A publicly-funded Christian school in Canada told in mid-June not to teach Bible passages which could be deemed ‘offensive’ said its religious freedom is under attack.
Cornerstone Christian Academy, in Alberta, was told that certain passages can ‘denigrate or vilify’ LGBT people. An email sent by its funding body – Battle River School Division (BRSD) – states that ‘any scripture that could be considered offensive to particular individuals should not be read or studied’.
The school previously acquiesced to a ‘directive’ to remove a section of 1 Corinthians mentioning sexual immorality from its statement of faith. It felt that the change was a compromise, made out of ‘respect of the relationship’ it had with the trustees. However, after it agreed to drop the Bible reference, this latest request was made.
Human rights legislation
A spokesman for BRSD said it felt compelled to make the demand after a change to Canadian human rights legislation. If the school and BRSD are unable to reconcile their differences, Cornerstone will have to find a new board to access funding.
