More Mark Driscoll/Mars Hill BS--Church Discipline Contracts

[2xx1xy1JD]

What you linked to is a job application to teach in a Catholic school.

It's the priest reference form that job applicants to my local publicly-funded Catholic school board are required to have completed.

[NurseNell]

It's the priest reference form that job applicants to my local publicly-funded Catholic school board are required to have completed.

It boggles my mind that Catholic schools are publicly funded. Most of our Catholic schools don't require staff to be Catholic. My kids' 5th grade teacher was Jewish. Several of their teachers were lesbians, who lived with partners.

[holierthanyou]

With respect, I think portraying the Canadian Separate/Catholic School system as identical to a public school is rather misleading without explaining the history behind it.

I might not love the fact that the government funds two school systems, one of which is Catholic, but I think it is dangerous ground (and it is usually those groups and demographics which hold the least power who tend to get screwed over the most when this happens) for the government to ignore past treaties. (just think of all the times First Nations groups have got screwed over by the government again and again in the last 20 years alone with the breaking of historical treaties deemed no longer relevant, or all of a sudden being 'interpreted' differently- always to the detriment of First Nations rights)

[2xx1xy1JD]

With respect, I think portraying the Canadian Separate/Catholic School system as identical to a public school is rather misleading without explaining the history behind it.

I might not love the fact that the government funds two school systems, one of which is Catholic, but I think it is dangerous ground (and it is usually those groups and demographics which hold the least power who tend to get screwed over the most when this happens) for the government to ignore past treaties. (just think of all the times First Nations groups have got screwed over by the government again and again in the last 20 years alone with the breaking of historical treaties deemed no longer relevant, or all of a sudden being 'interpreted' differently- always to the detriment of First Nations rights)

Thought I mentioned it, but in case I wasn't clear:

The British North America Act of 1867 (aka the Canadian Constitution) said that the government in each province had to establish separate Protestant and Catholic schools in each province. In 1867, those were the main religious groups (not counting First Nations, since their needs weren't considered). At the time, it was a way to recognize that one province was primarily French Catholic, and to protect religious minorities in each province.

The Charter of Rights only became part of the Canadian Constitution in 1982. Since it came later, it couldn't be used to overturn the pre-existing rights of Catholic schools.

Eventually, the Protestant schools started to morph into public schools since they accepted kids from all religious backgrounds (although my school day started with the Lord's Prayer until I started high school in 1985). The Catholic schools stayed fiercely Catholic.

Several provinces went through the process of getting Constitutional amendments to opt out of the separate schools requirement. The government of Ontario has chosen not to do so, believing that it would be political suicide.

Instead, the government of Ontario has actually expanded the rights of Catholic schools. Originally, funding was only to grade 10. Premier Bill Davis expanded it to all of high school. In addition, the Catholic system was once funded exclusively by those who indicated they were separate-school supporters on their taxes. The government now funds both systems equally.