German multiculturalism has “utterly failed.” Or at least it has according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Speaking recently to the youth wing of her governing Christian Democratic Union, Merkel was unequivocal about highlighting the dismal state of multiculturalism in Germany.
But why now and what reason does she cite as evidence that the German people will not, and in fact cannot, live in harmony with those of different backgrounds?
Jesus.
Or at least that is what the world is left to infer.
“We feel tied to Christian values,” preached Merkel. “Those who don’t accept them don’t have a place here.”
In Canada, we’re taught to believe that people of all different religious backgrounds – including those without any religious beliefs at all – deserve a place in our society.
But the only way the government can promote genuine religious pluralism is through neutrality and complete secularization.
The state has no right to tell people what they can and cannot believe – we should not be allowing religious dogma to influence our laws or how we spend our taxpayer dollars.
Our country should be looking out for the interests of our own citizens rather than placing undue importance on what is, let’s be honest, an antiquated tradition.
Secularism in Canada is well underway. There is no official state religion and the government is formally committed to religious pluralism. We no longer say the Lord’s Prayer in schools and non-Christians have so far tolerated the more overtly religious references in Canadian society – such as the very first line of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which incredibly states that “Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God.” Whose god? And why do we all have to believe the same thing?
Yes, we all want our land to be glorious and free, yet we are increasingly looking towards the government, rather than divisive religious idols, to keep it that way.
Data from the 2001 census on religion in Canada suggest that Canadians have both diversified and moderated their beliefs; they believe in larger variety of things but with less conviction.
While the numbers show that Canada is still predominantly Catholic and Protestant in name, important trends are emerging contrary to these observations. It is essential to look not only at where we are, but where we are headed.
At least if we don’t want our multiculturalism to fail like Germany’s.
The number of people who described themselves as Christian, rather than Catholic, more than doubled in size. And the largest increase observed was that of individuals responding with “no religion” when asked about specific spiritual beliefs.
Easter and Christmas, the most revered Christian holidays, though observed by the government, have lost their religious connotations. Instead, they have become occasions that most Canadians devote to their families, or even opportunities for commercial exploit.
The demographic trend is inescapable. A Canada “guided by Christian principles” is no longer an option. The declining birthrate among Canadians leaves us with immigration as our only means to continue population growth and avoid the stagnation problems that have affected the aging populations of Russia and Japan.
Historically, Canada accepted immigrants from predominantly Christian Europe, fuelling Christianity. But as the prejudiced policies upon which we built our country gave way to the values of liberal democracy, Canadian immigration opened up to the world.
Today, the majority of Canadian immigrants come from India and China, places where there are billions of people who don’t share our concept of God.
Since new Canadians have an increasing interest in participating in the nation’s governance, they may be surprised to learn that a country claiming the values of equality and diversity continues to disproportionately fund one specific denominational school over others. This year in Ontario, Catholic schools received an astonishing $6.7 billion in taxpayer funding.
Since confederation, the Catholic church has enjoyed a privileged place in Canadian society due to the political deal-making that facilitated the creation of our country. Yet 150 years after the agreement was struck, we have yet to admit that this policy is incompatible with the current reality of our nation.
Has this sparked outrage from other religious groups? Some, though we haven’t yet reached a tipping point. But as the number of Sikhs, Buddhists and Hindus in Canada dramatically increases, they will soon be justified in asking for the same privileges.
By choosing to fund Catholic education, the government is unofficially giving preferential treatment to one group over others.
So if Germany has already declared the failure of multiculturalism in the face of a mere five-per-cent Muslim population, how are we in Canada to expect the success of similar policies in a in a much more culturally diverse nation?
Until we reconcile our outdated attachment to Christianity with our future as a functioning multicultural society, we cannot claim to be pursuing equality.
Canada’s future is secular. All that remains is to expel God’s spectre.