Municipalities and Religion

Fortunately, most nations of the western world have maintained a clear separation between church and state. We see many nations where lack of that separation causes many problems for both the quality of governance as well as for religion.

At the more local levels - school boards, county and municipal councils - the process of separation has been at times a contentious issue, and in a few instances there remain a few vestiges of the old links between the civic and faith realms. The elimination of scripture readings and the Lord's prayer from public school classrooms has been achieved, although we continue to hear a few individuals complain about the change - in most cases because they do not really understand the reason for it.

A few years ago I was asked to speak at an in camera session of a county council (not Huron County). I was shocked when the meeting was opened with everyone being asked to rise and repeat the "Our Father". I can imagine the commotion that would arise if someone on that elected body were to make a motion that this practice be eliminated, yet it is clear to me that such a motion is long overdue.

Here is my reasoning.

County councils, like all municipal councils, are created to serve their entire community. To maintain a tradition of opening each meeting with a Christian ritual is a clear signal that this court is giving special and discriminatory recognition of a group of people of a particular religious tradition. All other religious groups are thereby diminished in the status they enjoy within that community. The situation also suggests that "this council is not prepared to welcome non-Christians as members of this body even if they are elected by their community".

We live in a pluralistic society made up of people from many faiths as well as those who follow no religion, and our laws and charters guarantee that none of us should be discriminated against for the orientation choice that we make. Those who do not subscribe to the religion "favoured" by their local government may well feel that they are regarded as a sub-class of citizens.

I am proud of the fact that most Canadians have accepted the separation of religion and governance in most regions and in most respects, and they understand the reasons for supporting this ideal. Many years ago working in other parts of Ontario, I experienced many heated debates on these matters, but those days have passed. Today virtually everyone understands and accepts the nature of our current society. They understand that the debate was not a pro-church versus anti-church debate, but rather a move to eliminate significant signs of religious intolerance in our local government operations.