In today's Post, John Carpay writes an excellent rebuttal to Michael Coren's rather offensively condescending piece taking conservative Christians to task for their "hysterical" reaction to Ontario's new sex-ed curriculum.
Who knew that anyone would have to defend Christians from Michael Coren?
I disagree with Carpay's rebuttal. On being gay, one doesn't need to describe what they do in their bedroom, but since they are part of our society and homophobia has taken a horrible toll on many children, we should teach children about how people can be of different sexual orientations. As for abstinence, when you consider the average age of marriage in Canada is 28 for females and 30 for males, remaining a virgin until marriage is not realistic like it was 50 years ago when most got married straight out of high school.
ReplyDeleteAs for abstinence as teenagers, I agree, but I also understand teenagers sometimes do stupid things so yes encourage abstinence, but if you do have sex use protection to help prevent unwanted pregnancies or STDs. It's sort of like a parent telling their children not to drink before 19, but understand most don't wait until they are 19 and as such promising to come give them a ride home if they are out drinking so they don't get behind the wheel and kill themselves or someone else. Otherwise one needs a sense of realism. In Ontario parents have the right to take their kids out of sex ed if they morally object as well as they can send their child to a private school where it isn't taught.
I disagree with some of your disagreement.
ReplyDeleteJohn Carpay was carping about:
1) Michael Coren's ridiculous insinuations about conservative Christians' record of commitment to human rights and relief of suffering;
2) the government foisting its secular ultra-liberal one-size-fits all morality on everyone. I doubt he's against sex-ed but whatever is done needs to consider the moral views of those who hold views other than the have-at-it-for-fun radical liberal set.
I see you're OK with teaching abstinence to teens. You and Carpay and religious conservatives all agree on that. Have you asked yourself why it is not part of the curriculum? What motivated its exclusion?
Then there's the unmentioned age-inappropriateness of some of curriculum that the more conservative parents are so concerned about.