I was astonished by the misdirected points and assumptions displayed in the recent letter, written by Art Seger, entitled “Time to enjoy the celebrations of others,” and encourage him to re-read my original letter of Dec. 2. The original thrust of that letter detailed the very real biases against conservatives, traditionalists and Christians in our school system, something I became repeatedly aware of during my 19 year career as a high school teacher in the Cowichan Valley.
His letter missed the mark completely. The point is not that beliefs are personal. How could they be anything else? The point is that public expression of those beliefs should not be suppressed, especially if an overwhelming majority of those in attendance wish to express them. Yet the suppression of free speech, especially that of Christians and traditional conservatives, is exactly what is happening in our schools, and is a direct violation of our Charter rights and freedoms.
Don’t believe me? When I was a teacher, students told me they had been expressly ordered that they were not to use decorations that stated “Merry Christmas.”in decorating the main entrance to our school. My principal refused to put Merry Christmas on the public announcement board of our school. That same principal, when describing the location of a school choral concert refused to use the term “church” in case a parent was offended, but instead used the term “little red building behind us.” Even the linguistically accurate term “church” was apparently offensive because of its Christian connotations. This is clearly oppressive and ridiculous.
In one well known district case school teachers and officials were subjected to harassment and persecution by an individual who was “offended” by teachers and their use of Christmas decorations, resulting in mental duress and leaves of absence. This case is notorious in the district, and led to a change in district policy in dealing with the apparently “offensive” use of Christmas greetings and decorations.
When do we stop bowing to radical minorities and special interest groups and reaffirm our right to celebrate holidays and express ourselves as we wish? If Christmas celebrations offend individuals attending concerts, as David Lowther stated in describing his “trauma” in dealing with repeated “offensive” renditions of ‘Little Drummer Boy’, then they are free to get up and leave the performance. The vast remainder of the audience are probably delighted to hear their children perform.
The logical fallacies and misdirected points in both Mr. Seger’s and Mr. Lowther’s letters are astonishing. Mr. Seger states “…expecting others to believe as you do is not right.” Tell that to the Freedom From Religion Foundation in America that regularly intimidates school boards and city councils into removing Christian references and Christmas decorations by threatening legal action they know local authorities cannot afford to fight back against. Tell that to the current Liberal government whose Bill C-16 provisions stipulate a potential two year prison sentence for statements and sentiments they find “offensive” or “abhorrent” according to their value system. Who are the people, in these instances, who expect others to believe as they do, and force them to comply?
As stated in my Dec. 2 letter the situation is the exact opposite of what both Mr. Seger and Lowther have described. If I attend a district function I am forced to listen to a native prayer, I will not hear a Christian one, nor is it deemed fair play to include it or promote any other point of view than a left wing liberal progressive perspective. Is the inclusion of Christmas part of our history and heritage? I am astonished that anyone would doubt it.
Millions of Canadians clearly remember celebrating Christmas concerts every year and some even remember reciting the Lord’s prayer.
Apparently they were all so traumatized they were unable to continue with their lives afterwards. Canada was founded on a set of beliefs clearly rooted in Judeo Christian ethics.
The attempt to revise history and deny this is contemptible.
“Be Happy all the time?” Not while I live in the kind of place where faith and free expression are crushed under the boot of political correctness.
Perry Foster
Duncan
