Why I Wear a Cross in a Secular Society: Against Quebec’s Bill 21

Over the past few decades, it has become increasingly unfashionable to be religious and devout. This cancerous idea reared its ugly head in Germany in the 18th century and has since crept into all parts of the western world. Hollywood actors mock the religious routinely and we’ve become the butt of many comedians’ jokes. If you haven’t witnessed these views, watch an episode of “The Big Bang Theory.” Politicians like Barack Obama disparage us by saying we “cling to our guns or religion” as if standing up for self-defense against tyranny and believing in the 10 commandments and Jesus’ faithful teachings should be kicked to the curb. People are discouraged from speaking about their religious views in all walks of public life, whether in their schools or workplaces. In many places, the only way to know who I am and what I stand and live for is through the symbols I wear.

I wear a cross when I teach in my secular, private university as a symbol to students that I stand for Jesus Christ. He is my Lord and my Savior and I firmly believe He stepped on this planet around 2,000 years ago to free us from our sins. I look to Him for hope and for my own salvation and I pray to Him daily to ask for His mercy and blessings. I want my students to know that they can count on me to be an exemplar of Jesus in the way I treat them, grade them, and act in the classroom. In other words, I want to let them know I’ll be loving, fair, trustworthy, and just.

Psalm 121:1-2 states: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—    where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

In 2019, Bill 21 passed in Quebec to ban people from wearing religious symbols if they’re public employees who carry weapons (e.g., police), government workers, and public school administrators and teachers. Supporters for Bill 21 are trying to limit minority religious expressions (from what I’ve read), yet why should the expression of anyone’s religion be prohibited? Why shouldn’t people be able to show the world WHO THEY ARE and what they believe?

Bill 21 is entirely dehumanizing and demoralizing. It should be repealed. At the very least, it should not be duplicated in other regions, states, or countries. We need to fight for our rights to free speech, individual expressions, and liberties. Here in the United States, we need to fight for the principles upon which our nation was formed and to value life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Thank you for your time.