Justin Trottier Globe and Mail Column on Lord’s Prayer at Queen’s Park
May 12, 2008
Globe and Mail Online - a final reminder to follow the debate and contribute questions and comments
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080507.wfaithmay2008/BNStory/specialComment/home
The Premiere should be commended for calling on a re-evaluation of
reciting the Lord's Prayer at legislative meetings and inviting
comments from everyone spanning atheists to Buddhists. He understands
that like the tradition of denying voting rights to women or equality
rights to non-whites, some exclusionary traditions no longer reflect
the values of Ontario.
The Premiere acknowledged the changing demographics of Ontario
and this includes the fact that atheists and humanists now account for
18%. The business of running our province is based on MPPs
representing the views of constituents in their ridings, including
their deep variety of beliefs or lack of belief.
In responding to the numbers game some have stated that the majority
of our province is still Christian. Yet the Charter protects
minorities from the tyranny of the majority. If a majority of the
province being Christian justifies the Lord's Prayer, why not allow
bosses to call employees to prayers at the start of the workday, bus
drivers to welcome travelers on board with a prayer or salespeople to
end every sale with a short thanks to the Almighty. Religious
traditions have their time and place, and if they are inappropriate at
work, at school, in public transit and public malls, then they surely
are in the Legislature, the seat of representative public power where
one and all are welcome equally and without prejudice.
According to the Charter no one should be forced to a religious
belief they do not hold. By demanding that parliamentarians
participate in prayer or make their minority views public by leaving,
they are being forced to make an impossible choice. Stay and be
self-aware of their hypocrisy. Leave and risk the prejudice of the
parliament.
There is a larger issue here concerning the real meaning of
multiculturalism. The assumption that only those who believe in some
higher power ought to be included in multicultural considerations is
offensive. Rather than finding unity through diversity, this illusion
of tolerance is founded on the need to find something we all have in
common. This is not true tolerance and any prayer that continues
invoking any deity will fail to achieve the noble goal of full
inclusion.
What is the solution? It is not keeping the Lord's Prayer but
adding a slew of new religious prayers. This is not the meaning of
multiculturalism to Ontarians, as indicated by the public's resounding
defeat of the Conservative proposal to fund additional faith-based
schools. Polls showed 70% of the public wanting one secular public
school system, excluding our anachronistic public Catholic schools.
The same holds true here. We should remove all religious prayers or
statements of faith.
To mark the significance of the occasion, how about a civic
pledge, in the form of a mission statement? This daily reminder of
duty could be interpreted individually and anonymously as either a
religious oath before god or a secular affirmation, like the choice at
the ballot box. A pledge to the electorate, who truly vest our MPPs
with their power and responsibility, would make more sense.