Re. Religious Education

A letter to the editors of the Hamilton Spectator on the religious education subject that has dominated the coverage of Ontario’s election this year. They did not publish it.

The seven years I spent at a private Christian school taught me that religious education is not about the “diversity” and “tolerance” its supporters keep mentioning: it’s about systematically ensuring children grow up to have the same views as their parents.

My educational environment was one of religious, intellectual, and (save for one black teacher in later years) racial homogeneity. Those books that managed to make it past rigorous review into the school library still sometimes had bits that were censored with black marker.

Fortunately, my parents strongly promoted reading and took me to the Dundas public library often. The books I read there showed me that it is possible to rely on reason and evidence instead of dogma and superstition.

Most, if not all, religions claim exclusive ownership of truth. If we reject this claim, then all religious schools teach untruths. If we accept it in the case of one religion, as supporters of religious schools do, logically all the schools belonging to other religions are teaching untruths. Either way, I can think of better uses for my taxes.