Maclure And Taylor's Multiculturalism

In Maclure and Taylor’s essay, they discuss the legitimacy of allowing religious accommodations that allow people to follow their beliefs. In an excerpt of the article, Maclure and Taylor talk about how some people believe that religious beliefs are “expensive tastes”. In that section, Maclure and Taylor list out reasons both for and against the opinions about whether or not religious beliefs are expensive tastes. Overall, Maclure and Taylor are not successful in convincing their readers that religious beliefs are a legitimate reason for accommodation, rather, their counter arguments are more convincing than their arguments.

Maclure and Taylor argue that it is better to seek ways to limit the potential abuses that come with accommodation

However, Maclure and Taylor believe that rules and laws are not neutral and so, religious accommodations are justified because they are made to ensure equality. An example they raise is that it is generally easier for Christians

Canada is known for their diversity and multiculturalism where they ensure that all citizens are able to keep their identities and take pride in their ancestral roots regardless of where they are from and which religion they affiliate with. They encourage racial and ethnic harmony and cross-cultural understanding . Since multiculturalism is such an important part of the Canadian identity, people cannot be stripped of their rights to freely practice their religion, especially if they claim to value the individual identity. However, even though the above is what Canada strives to stand for, it isn’t achieved in reality. For example, if everyone were free to practice their religion however they wanted to in public, conflict would arise in society since everyone may believe that their religion is superior to others. So in order to ensure there is peace amongst us, the government must regulate how people practice their religion, at least in the public