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Posted on 02/17/2012 9:20:17 PM PST by Morgana
DUNDAS, Ontario, February 17, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Hamilton-area public school is drawing fire from parents after holding a school-wide gay-straight alliance assembly in November with a guest speaker who tried to convince the audience that biblical teaching on homosexuality is obsolete, archaic and “wrong.”
Parkside High School in Dundas held the assembly Nov. 23, inviting the entire student body of approximately 480 students, in addition to faculty.
The speaker identified herself as a lesbian “youth worship leader” from a synagogue and held herself out to be an authority on Old Testament Scripture, a concerned parent informed LifeSiteNews. The information has been confirmed by at least two other families.
When informed of parents’ concerns, Parkside’s principal Paul Barwinski did not deny the information. “If there are any students or parents that have concerns please have them contact me directly,” he said.
LSN’s source reported that the speaker also sought to discredit the Catholic faith by suggesting that since “the eating of fish on Fridays by Catholics” is no longer adhered to, neither should its beliefs on homosexuality.
In response, Suresh Dominic of Campaign Life Catholics is calling on the McGuinty government to investigate the incident for violations of the Education Act.
The controversy arrives fresh after criticism over Premier Dalton McGuinty’s new anti-bullying legislation, Bill 13, which has been accused of concealing a radical agenda that tramples religious freedom and parental rights. A key element of McGuinty’s bill involves forcing all school boards to permit openly homosexual, student-run GSAs.
“Here’s proof that Bill 13 is not about bullying. Instead, it’s about indoctrinating kids to reject their parents’ beliefs,” said Dominic. “This systemic attack on the Bible will spread throughout Ontario’s secular and Catholic schools unless parents convince MPPs to vote down McGuinty’s so-called ‘anti-bullying bill’.”
The concerned parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, told LSN that she found the incident to be “pure brainwashing. This wasn’t about safety or bullying. This was about discrediting Judeo-Christian beliefs [and] a complete bastardization of Scripture.”
A second parent with children who attended the GSA assembly said that her children reported that “some kids went home crying.” A third source reported that several students who attended the GSA rally “were not happy about what happened.”
Dominic, who will be writing to Education Minister Laurel Broten and the Opposition’s Education Critic to demand an official government inquiry, argues that the GSA presentation contravened three different sections of the Education Act.
He pointed to Section 264.1(c) of the code, which requires teachers “to inculcate by precept and example respect for religion and the principles of Judaeo-Christian morality.”
Dominic also said the Parkside GSA assembly violated Regulation 298, sect 29.1 of the Education Act, which states: “Subject to subsections (2) and (3), a board shall not permit any person to conduct religious exercises or to provide instruction that includes indoctrination in a particular religion or religious belief in a school.”
Finally, said Dominic, “The GSA assembly contravened section 51.1 and 51.2 of the Education Act (R.S.O. 1990), on Religious Education, because a public school is not permitted to present religious education that would reasonably be expected to violate the desires of parents.”
“The GSA assembly presenter was clearly attempting to indoctrinate the students in a particular and peculiar interpretation of Bible passages, and to encourage them to reject a contrary interpretation taught by the Catholic Church,” Dominic told LifeSiteNews.
“In fact, the presenter inculcated disrespect and some might say, hatred, towards the Catholic faith and the Bible. Premier McGuinty and his Education Minister cannot ignore this. Individuals must get fired,” he added.
To respectfully express concerns, contact the following:
1. Education Minister Laurel Broten (Liberal) Email: lbroten.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org Phone: 416-259-2249 Constituency office: 100-701 Evans Ave., Etobicoke, M9C 1A3
2. Education Critic Elizabeth Witmer (Progressive Conservative) Email: elizabeth.witmerco@pc.ola.org Phone: 519-725-3477 Constituency office: 375 University Ave E., Waterloo, N2K 3M7
3. Premier Dalton McGuinty Email:dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org Phone: 613-736-9573 Constituency office: 1795 Kilborn Ave, Ottawa, K1H 6N1
4. Tim Hudak, Leader of the Opposition Email:tim.hudakco@pc.ola.org Phone: 905-563-1755 Constituency office: M1-4961 King St E., Bearnsville, L0R 1B0
5. MPP for your riding. Find their contact info here.
6. Catholic Bishops of Ontario contact info can be found here.
7. Trustees page of the Hamilton Went school board here
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
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It is amazing how people claiming to be “Christians” or “Jewish” can so easily ignore the Old and New Testaments. Sodom and Gomorrah are twisted into a lesson about “lack of hospitality” (I’ve heard that from pro-gay freaks), and even Jesus turning water into wine has been spun so that is was actually grape juice (I’ve heard that from teetotalers). A whole array of “documentaries” has been created to twist the Bible, and it is successful; people are stupid enough to believe something is true because it was on TV.
Looks like she hasn’t made the correlation between the start of Lent and the McDonald’s Filet of Fish commercials running ad nauseum.
If I wasn’t on a steady mid day diet of Raisin Bran Crunch. I would be eating the fish filet of the lunch truck this Friday. Who is she to speak for me?
Where did she get the idea that there is a Canon Law that says we MUST eat fish on Friday?
She it probably referring to the fact that it was observed year-round in the past.
I’m not holding my breath for anything a non-Christian is going to tell me about my religion, even more so if they don’t abide by the tenets of their own religion. They can make up whatever they want, but no valid religion has to accept them or their teachings. In fact, no “serious” religion would even let this deviant into it’s buildings.
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