Dear editor,
I have read the articles in which two parents have denounced the Lord’s prayer in the French Immersion classroom in Wetaskiwin. I was raised in a community of French residents and know that the French Assumption Church is a huge part of the French culture and the Lord’s prayer is a very important part of their school structure. If you are sending your children to a French immersion environment, it would be an insult not to understand the French culture in full.
Now these two souls are going after other public schools staying that the Lord’s prayer be excluded from all classes. Hopefully as parents, we teach our children to respect the religion and culture of others. If a parent does not want their child to recite the Lord’s prayer or partake in other Christian functions, it is their right not to do so and the responsibility and caring of others to respect their choice.
I am a Christian and very proud to be one and would fight for my right to say so. If two people can denounce the right to our faith and we do nothing about it, we are going down a very slippery path. Complacency is what causes many nations to fall. Without our right to our Christian beliefs, what kind of Canada will take its place? We are getting far too politically correct and it is ruining our nation. You can’t please everyone. You end up pleasing no one.
Did you know that a few parents complained and now all Christian Christmas songs in many schools are banned from Christmas concerts allowing only winter songs and here comes Santa etc.? Because of an archaic definition of Halloween, there are no more Halloween parties in a number of schools simply because the schools and even the school boards have caved to these demands. These children love to dress up as princesses and their favorite action hero and have fun but no….. I have seen parents of many cultures buying Christmas wrap and gifts for their children and allowing them to dress up for a School Halloween party. One Muslim father smiled and told me his daughter just wanted to be a princess. I witnessed other Muslims being a part of the Halloween evening by handing out candy in their neighborhoods. Why are you taking children’s enjoyment away and not allowing emigrants to learn about our Canadian culture? In my granddaughter’s school, the gym was one big party and each class paraded around the gym to show off their costumes. There was dancing and music and fun and games during the afternoon. Even those without costumes enjoyed the fun and the candy as much as the others.
In the Edmonton Sun, Prime Minister Trudeau was quoted as saying, “Canada has no core identity”. This is a prime example of arrogance or ignorance because he is wrong. Among other traits, part of our Canadian core identity is that we are a nation founded by Christians and we still uphold its values and morals within our laws.
As you can tell by this letter, I am miffed. Not because two women stood up to the majority but because of all those who remain silent. These are our public schools and it is our responsibility as parents to stand up against neutrality or political correctness. God help us all, if we remain silent.
Brenda Shantz,
County of Wetaskiwin