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Penguin

  1. Fun tidbits in the Education Act

    by , 07-29-2011 at 12:51 PM
    In the process of doing some research for discussions I was having about the recent protests over Muslim prayer in a Toronto school, I was perusing the Ontario Education Act when I came across these gems:


    Provisions Relating to Public Boards

    [...]
    Same
    (3) A member of the clergy may visit a public school in the area where the member has pastoral charge. 1997, c. 31, s. 27.
    Duties
    Duties of teacher
    264. (1) It is the duty
    ...
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    Uncategorized
  2. Religion's conspicuous absence in this election campaign

    by , 04-29-2011 at 06:03 PM
    With a Canadian federal election just a few days away, I thought I would do a blog post about the role religion has played in the platforms of the parties and the campaigns so far. However, when I went looking for the religion on the campaign trail, I discovered that it was barely to be found.

    All the party leaders have had the obligatory photo-ops at various religious events, but these - such as Ignatieff and Layton's appearances at the Sikh Khalsa Day parade in Toronto - seemed to ...

    Updated 04-29-2011 at 06:25 PM by Penguin

    Categories
    Atheism , ‎ Religion
  3. Apparently, I have a problem with proselytizers

    by , 03-06-2010 at 02:20 AM
    So... this evening at the mall, I was approached by a guy who really wanted two things: to find out what I thought happened when we die, and to give me a pamphlet entitled "The Final Judgement".

    I'm normally a pretty laid-back guy, but I got mad at him. Really mad. Our conversation started with me obviously pissed off and went downhill from there. It finally ended with me telling him that I'd go get mall security if he wouldn't leave me alone.

    I can chalk some ...
    Categories
    Atheism , ‎ Christianity , ‎ Religion
  4. Gripes about our Catholic school system

    by , 02-18-2010 at 01:23 PM
    Okay... I'm generally opposed to the idea that we have a taxpayer-funded religious school system in my province, but a couple of specific things have been really bugging me lately.

    First: when we got our property tax assessment, there was a new form inside... something like this (not my school board's form, but similar). Here's what it's for:
    • legally, property taxes from non-Catholics can't go to Catholic schools. This includes cases where a property is jointly owned by a
    ...

    Updated 02-18-2010 at 03:52 PM by Penguin

    Categories
    Atheism , ‎ Christianity , ‎ Religion
  5. What's Sally Ann got that we don't got?

    by , 12-24-2009 at 01:04 PM
    Every Christmas, when I go to the mall, I get discouraged and a bit angry. It's those red Salvation Army buckets.

    I'm not mad at the Salvation Army, though. I'm mad at you. And me. And all the other non-theists and secularists who have dropped the ball to the extent that this evangelical Christian church has become, in their words (which I suspect are correct), "the largest non-governmental direct provider of social services in Canada".

    The problem I see isn't ...