Re: “The future of religion,” p. 24, April 3 Gazette
In the unlikely event that there is ever a time when Canadian Christians are prevented from worshipping in their churches, or are deprived of Bibles, I would like to think that I will stand with Frank Dabbs in opposing whatever agency is standing in the way of their freedom of religion, as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
I do not, however, share Mr. Dabbs’ opposition to the attestation being required of Canada Summer Jobs Grants applicants, to the effect that the jobs they are offering and the core values of their organizations, respect individual human rights in Canada, including reproductive rights for women, and the right to be free from discrimination on a variety of grounds including sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.
Being disqualified from what is essentially a government handout, because you don’t agree with the rights granted to the individual in this magnificent country of ours by our government, is not, in my opinion, a restriction on freedom of religion.
With respect to the Christian religion, the man for whom it is named encouraged people not to judge, lest they be judged. He called into question the all too human habit of criticizing others for their faults while ignoring our own.
Modern day Christians, however, seem all too quick to judge others and to try and impose their values on them. Witness the battle some Christian sects still wage against homosexuals, the transgendered and others who fall under the LGBTQ banner, and against the concept of reproductive freedom for women, including abortion.
Reportedly, Christ was once asked if it was appropriate to pay taxes to Rome, the empire that invaded and conquered Israel. He replied in the affirmative, despite the state of slavery in which Rome held the Jewish people. “Render to Caesar, the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17.)
But Canadian Christians apparently disagree with Christ’s directive, as it applies to their own national government. Not only are their churches allowed to operate tax free, but some of them want a free handout from the government in the form of a Canada Summer Jobs Grant, while opposing government policy of ensuring individual rights and freedoms.
An example of cherry-picking those of Christ’s teachings that suit the moment or the cause. Mr. Dabbs was correct when he wrote, “This moment of Canadian life is overflowing with ironies.”
Mr. Dabbs cites “the Trudeau government’s antipathy (dislike or aversion) to religion.” I suggest that it is more a case of the prime minister perhaps having an aversion to Mr. Dabbs’ brand of religion, apparently the type in which the proponents feel free to judge and criticize others, contrary to the teachings of its founder.
Mr. Trudeau was raised in the Roman Catholic Church and is on record as affirming, “My own personal faith is an extremely important part of who I am and the values that I try to lead with.” (CBC News, Nov. 3, 2011). Kudos to him for evolving his faith and not blindly, thoughtlessly following the edicts of the Vatican.
Mr. Dabbs' closing line in his commentary is intriguing. It reads, “Travelling on its knees, the church goes where it is not wanted, and always finds a home.” It would be touching, if it was accurate.
The sad fact of the matter is that the church, and religion, have often been used throughout history as weapons against one group or another, or at least as a justification for targeting groups for abuse of one sort or another. The Crusades are a prime example. European soldiers with Christian crosses emblazoned on their armour and pennants, killing so-called Muslim infidels in the Middle East, in the name of the Christian religion.
In Latin America, if the Christian church wasn’t on the front lines with Spanish conquistadors, hacking and slashing and looting their way through the Aztec and Inca empires, it wasn’t far behind.
In the days of slavery in the American South many Christians considered slavery to be an institution of God, citing proofs from Genesis right through to the New Testament.
And more recently, in our own country, we have so-called Christians criticizing, condemning other elements of society for their sexual orientations and gender expressions, and what they choose to do with their own bodies relative to reproduction.
Whether Christ actually said the following words or not doesn’t matter. They are good advice regardless.
“Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam (log) out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote (speck) out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5 King James Bible.)
And if you are unwilling to do that, don’t complain about not qualifying for government handouts such as the Canada Summer Jobs Grants.
Terry Storey
Olds
