On April 24, Premier Brad Wall posted on Facebook his response to the Court of Queen鈥檚 Bench ruling on funding non-Catholic students attending Catholic separate schools, and it was a strong one.
Wall said, 鈥淟ike many Saskatchewan parents and students, I am very disappointed and concerned by the recent court ruling that will force non-Catholic students out of Catholic schools.
鈥淵our government is examining all legal and legislative options to reverse this ruling.鈥�
The next day he posted, 鈥淭he Catholic school boards do not want this. The Good Spirit public school division filed the lawsuit in a local turf war and the resulting judge decision is potentially serious for students across Saskatchewan.
鈥淲e will not let this stand,鈥� Wall concluded.
It struck me, while reading the numerous comments following his April 24 post, what this is really about for the families affect. It鈥檚 not about funding. It鈥檚 about feeling safe as a Christian.
In 21st century Canada, being a Christian is increasingly becoming a subject of persecution. We no longer feel safe to be Christians in our own country, whose national anthem ends in 鈥淕od keep our land, glorious and free!鈥�
We鈥檙e just waiting for that line to be edited out the next time the House of Commons takes a whack at O Canada.
I would venture to say that the majority of families, like our own, who are not Catholics but put their kids in Catholic schools, their reasoning is simple. To us, it is not a 鈥淐atholic鈥� school. It is a 鈥淐hristian鈥� school.
To express conservative Christian views today can be socially or career limiting. Say the wrong thing and you can quickly become a pariah, or even lose your job and the ability to support your family.
In a nation where it was once commonplace to open the school day with the Lord鈥檚 Prayer in public schools, now it is pretty much verboten to even talk of God. Gender issues are now front and centre in the news, media and public life, but if you鈥檙e not sure about New York City identifying 31 different genders, you better keep your mouth shut.
If the idea of killing an unborn child bothers you, you are offside.
When it seems that every other faith, but Christianity, is now afforded respect and deference, you feel under attack. A cartoon of Allah can get you killed, but there is no end to the atrocious disrespect afforded Jesus Christ.
I鈥檝e been to numerous First Nations events which almost uniformly start with an opening prayer. No one today would ever say something negative about that, but if a city council or legislature begins a session with a Christian prayer, they are under attack.
Even something as simple as Christmas is now under attack. 鈥淗appy Holidays, anyone?鈥�
So it is in this context that many Christians in Saskatchewan have been flocking to Catholic schools for their children. It is perhaps the last bastion where we might feel safe in our beliefs and cultural mores.
In a comment in response to Brad Wall鈥檚 post, said, 鈥淲e go to an evangelical church and we send our kids to Catholic school. I like the fact that my kids can talk and sing songs about God. Public schools don't allow any of that. We may believe a bit different but worship and pray to the same God.鈥�
said, 鈥淭he Catholic system being faith based is the only option other than private that still respects Christian beliefs and principles so as non-Catholics, in our experience, was a higher moral, much happier and more respectful environment.鈥�
added, 鈥淪ince the public school system has taken all spiritual beliefs, traditions etc out of the school, many Christians of all denominations want that moral compass and those teachings in their kids鈥� schools. We didn't go the Catholic route but moved out of Saskatoon to a school that still had Christmas concerts and still recited the Lord's Prayer when our kids were young ... and we are Lutheran.鈥�
stated, 鈥淢y daughter is not Catholic but goes to Catholic school because I like that kids can freely talk about God and Jesus without getting suspended. I like that my kids are getting a Christian education. I like that my kids say the Lord鈥檚 Prayer every morning like we used to do at public schools.鈥�
It is simply no longer politically correct to be openly Christian, and say so, in today鈥檚 society.
The election of Donald Trump as president was in no small measure a result of many people saying 鈥淭o hell with that political correctness.鈥�
To be Christian in Canada today is now to have a target on your back. This ruling affirms that.
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Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at [email protected].听
