• Education is now optional in Alberta

    01May
    Categories: In the News

    OK, so it’s not law yet, but a new bill is being proposed right now that will allow parents to take their kids out of classes that teach “controversial” subjects like evolution and homosexuality.

    As quoted in the article:

    “The new rules, which would require schools to notify parents in advance of “subject-matter that deals explicitly with religion, sexuality or sexual orientation” is buried in a bill that extends human rights to homosexuals. Parents can ask for their child to be excluded from the discussion.”

    Ok. So why is evolution there? It does not deal explicitly with religion or sexuality. The bill separates evolution from the rest of science as if it was an entirely different subject - fluffy and optional. Not like it is the foundation of biology or anything.

    And what about homosexuality? What is wrong about teaching kids to be tolerant? I rather doubt that educators are telling kids to go home and have gay orgies. It’s just about respecting people for being who they are. Just because a couple of lines in an old book say it’s wrong, that doesn’t mean that the rest of the world should bow to the same ignorance.

    Although I do think parents should have a say in what their kids are being taught, this goes too far. The bill will affect public schools. The government should not be agreeing with the crazy religious people who don’t know a thing about science and just want to pass on their bigotry, unhindered. Evolution is not controversial. Homosexuality should not be controversial. The whole “teach the controversy” is a PR move and the government is just feeding them. It’s ridiculous.

    What if I declare algebra to be against my religion? Would I have the right to take my kid out of math classes?

    Schools should be teaching kids how to think and why they should be tolerant of people who are different from them. Not letting their parents yank them away from reality. Keeping kids in a safe bubble, away from anything that their parents don’t understand, will not solve anything. Kids need to be exposed to ideas that are different from the ones with which they were raised. It’s how we learn how to think.

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