“My teacher said the Catholic Church has changed its teaching about masturbation. They say it’s healthy now.”
A sweet high school girl said this to me after hearing a chastity talk at her school. She wasn’t trying to get a laugh from her classmates. She was genuinely confused.
My little sister came home from school one day with a similar story. Her religion teacher had told his class about the time he and his 3-year old daughter saw a same-sex couple at the mall and he took the opportunity to teach his daughter that same-sex unions are good.
The problem is not simply a few rogue teachers. Actually at this point, the “rogue” teachers are the ones who do present the truth.
I’ve personally talked with teachers who have been reprimanded for bringing students to the March for Life, for presenting authentic Church teaching about sexuality, and for even having too many Christian posters on the walls of their religion classrooms.
Why?
The school board is greatly influenced by parent feedback, and right now the loudest voices are the liberal ones.
When misguided parents complain about their kids being taken away to the March for Life, the school board concludes that everyone wants ‘Cafeteria Catholicism’. So they oppose faithful teachers and support the politically correct ones.
That is the situation we are facing. More specifically, that is the world your child is facing every day at school.
Here are 3 things you can do about this:
1. Give feedback to the teachers and to the school board: You can contact the school board from their religion department page .) Build a positive relationship with them by thanking them every time a Mass is celebrated at school, a canned food drive is organized, and definitely if your child is taken to the March for Life. They’ll be more willing to hear you out when they’re considering inviting a pro-choice guest speaker.
2. Suggest great resources for the classroom.
3. Become more influential by joining the school’s parent council, the School Board Parent Association, or by supporting PAFE.
Addendum: Ontario Catholics: please sign this petition telling OECTA to pull out of Pride Parade on June 29th and (just as important) pass it on.
Also: PAFE's facebook page.