17 December 2013

Good News From Up North

Up north and far west. Go here to read about the approval of the application of Trinity Western University to add a program in law to their curriculum. This approval by the Canadian Federation of Law Societies (Canada's equivalent to the American Bar Association) isn't the final word but it's an important one. Approval by the government of British Columbia hasn't yet been received but given this success provincial permission shouldn't be far behind.

Why is this arcane academic issue of significance? I've posted before (here and here) on the firestorm of controversy that met the application of a Canadian Christian university to teach law. And why should this be controversial? Essentially because by requiring its students and faculty to abstain from “sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman," TWU is engaging in the "rankest form of discrimination against gays and lesbians" according to its opponents. As if the LGBT community doesn't have a plethora of other universities at which to pursue a law degree. And as if fornication generally isn't a bad idea (and marriage a good one).

Those who bemoan the increasing domination of secularism in the public sphere are not making it up. The privatization of religious (and traditional moral) belief is increasingly urged upon those who venture into the public square. Yet, the door is not shut and those who espouse such beliefs shouldn't lock themselves inside.

No comments:

Post a Comment