Most Ontarians support merging the public and Catholic school systems. Commissioned by the CBC, Oraclepoll Research randomly phoned 600 Ontario adults last May and 58% supported a merger. Be that as it may, a merging of the two publicly funded school systems isn't going to happen anytime soon. Although, it does offer an interesting thought experiment. If it did happen, I'd look very carefully at the conditions for such a merger.

Would Catholicism simply have to look elsewhere for funding. The Vatican perhaps? Or would Christianity be swept into a single "world religions" class? This would be my ideal solution. A more inclusive approach to religion, within one public school system, would encourage tolerance and understanding and not only between different religious groups, but between atheists and their quirky religious pals.

The conservative party's current platform states that the party is "committed to creating an opportunity for non-Catholic, faith-based schools to choose to join our publicly funded education system the same way Catholic schools have already done" and providing direct funding for those schools. The same way Catholic schools have already done? Providing public money for people to pursue their own religious ideas, offers nothing to the public that is footing the bill. It is funding a divisive society, ignorant and afraid of the beliefs of it's different members. If taxpayers are paying for religious study, their children should have access to those religious findings.

An education in the multitude of religious beliefs in this country would further stress that these ideas are only "beliefs" and not worth getting in a tizzy over. Perhaps then, we could all hold hands and accept the one true doctrine - Science, into our hearts.

*Illustration provided by Todd Julie