Editor: Once again I feel it my civic duty to rebuke yet another of Jim McGregor’s opinion pieces, Not a time to give up (The Times, Sept. 11).
His latest column makes it once again clear, his desire to push his personal religion on the rest of us.
He starts off by mentioning a religiously motivated attack (9/11) and continues on to say how bibles in the schools forcibly placed among “our impressionable youth” would make for better world citizens and result in world peace.
Surely I cannot be the only one to see the irony and fallacy in this statement. Put as many bibles or other holy texts from whatever religion, in as many desk drawers in your own house as you wish.
I’ll gladly defend his right to do that, however stop trying to push it into my child’s education.
Teaching children comparative religion is one thing, brainwashing “impressionable youth,” to use his own words, is a travesty that I will not stand for.
I have two children who will be encouraged to think critically and, just as importantly, for themselves.
What students and youth don’t need are more dogmatic religions shoved down their throats.
I believe in parents’ rights to teach their kids their family’s traditions and customs, and if that involves using morality tales (from a number of sources preferably), that’s fine.
But Mr. McGregor doesn’t want that. He wants his personal religion to be followed by everyone else.
It’s not just enough for him to follow, or his friends and family, but to indoctrinate children at such an age where critical thinking hasn’t been learned yet is the definition of immoral.
This attitude that morality and ethics are solely the domain of religion is outdated and antiquated to the point of scoffing at such an ironic piece of writing as his latest article.
I’m all for Mr. McGregor’s underlying message of our common humanity’s plight, and in banding together as citizens of this single and only planet that we inhabit as a species in the vastness of space and to all work together in making the world a better place for every single person on it, as well as for the future generations to come.
However, as we learned on Sept. 11th, 2001, sometimes religion can cause divisiveness and creates more problems than it claims to solve.
Which religion, if any at all, is the right and true one?
The men who murdered 3,000 people on a September day 14 years ago, thought that by killing innocent men, women and children, they would be rewarded with eternal rewards and earn their place in paradise.
This idea is not mutually exclusive to Islam either.
Christianity, like most other religions, has had a sordid history of immoral and terrible injustices done in it’s name.
Instead of putting Bronze Age fables into my two sons’ curriculum, why not teach them about the plight of children their own age in refugee camps on the other side of the world.
Or why not a community cleanup field trip day?
Encourage students to participate in international exchange programs to learn about different cultures first hand.
Let’s put our minds to it and I’m sure we could think of some even better, more effective solutions to teaching kids to be active, caring global citizens.
Canadians and Americans are becoming more irreligious in every pew poll and scientific study that comes out and crime rates are at all-time lows in both our countries, despite what Fox News or other fear mongers would have us believe.
Life spans are increasing for everyone in North America and every other first world country around the globe.
Infant mortality rates are also at all time lows and the quality of life for almost everyone is going up.
Let’s encourage these same statistics in less fortunate countries and continents worldwide in ways such as education, healthcare, women’s rights and ending poverty once and for all.
So please keep your private religious beliefs to yourself, Mr. McGregor. If it makes you a better person, I couldn’t be happier for you.
There is plenty of religious literature out there for inquisitive young minds.
Yes, let’s all make the world a better place, but it is my duty as a father and conscionable, secular citizen to prevent the nonsense Jim McGregor would have us believe would solve all our problems, from entering our publicly funded schools.
Zak Graham,
Langley
