Faithful Catholics Often Get Referred To As "Hate Groups"...
But by a "Catholic" School Board member?

Well, ain't this just peachy? A group of Catholic parents who defend traditional marriage have been called a "hate group" by a member of the School Board Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) Catholic District School Board's family life advisory committee. Here's some of the article from The Record;

Book draws more heat
September 27, 2007
KAREN KAWAWADA
RECORD STAFF

KITCHENER - There aren't often spectators at meetings of the Waterloo Catholic District School Board's family life advisory committee. But last night, about 50 people turned out to listen to a discussion on if the board should remove a resource book accessible only to teachers.

Local group Defend Traditional Marriage and Family objects to Open Minds to Equality because it presents homosexuality as "morally neutral," said group spokesperson Jack Fonseca in his presentation to the committee. "To the extent that some people may potentially be led by the book Open Minds to reject scriptural teaching on homosexual acts, to that same extent, they will have been led to reject Jesus."

Open Minds is "an educator's sourcebook of activities to help students understand and change inequalities based on race, gender, class, age, language, sexual orientation, physical/mental ability and religion," says the blurb on the back of the book.

In one section, a fictional grandfather explains to his grandson the difficulties he faced when he and his partner had to live in the closet because of fear of rejection at work and church. In another, the book invites students to discuss how a girl might feel if she invited friends over but their parents wouldn't let them go because her mother lives with another woman.

The book is an optional resource teachers can use if, for example, they want to address objectionable things being said in class, said Catholic board spokesperson John Shewchuk.

But even the fact teachers can use it is dangerous, Fonseca said. He argued God made men and women in his image and when a man and a woman have a child, it reflects The Holy Trinity. "To the extent that any educational resource may have the effect of affirming homosexual behaviour, that resource co-operates in the desecration of the holy image of God," he said.

Committee chair Cathy Sweeney questioned that interpretation. "I would hate to see it being acceptable that any person can look at another person and claim they're not created in the image of God, no matter what their sexual orientation," she said.

In an interview, Shewchuk called Defend Marriage "an extremist hate group." The group has an agenda that goes beyond the book to trying to discredit the school board, he charged. Fonseca recently appeared radio show claiming that the board runs "indoctrination courses for principals" that teach homosexuality and being transgendered is acceptable.

Nonsense, Shewchuk said. "It's so cut and dried that this is a hate group with their own agenda that's making stuff up and lying."

Defend Marriage has issued a statement admitting "it was a mistake to describe the workshop as an 'indoctrination course'" but adding the group "still fear(s) that some material in circulation might have the effect of undermining Catholic moral doctrine."

Brooke Young, co-ordinator of the OK2BME group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth in Waterloo Region, also called Defend Marriage a hate group. "They tend to use religion as their guise for spreading hate speech," she said before the meeting. "(Fonseca) is encouraging people not to recognize the innate human rights of the queer community. He's discouraging that, which to me is hate."

The group's position comes from the catechism, Fonseca said. "To say that we're a hate group is to call the Pope and all the Bishops a hate group."

Here's my silly question... where the hell's the bishop?