Boy cut from team
because
of Sunday practices
By Debra Fieguth • ChristianWeek staff
CONCEPTION BAY SOUTH, NF–The father of a nine-year-old hockey player has filed a complaint with the Newfoundland Human Rights Commission after his son was pulled from an all-star team that practises on Sundays.
Lee Parmiter says his son Joshua was ranked in the top five of the all-star team within the novice division of the Conception Bay South league. Joshua also plays on a regular league team, with the same line-up of players as the all-star team, so gets to practise with the same boys on another day of the week.
"Because there was such an emphasis on that one practice, we feel there was religious discrimination," says Parmiter.
The Parmiters’ involvement in their local Pentecostal church of 600 keeps them busy most of the day. They bus Sunday school children in the morning and after church, teach Sunday school, and attend a 6 p.m. service.
The Sunday practices are held at different times of the day. Even if they didn’t conflict with church, Joshua still wouldn’t be able to attend practices on Sunday, says his dad. "There’s no way we could keep our morals straight," he says. Being able to go to some Sunday practices and not others would be too confusing for the boy, he explains. "He’s only nine years old."
