I have a complaint. The University of Toronto does not affirm and accept my lifestyle and beliefs. Moreover, by not agreeing with me it has left me feeling excluded and marginalized. The U of T has consistently and deliberately offered programs and operated in a manner which is inconsistent with my values. It has supported and encouraged voluntary associations of students and faculty which are at odds with my convictions. I urge the university to cease all support for groups and programs that disagree with me!
Sounds a little silly, doesn't it? Apparently not if you are objecting to a new Courage group which has formed at the Newman Centre at the U of T. Unlike other groups, Courage encourages living a chaste lifestyle in keeping with the Church's teachings and it is a voluntary, anonymous group. Lets get something straight. It is the function of the Newman Centre, as it is that of any Catholic institution, to act in a manner which is “inconsistent with the university’s values” as claimed by Angela Hildyard. This is what it means to be counter cultural, to stand fast and oppose the prevailing winds and currents of fashion. The claim that homosexuality “was never an issue” at the centre until last fall is a little disingenuous. So long as there was no open expression of Catholic teaching on the subject this may have been true. Now there is Courage and never was a group so aptly named... I will keep them in my prayers.
All of this - the university's official stance - is similar to the Soviet and National Socialist era's control over education, over the mind: all of this is pure fascism.
ReplyDeleteMore and more, universities are becoming - no longer abodes of freedom, but rather, hives of fascism in "white gloves". It will only be a matter of time when the gloves come off and reveal an iron fist.
Any university Newman centre is supposed to be a 'hotbed' of Catholicism on campus. As well as being a 'safe haven' for Catholic students within the secular university. Its mission is to promote the Catholic Faith among the student body and even to make converts. It stands to reason that a Newman centre that isn't occasionally getting into trouble with the powers that be isn't really doing its job.
ReplyDeleteThis story seems to also suggest that, until recently, the Newman Centre has not been undertaking Catechesis. This lack of Catholic education is reflected in the plethora of confusion, contradiction amongst Catholics in the pew. There are, for example, those who still believe that women can be ordained.
ReplyDeleteThe new Chaplain at the Newman Centre is a crackerjack and a big change from the one who invited Mr. Baum to speak.
ReplyDelete