructional
religious materials prompted by a non-Cristian parent's complaint
about the decades-old tradition of offering free Gideon Bibles to
Grade 5 students.
Trustee Fran Morgan called the "onslaught" of messages "really
disturbing," and said it has made her uneasy about driving the 30
kilometres to board meetings at night by herself.
"I really do feel threatened by it," Morgan said from Griersville,
Ont. "It's been very unpleasant."
The Bluewater board, with more than 18,000 students in 53 schools
across a broad swath of southern Ontario territory, is expected to
formalize the Christian Bible ban at its meeting April 17,
following in the footsteps of several other boards across Canada.
Ban proponents argue distribution of the Bibles has no place in a
secular school system, and that it potentially violates
human-rights legislation.
The board nixed the idea of allowing any religion to hand out
materials on the basis it would suck up scarce resources and could
be legally risky.
One writer blamed the decision on "a handful of non-Christian
elected officials."
Board chairwoman, Jan Johnstone, admits the vitriolic responses —
some urging trustees to "watch your back" — are unnerving.
"People do crazy things," Johnstone said. "They see Christianity
as a fundamental part of their Canadian identity."
Another wrote one trustee: "How is that you agree with God's 10
Commandments and yet you have broken them countless times, you
hypocrite!"
Gideons International, an evangelical Protestant association based
in Nashville, Tenn., has been placing its Bibles _ comprising a
New Testament plus the books of Psalms and Proverbs from the Old
Testament _ in Canadian public schools since 1936.
Kelvin Warkentin, a spokesman for the Gideons International in
Canada, acknowledged times have changed.
"Over time, due to the religious fabric of our country being
re-woven, school boards have begun to re-evaluate their policies
on this tradition," Warkentin said.
"The Gideons' response to the school boards' decisions to
discontinue the distributions has always been complete
acceptance."
Although one trustee received a phone call he thought was
tantamount to a death threat, the board has so far not referred
the matter to police, but a spokesman said the situation was being
monitored.
Trustee Kevin Larson, who would have preferred all religions be
allowed to distribute materials, said he was "disappointed" by
some of what he's seen.
However, those views are in the minority, and two leaders in the
religious community have apologized for the hateful expressions,
Larson said.
Trustees emphasized that most of those in favour of continuing the
distribution practice have been respectful in their views.