Thursday, August 16, 2007

Quebec Mennonite Parents Fear Losing Their Children to Child Services.

Mennonites, Canada's Amish well, not really.

A Mennonite group consisting of about 15 families are forced to relocate because of what they say is a local intolerance of their religion. Child services was threatening to take away children Mennonite children from their homes because the children were not attending government approve schools.

For the school to be legal, the teacher would have to be certified and Quebec's official curriculum would have be taught.

"To do that, we would have to send teachers to schools we don't want to send our children to," Mr. Goossen said.

Community members disapprove of other schools because "we don't agree with the emphasis

on evolution, which we consider false; we don't like the morality standards; and we don't like the acceptance of alternative lifestyles," he said.



Okay, I am not very tolerant of religious beliefs when they are imposed on myself or others. But I feel a little bad for these people even tho they don't want to teach evolution, and think homosexuality is a sin. However, I only feel bad that they are being threatened. But I do believe their children have a right to a proper education (not that any of East Coasters got a proper education. jk.) I know Mennonites from back home who went to school with everyone else. I would assume that their parents taught them that evolution was not part of their religion. One can still learn evolution and reject it (although it's pretty damn hard cause evolution is god damn fact, but that's what they're scared of right)

Obviously, I don't agree raising your children in a censored environment. Which is very much what some of the more extreme Mennonite groups do. Limiting knowledge is just dangerous. Breeding ignorance is dangerous, but that's how religions like these work. Control.

But this is a more extreme group.One of my friends grew up as a Mennonite. She still goes to church but she doesn't follow the more strict teachings, such as the banning of technology.

It's hard, because when religion is involved, you don't want to step on any ones toes. But religions that cause harm have been shut down. So does the limiting of education inflict harm? I would say yes. But taking children away from families..No. There must be some compromise here? Sadly, I don't have an answer. It would be nice if they just sent their kids to school... you know to at least learn tolerance.

2 comments:

Ken said...

This group of Mennonite does not ban technology (they have cars, computers, printers, phones, etc.), it only does not want Government saying what their children should be taught and does not want to be bully into submission under the threat of seeing their children taken away.

Live and let live!

The Frog Queen said...

it's very sad they're being threatened and the children are much better off with their families. But I do agree that there needs to be some regulation in education.