By Cecilia Nasmith/Northumberland 89.7/Today’s Northumberland
Molly Banerjei’s presentation to Cobourg council Wednesday night resulted in the town’s declaring December Christian Heritage Month.
Thirty-two municipalities across the country have already done so, Banerjei said, including Toronto.
Typically, two objections are voiced.
One – Christianity is a dominant religion and therefore does not require any special recognition.
Two – Christianity suffered some discrediting as a result of the residential school system.
“As an immigrant, I came here 30 years ago, and I can tell you categorically – I have not received any special treatment,” she stated.
“People have developed an allergy to the word ‘Christian.’ You mention the word, and they just go into a tizzy – probably because of what happened in residential schools.
“And there’s not a single Christian that I know who would ever condone it. It will never be okay,” Banerjei stated.
“No other faith is put under such scrutiny. I can tell you with certainty that all kinds of hideous things happen in all religions. We make a clear distinction between the people who orchestrate these crimes and not put the entire religion on trial.”
Council accepted the presentation without debate and passed the motion to make the designation.
