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70 THE OSHAWA TIMES, Fridey, June 30, 1961 School Religion Issue Stirs Up North York By CARL MOLLINS Canadian Press Staff Writer An explosive debate over the teaching of religion in public schools has stirred the Toronto suburb of North York where Jews, Unitarians and secular citizens groups are ranged against Protestant church lead- ers and Ontario education regu- lations. The controversy is matched on a more subdued note in Quebec where a new movement. of French-speaking intellectuals is campaigning for the estab- lishment of non - sectarian schools alongside the Roman Catholic and Protestant school systems. Late last year in Calgary, Unitarians and Jews petitioned the local school board without success for the elimination of religion classes. The issue of whether religious education has any place in state schools recurs in com- munities with mixed racial or religious background, which is to say most of Canada. A Cross-Canada Survey by The Canadian Press shows that most provinces have faced the issue with some system of com- promise between the extremes of compulsory religious teach- ing and none at all. NONE IN B.C. All 10 provinces permit Bible reading and recitation of the Lord's Prayer at daily school Christianity to classes 80 per cent Jewish. URGED REVISION Protests against compulsory religious teaching in Ontario be- gan almost as soon as it was introduced in 1944 by George Drew, then education minister as well as premier. The Hope royal commission on education in Ontario heard submissions against religious! instruction from the Canadian |Jewish Congress in 1945 but recommended in its 1950 report] that classes be retained. i The commission agreed with | a congress suggestion that On- tario's teaching guide books should be revised to weed out "misrepresentations'" such as: "In the East . . . no insistence on truth or personal integrity is made." But most offending statements have survived sub- sequent revision. In the last decade North York | Jews have been joined by Uni-| tarians, Seventh - day Advent-| ists, the Ethical Education As-| sociation and other groups in| pressing for exemption of local schools from the program. to the township director of education, to the local home and school council, the North York school board, back to the director and to the board again. | They were opposed by the| North York Ministerial Associ-| ation, representing 45 churches church and state should be separate to protect freedom of conscience. Others argue that Christianity is part of Canada's heritage, that most Canadians are Christians and that religion therefore has a place in public schools. FEAR BIAS Opponents of public religious teaching say that while regula- tions call for objectivity and non-sectarian teaching, the in- structions must be colored by the beliefs of the teacher and the guide books themselves, one of which states the aim of the course as "acceptance of the historic Christian faith." Advocates of religion in schools maintain that a child's right to exempiton from classes in religion means 'the con- science rights of minorities are fully safeguarded." Opponents counter that this sets up di- visions among children and may cause the exempted child to feel "confused, hurt and re- jected." The arguments are being echoed in Quebec by the 600- strong Mouvement laic de langue Francaise French-Lan- guage Lay Movement) which urges a "neutral," not religious sector in the provincial school system. But Premier Jean Lesage re- plied in a speech May 30 that the Quebec government will never be 'an accomplice of the propagation of atheism." In British Columbia, on the other hand, the Chant royal commission on education last December rejected the idea of religious instruction, saying that "no comprehensive pro- gram of religious instructior could be devised which would satisfy all faiths." Education authorities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island believe their system of permitting after- hours religious instruction is the best workable compromise. They point to the absence of any major controversy as proof. 17.Y They have taken their case § KLE 2 SORRY, NO | PHONE OR MAIL ORDERS ONE UNIT PER A CUSTOMER Money On These HOLIDAY WEEKEND FROM 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. SATURDAY JULY 1st Sankyo LOOK! 4 x 10 POWER FIELD GLASSES Made in Germany Reg. 10.00 HOLIDAY SPECIAL WITH CASE MOVIMAT UNIVERSAL SLIDE TRAYS or Bel owell, Keystone, 20¢ opening exercises. Provision in provincial laws for formal classes in religion varies across the country. Quebec law calls for religious instruction from kindergarten to Grade VII in both Catholic and Protestant public schools. At the opposite pole, "no re- ligious dogma or creed shall be taught" in British Columbia schools. in the area. LATE-DAY CLASSES | : | doa k The new Sankyo Movimat incorpor- Authorities introduced a com-| \ | 3 yi ates all the very latest and best fea- promise in five North York] tures of a top quality movie camera, schools with Jewish majorities It has hand-wound spring motor spool whereby religious classes were | three lens utrret conversion style. to be held in the last half hour The lenses are 13 mm. fl.8 fixed of the day instead of first thing focus, 6.5 mm. fl.8 fixed focus and in the morning. Vain efforts] 25 mm, fl.8 adjustable focus, It were made to extend the com- has a completely Autornigtic intsrioglc ing exposure meter an iaphragm. promise to all schools in the Built-in UV filter on the standard township. lens. Kodak A.O. T.D.C., etc. Reg. 75¢ Maritime schools may be used for classes in religion but only outside regular school hours. In Manitob a, Saskat- chewan and Newfoundland it is left to individual school boards to decide. In Ontario and Alberta re- ligion is part of the curriculum. Any Alberta school board may drop religion on its own. An Ontario board seeking exemp- tion must apply to the provin- cial departmen' and renew the request annually. The North York dispute hinges on the presence of a large Jewish community distri- buted so that some teachers found themselves teaching ADOPT CODE WASKESKIU, Sask. (CP) -- The Retail Merchants Associa- tion of Canada adopted a na- tional code of ethics Wednes- day at the annual executive con- vention here. The code will be implemented voluntarily, Gen- eral Manager David A. Gilbert of Toronto said the code is de- signed to promote integrity in business and to curb the ele- ments of false advertising, mis- representation, price manipula- The North York board agreed last spring to distribute a questionnaire asking the opinion of parents on religious instruc- tion in general and particularly at what time it should be given The Canadian Jewish Congress and Ethical Education Associ- ation charged that the question- naire was "misleading" and "confusing." While the campaign to abolish | such as the North York Parents' Committee for a Fair Religious] Education Program have step- ped into the arena in an attempt to find a compromise. Debate centres chiefly on] such issues as whether religion | in public schools is consistent with democracy, whether such ideal of objectivity and how a religious education continues, |§ groups of Christians and Jews @ instruction can ever achieve the |§ All your Tackle at your fingertips with this handy all steel Tackle Box. 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