Canadian Jewish Congress Objects to Distribution of Bibles in Public Schools

April 26, 2006

Source: Canadian Jewish News

[cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=9068]

On April 26, 2006 the Canadian Jewish News reported, "Canadian Jewish Congress has added its voice to parents’ objections that the Gideon Society’s distribution of Christian Bibles to students in a Vancouver-area public school system is inappropriate. The Gideon Society, a lay association of Christians, has offered free Bibles to Grade 5 students across Canada since the 1940s, and in the Richmond School District since at least the 1960s. But last month, a handful of parents objected to Richmond’s school trustees, saying the distribution of the Bibles is inappropriate in a school system populated by children of many religions and denominations. Typically, 50 students in the district’s 38 elementary schools request a Bible in any given year, while the rest pass on the offer, said Richmond School District superintendent Bruce Beairsto. In an interview with the Richmond Review, school board chair Linda McPhail said the Bibles are not handed out to students. Parents who want their children to receive one must fill out a form that the board includes in newsletters, and return it to their child’s school... Nevertheless, CJC is against it. 'We don’t see that there’s any benefit in not communicating a very firm boundary when it comes to the public school system and the ability of certain denominations to effectively proselytize,' said Mark Weintraub, chair of Canadian Jewish Congress’ Pacific region. 'A position which is not firm will encourage the most aggressive religions to promote their particular sacred texts.'"