Faith in the Future Initiative

DISCUSSION MATERIAL:

Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett: On Human Dignity

Leslie Rosenblood: A Secular Perspective on Human Dignity

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What does it mean to be human?
2. What is it about me that gives me dignity?
3. Is it possible to lose my dignity? When I suffer, do I have dignity?
4. How is our freedom of religion and conscience related to our dignity as human beings?

DISCUSSION MATERIAL:

David Rand: The CAQ's secularism bill is a positive step forward

Peter Stockland: The Quebec government’s secularism bill stinks to high heaven

Barbara Kay: What the anglo media misses about Quebec's religious law

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What are the important aspects of Bill 21?
2. Now that it is law, how will the implementation of Bill 21 affect faith in the public square in Quebec? Will these changes be generally positive or negative for Quebec society?
3. What are the reasonable limits of public expression of religion in the workplace?
4. How does Bill 21 reflect the difficulty of balancing freedom of religion, multiculturalism, and cultural values? How can Canada properly strike this balance?   

DISCUSSION MATERIAL:

Faisal Bhabha on his CRFI Paper Religious Freedom in a Multicultural Society

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FROM THE VIDEO:

1. Freedom of religion is a fundamental freedom as defined in both the Canadian Charter and the U.S. Constitution. Does it remain so today in practice?
2. What institutional and societal constraints exist and should be cause for concern?
3. If freedom of religion is a fundamental freedom, can it also be argued to be a foundational freedom?
4. What role do faith communities have in exercising freedom of religion?
5. How do we ensure, and why must we ensure, the robust exercise of religious freedom within a multi-faith and multi-cultural society.

READING MATERIAL:

The Imperative of Conscience Rights

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What is conscience?
2. Why does conscience matter in our public lives? Should people’s exercise of their conscience still be protected in law?
3. As people of faith, our religious beliefs inform our consciences. What is the role of faith communities in defending conscience rights in our society?
4. In the paper, we address a few current challenges to conscience rights (e.g. Canada Summer Jobs, Healthcare Referrals, and Gender Identity and Expression). What impact do these particular cases have on your faith community’s ability to live a public faith?

READING MATERIAL:

An Institutional History of Religious Freedom in Canada

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Given this history, how effective have we been as a country in upholding religious freedom? Has there been a significant shift in attitudes towards religious freedom today?
2. Who has the responsibility to uphold religious freedom in our country? Is it public institutions, ourselves, or both? What roles should each play?
3. As individuals who are members of faith communities, are we fulfilling our role in defending religious freedom? What are the challenges in doing this?