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, w mp Published every Wednesday By 677209 Ontario mic. Phone: 668-6111 e VOICE OF THE COUNTY TOWN e& A Doug Anderson Publisher TheFree Press Building 131Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. Maurîce Plfher Maurice Plfher Editor Peter Irvine Advertising Manager Alexandra Simon Production Manager hh.~ The only Whitby newspaper Independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. There has been considérable comment made by Christian leaders ôn the removal of the Lord's Prayer within the Whitby areaSome areaccepting, reluctantly; some are extremely disappointed. The nature of the comments has, in some cases, been quite extreme and, we think, somewhat intolerant of the diverse personality of the nation. It is surprising that Christian leaders can display so Jittle love for their fellow man. We are no longer a "Judeo Christian" society; we are no longer all white, Anglo Saxon and Protestant (or Catholic, for that matter). To have Canadians of other faiths, no matter how long they 'have been in the country, observe a prayer that meansbnothing or is offensive to them, is to deny them their citizenship and their rightful and equal place in Canadian society. Praver without belief is an empty rhyme; and does d a ea Good decision not make children who repeat the phrases into Christians, or make them morally upright. We court's decision recognizes the diversity of The Whitby Jail and allied correctional services' open house was a positive step toward education about correctional institutions and organizations. However, only those allied with correctional and related services, the press, local dignitaries and a few select members of the public were invited to come. Some of the people attending the information faiths in Canada, for its recognition of non-Christianst as full citizens with equal religious riahts. The Ontario Ministry of Education'5 credo, adopted Monday by -the Durham Board çf Education, to replace the Lord's Prayer is a multiculturally sensitive means of recognizing the moral values of every Canadian. session may have already been aware of what the jail and correctional services are doing . We think that the open house is an excellent opportunity to educate the public about the jai1 and put to rest the many misconceptions that surround correctional services. Next year, an open invitation to the public would be a further step in the right direction. LETTERS FROM OUR READERS Reason to favor decision to remove Lords Prayer I respectov aned"appreitou To the Editor: Your Wednesday, Sept. 28 edition of The Free Press included an interesting article entitled "Local clergy dismayed at decision to eliminate school prayer" by Debbie Luchuk. As a pastor, I, too, reflect on this and I am not all that surprised nor shocked by the decision to remove "The Lord's Prayer" from the classroom. I tend to agree with the decision for the following reasons: 1. It is honest. Our public schools are public and need to be available to all. That is the simple reality of a pluralistic society with a public school system. No favoritism should be shown to Christians by starting with "The Lord's Prayer," something uniquely special to the Christian faith. 2. More importantly, according to the Scriptures (from which "The Lord's Prayer" comes), it is offensive to God to have people pray to Him out of mere ritual, custom or habit. It is offensive to Him to have people rattle off a prayer to the God in whom they do not really believe. And it is discriminatory to ask a child of Hindu parents to pray or worship the Christians' God. 3. It is deceptive to think that just because a school began the day with a 30-second prayer, it is therefore Judeo Christian in its overall perspective. The Christian faith encompasses all of life in a very deep way. The fulfilment of Christian responsibilities in education is not met through a quick, rote prayer. Reciting "The Lord's Prayer" repetitiously can easily give that impression to our children and youth. I personally detest religiosity and rote ritual. No compassion shown Dear Editor: I would like to answer the letter by M. Managhan (Free Press, Sept. 28.). I agree that people who are reaching 65 should have some assets, and I am glad that he is so fortunate. You seem to lack compassion for others, sir. My husband's first wife was sick for 20 years with many operations and hospital visits. He had no medical plan, or assistance during that time, and he also had a daughter to look after. My husband was fortunate as he worked with the same comapany for 35 years, therefore receiving not only their pension, but old-age pension as well. Many people have changed jobs over the years and therefore do not have "company pensions." I am 11 years younger than my husband. However, I happen to be a diabetic and have a heart condition so I am also his dependant. Consequently, a large part of our income is spent on me for medicine, etc. Do you consider these luxuries? I brought up seven children, didn't work outside the home long enough to receive any pensions, and was also un- fortunate enough to have been married to a man who never kept a permanent job. We have a friend who is 96 years old, a veteran of both wars and he survives on $706 monthly. We thank God every day for what we do have. Many senior citizens are "poor," even though you may not think so. Sincerely Patricia Gales Whitby It creates hypocrites, something neither churches nor schools should do. 4. Too often, prayer is used to call people to order. In the classroom it can easily be used to signify, "This is the beginning of officiai class time. Settie down." What then is the solution? A diversity of schools, all of which meet basic academic standards, but each of which is encouraged to reflect its own religious perspective. It creates good alternatives - something very desirable in a pluralistic society - and a good measure of competition to assure a constant challenge to all to improve the overall quality of education. This would benefit our entire society. Of ' course, it would mean somehow equality in funding and support would have to be created. This has been rigidly opposed in "pluralistic minded" Ontario. I respect and appreciate our Roman Catholie neighbors. They have developed their own schools in which they are able to present quality educational programs integrating their own religious perspective. I arn jealous of them, they have a fully (provincially) financed program. I see other Christiân schools doing the same thing but at great cost and SEE PAGE 8 We need 3rd mayoral candidate To the editor: I am writing in response to disgruntled citizen Lanny Cook's letters last week. It seems he's delighted that Mr. Emm ap- parently has the proper equipment to successfully chal- lenge Mr. Attersley for the mayor's job. I'm sorry to report to Mr. Cook that either one of these candidates would not hesitate to sell him and his neighbors down the river. If Mr. Cook doesn't believe me, then he should take a drive behind the A&P mail on Thickson Rd. to inspect our last council's legacy. Then he should consider how the poor people in the original houses feel every time they gaze into the many apartment windows that tower over their houses, only 100 feet away. These people paid a premium when they bought their houses because of the nice view. Well, the view is not so nice now and both Mr. Emm and Mr. Attersley had an equal share in that exercise of stupidity. Furthermore Mr. Cook, they would do the same to you if it suited their fancy. If you think Mr. Emm can lead you to the promised land you desire, you are mistaken. He's no. different than the rest of the "good old boy" network that currently sit on council. We would be well rid of the whole lot. What Whitby needs for mayor is a fresh third candidate who, does not give in so easily to developers, social crusaders, the media, or any combination thereof. Yours very truly Lariy Dancey Whitby 't. PORT WHITB PRESENT FUTUPE? LETTERS The Whitby Free Press welcomes letters to the Editor on any subject of concern to our readers. Letters should be brief and to the point - rarely more than 300 words. All letters must be accompanied by the name, address and phone number of the writer; however, on request, your name may be withheld from publication if we agree that there is a valid reason. The paper reserves the right to reject or edit all letters. Send to: The Editor, Whitby Free Press, Box.206, Whitby, Ontario LiN 5S1 or drop through our mailslot at 131 Brock St. N. Make information sessions more open rt%%-rri %jp , V'V Ml ID 1 M rmdjrd ririmoo, YY A %,P"JLj.b W, 1%