The Forum Research survey also found more than half of Ontario residents — 53 per cent — oppose the public funding of Catholic schools with 40 per cent supportive and 6 per cent unsure.

As the issue of gay-straight alliances dominates debate around new anti-bullying legislation, the poll concluded people are accepting of the anti-homophobia clubs designed to promote tolerance.

Fifty-one per cent agreed that students in publicly funded Catholic schools should be allowed to form clubs under that sometimes contentious name with 28 per cent opposed and 21 per cent undecided.

The GSA issue is big if we can make good use of it. Atheist groups CFI:Canada and the Canadian Secular Alliance cosponsored a rally last weekend yet I found it annoying that all of the focus has been on forcing the Catholic schools to accept GSAs rather than acknowledging the real problem that Catholic schools are funded in the first place.

But since the government is proposing laws that reduce the influence of Catholic beliefs within the separate schools, having the public wonder why we’re keeping the two systems apart is a valid end game. Why attack separate schools on moral or anti-religious grounds when simple economics might do the trick?

via Toronto Star

The Holy See in Rome has dismissed Raymond Lahey from the clerical state in what is one of the most serious penalties that the Roman Catholic Church can impose, the Diocese of Antigonish, N.S., said Wednesday.

The decision means Lahey, a former bishop of Antigonish, can no longer work as a cleric nor preside at any religious services or sacraments.

Caught with child porn in 2009 but the church waits until 2012 to strip him of clerical duties?

I suppose he could have been innocent (ignoring that his diocese already paid $15 million to sexual abuse victims) but the church isn’t known for evidence based decision making so if they cared, they could have expedited the process. More likely they waited until the courts were settled and then rubber stamped the eviction to avoid embarrassment. No need to be hasty and do it sooner, since he could have gotten off on a technicality and the church could have him back to work the next day.

via National Post

That said, when it comes to the kirpan, I think the deciding factor should be: does it represent a significant danger? The simple fact, that it is an unusual religious practice, should not make it a problem.

Toronto police have developed a formal policy allowing Sikhs to bring their ceremonial daggers into courthouses.

The policy, announced Wednesday by the Ontario Human Rights Commission and World Sikh Organization of Canada, contains some conditions, including subjecting anyone with a kirpan to a risk assessment.

Although I don’t much like the idea of the kirpan at all, I’m willing to admit, a risk assessment, as opposed to giving into fear and ignorance, is the better way to go. Kirpans are not all the same. I still don’t like it, but you can stab someone with a sharpened pencil, and do some real damage, if you are so inclined. Accommodation needs to be reasonable, not automatic.

The Jesus and Mo author says,

Eternal, uncreated Word of God it is then.

Jesus is reading In the Shadow of the Sword.

This week, a Queen’s Park committee room became a gathering place for self-styled religious leaders who have railed against GSAs as nests of iniquity. I guess they don’t watch Glee on TV.

They can’t fathom the notion of fellowship clubs where straight kids can commiserate with gay kids about bullying. Instead, they fantasize about homosexual seduction scenes and wild orgies conducted under a teacher’s supervision on school property.

According to Cohn, Charles McVety,, president of Canada Christian College, used the slippery slope argument to appeal to Ontario MPPs:

“GSAs would lead to ‘a radical sex education program.’ And, you know, filthy talk of ‘anal sex and oral sex.’  He used the same old tired argument:

I ask you, I beg of you, not to do this to my daughter and not to do this to my friends’ daughters or sons and not to do this to Ontario’s children. The Bible is a very important document in our society. It does not deserve to be attacked by our government.

Therefore, we ask you respectfully to amend Bill 13. Make it about bullying instead of about bullying people who believe the Bible.

Of course, accusing the Ontario government of attacking the Bible is a red herring, thrown into the debate by McVety.  He implies that the Bible is the only text needed to teach the three Rs.

Politically it may have been suicide considering that now the conservative Christian right has something to rage against – progress, love, kindness, and equality. The religious reaction is interesting though because it has come in two forms – anger and excitement. Obviously no conservative Christian is going to be happy about gay marriage as it would go against everything their antiquated belief system stands for. But at the same time they certainly want this issue front and center as it is the kind of social issue that gets their people politically motivated – again to fight against all forms of progress.

I guess we know now what the 2012 Presidential election will center around and I for one am happy about it. This issue needs to be put to bed and the inevitable (and morally correct) decision needs to be made. It’s time that everyone truly does get treated equally and given equal rights under the law in the USA even if they don’t under Christianity.

The Jesus and Mo author says, “Special thanks go to Cristina Odone for helping with this week’s strip.”

The Dean knows me. She is well aware of the fact that I’m a prominent defender of evolution in the war against creationism. She also knows that I am an atheist who doesn’t shy away from the the conflict between science and atheism. She probably doesn’t know that I’m a strong supporter of the Centre for Inquiry and adviser to the University of Toronto Secular Alliance.

I put posters and banners on the wall outside my door advertising atheist events and I often post articles promoting evolution over creationism and science over religion.1 I’ll be putting up even more posters in the near future since the Faculty of Medicine has decided to send me the very people who need to hear my message.

What can you do with neighbours like this? Have some fun? Bite your tongue and get along? Multifaith centres are always dominated by Muslims so the place should only be busy on Fridays (although Muslims who lobby universities to pay for their space are the types who need to pray five times a day which could get disrupting).

Larry will plaster his doorways with opposing arguments which is probably the best solution although I’d ramp up the passive aggressiveness and fill my entire wall with Extraordinary Claims posters so my new neighbours would get the point. Maybe a giant sign that says ‘KEEP RELIGION OUT OF SCHOOLS, PLEASE’.