In Canada, a Christian school has been ordered by a public school board to refrain from reading or studying “any scripture that could be considered offensive.”
Cornerstone Christian Academy in Kingman, Alberta, has been ordered by the Battle River School Division (BRSD) to refrain from reading or studying portions of the Bible that the board says might contravene Alberta’s human rights legislation. Included are passages from the New Testament that speak against fornication, adultery, idolatry, and witchcraft.
The Christian school was incorporated in 1986 as a ministry of Cornerstone Evangelical Baptist Church. It belongs to the Association of Christian Schools International while also partnering with the BRSD. According to its website, parents from nearby towns send their children to the Christian school because it integrates Bible study into the approved provincial curriculum. It serves about 180 students.
In its vision statement, the school states that “students will have a good working knowledge of the Bible as a foundation to their education.”
It goes on to read….”Cornerstone Christian Academy offers a program that integrates faith, life, and learning.”
School officials have agreed not to feature those specific verses in a student handbook, but are concerned that the legislation could prevent them from teaching the entire Bible.
Deanna Margel, board chairwoman of the Cornerstone Christian Academy Society, called the legislation… “a restriction on freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, it’s a violation of our constitutional freedom in Canada.”