By Cecilia Nasmith/Northumberland 89.7 FM/Today’s Northumberland
Bob LeDrew may not get the proclamation of March 23 as Atheist Awareness Day, but his presentation at Cobourg council’s Corporate, Finance and Legislative Standing Committee Thursday may make them rethink their proclamation last year declaring December as Christian Heritage Month.
It’s a request he made last fall, LeDrew told the committee at its meeting Thursday, but it was denied citing town policy against proclamations and observances in several instances, including religious organizations and celebration of religious events.
“I am in strong agreement with that policy, as I think government is best done in a secular fashion,” he stated.
“Government should be careful to prevent even the perception that they officially approve or sanction any religious organization or faith.”
LeDrew cited statistics showing that Canada, and even Northumberland County, are increasingly diverse. He cited a Statistics Canada report from 2021 on religious diversity in Northumberland County that showed that 44.5% of its population claim no religious affiliation – up from 25% a decade earlier.
He also cited a survey from that year that showed more than half the population said religion is not important in their lives.
Proclaiming Christian Heritage Month, therefore, “does a disservice to the nearly half the population that profess no religious beliefs at all.”
Another aspect to consider is Northumberland’s growing minority religious groups and religious minorities. Even though the county is still “overwhelmingly white,” LeDrew said, these individuals will see the proclamation of Christian Heritage Month as symbolically putting them in a subordinate position under a dominant faith tradition.
He challenged the initial denial of his request, as it was not on behalf of a religious event or organization – and is illogical, he said, given the precedent set by proclaiming Christian Heritage Month in contradiction of its own policy.
Mayor Lucas Cleveland agreed it may have been a case of going against the town’s own policy, but he disagreed on one point.
“Atheism is essentially as faith-based as any religion – you have the faith there’s nothing instead of the faith that there’s something,” Cleveland argued.
“If you want to open the door to faith-based organizations, you have opened it all the way – if you want to shut that door, it’s up to you to shut that door,” LeDrew replied.
Councillor Randy Barber said he voted for the proclamation because of the word “heritage.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that this town had, in its original form – it was a Christian community,” Barber pointed out.
Deputy Mayor Nicole Beatty, who presides over the committee, pointed out the architectural traditions of the community’s churches, highlighting “magnificent refurbishments, like St. Peter’s.”
Cleveland made a motion to put the matter of potentially revoking the declaration on the floor for discussion at the regular meeting of council Jan. 29, but Municipal Clerk Brent Larmer pointed out that another aspect should be discussed.
“Any formally declared proclamation is automatically declared for five years,” Larmer said. Therefore, another way to go might be to discuss the five-year duration of such a declaration.
Cleveland’s motion was that both aspects be discussed, and the motion passed.
