Talking about value conflicts, Quebec now wants to impose the values of the majorities as “national values” and set secularism as the national religion. Protesters are now hitting the streets against racism. Let me bring my perspective on this.
The government, Pauline Marois, wants to define a Values Charter that would stand right next to the Charter of Rights and Liberties and serve as the foundation for future policies. They say “the state has to be secular” so all visible religious signs and dresses should be prohibited for all state employees. As for the cross above the judge, let’s leave it because it’s part of our folklore.
First, people get really confused about this because there really are two different intentions. One is to impose the values of the majorities onto the minorities to protect the national identity, the other is to have a proper work dress code. They really should split the project between a Charter of Equality and Conformity and a Work Dress Code. This would make the debate much easier.
Many years ago, I thought like them that Atheism was the absence of religion, until I realized skeptics were people who would put everything into question except their own beliefs. My definition of religion is a “fixed set of beliefs and values”. According to that definition, secularism is as much of a religion as Catholicism or any other religion. Some also argue that Secularism is the most closed-minded of all religions.
Values really are something personal and shouldn’t be defined …Read More