'Religion' in Danger in the North

[JudgeNot]

By banning "exclusivity", this Canadian would for all intients and purposes, ban true Christianity.  Can any Canadian on this board tell me this doesn't make you upset and nervous?  Don't say it "will never happen".  Some time ago, the legal murdering of babies was also 'unthinkable."

Canadian National Public Radio Broadcasts Call for State Control of Religion

OTTAWA, July 19, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) -  Just as Senate approaches the final vote on the gay 'marriage' bill, C-38, Canada's national public radio CBC Radio has aired a commentary by a retired professor from the Royal Military College calling for state control over religion, specifically Catholicism. While parliamentarians dismissed warnings by numerous religious leaders and experts that such laws would lead to religious persecution, former professor Bob Ferguson has called for "legislation to regulate the practice of religion."

"Given the inertia of the Catholic Church, perhaps we could encourage reform by changing the environment in which all religions operate," Ferguson began his commentary in measured tones yesterday. "Couldn't we insist that human rights, employment and consumer legislation apply to them as it does other organizations? Then it would be illegal to require a particular marital status as a condition of employment or to exclude women from the priesthood. "

Ferguson continued, "Of course the Vatican wouldn't like the changes, but they would come to accept them in time as a fact of life in Canada. Indeed I suspect many clergy would welcome the external pressure."

The former professor pitched his idea as a boon to religious freedom.  "We could also help the general cause of religious freedom by introducing a code of moral practice for religions," he said.  "They will never achieve unity so why not try for compatibility? Can't religious leaders agree to adjust doctrine so all religions can operate within the code?"

Ferguson, would see religion regulated by provinces in the same way professions are regulated.  "I am an engineer so the model I am thinking about is rather like the provincial acts regulating the practice of engineering," he said.  "For example, engineers must have an engineering degree from a recognized university or pass qualification exams. They must have a number of years of practical experience and pass an ethics exam. The different branches: mechanical, electrical, civil and the like have a code of practice that applies to everyone. Why can't religious groups do the same?"

Continuing his comparison Ferguson stated, "I envisage a congress meeting to hammer out a code that would form the basis of legislation to regulate the practice of religion. Like the professional engineers' P.Eng designation, there would then be RRPs (or registered religious practitioners). To carry the analogy to its conclusion, no one could be a religious practitioner without this qualification."

Ferguson also suggests 'obvious' prohibitions on religion including preaching of 'hate'. "I won't try to propose what might be in the new code except for a few obvious things: A key item would have to be a ban on claims of exclusivity. It should be unethical for any RRP to claim that theirs was the one true religion and believers in anything else or nothing were doomed to fire and brimstone. One might also expect prohibition of ritual circumcisions, bans on preaching hate or violence, the regulation of faith healers, protocols for missionary work, etc.," says Ferguson.

The retired professor concluded his comments aired on CBC yesterday morning saying, "Now what is the point of proposing this? I do it because I am worried that the separation between church and state is under threat. Religion is important in our lives, but it can become a danger to society when people claim that the unalterable will of God is the basis for their opinions and actions. Yes religion can be a comfort and a guide, but we cannot take rules from our holy books and apply them to the modern world without democratic debate and due regard for the law."

Listen to an audio recording of the commentary:
http://cbc.ca/commentary/media/20050718JUL18.ram

[Bronzesnake]

Thank you for posting that my friend!

Here’s another assault on Christianity. It's very politically correct and fashionable today.

 Christians are losing their jobs because they have spoken out against homosexual marriage. There are court cases ongoing right now in Canada, where gay groups are fighting for their "right" to be married in any church of their choosing.

 Our politicians assured us these attacks would not come, that once the gays got their right to pretend to be a God sanctioned couple, they would be happy. Not so.

A lesbian couple is suing a Nights Of Columbus branch for refusing to rent out their hall for the gay reception. The K.O.C. actually offered to pay for the unhappy couple to rent any other hall they wanted, but the gay rights groups have taken over in order to further their agenda of gaining the “right” to be married by any pastor/priest they choose.

A guidance councillor lost his job because of his Christian views on homosexual marriage. Despite the fact that our Pinocchio nosed government officials assured us this stuff would not happen. Some even chastised Christians who questioned whether these types of attacks would occur if gays got marital rights. We were labelled as alarmists, and paranoid!

 Our lying leaders will most likely fluff off this rambling moron as harmless and out of touch, but in the end, this guy and his type will get their way.

 Thanks again my brother.

[Soldier4Christ]

It is indeed scary. This sort of thing is not happening just in Canada. There is a movement here in the U.S. that is attempting to get this sort of thing into our government. So far no politician has openly declared it but I am sure it is not far off.

We also have a problem occuring in our churches. Gays are going to different churches as a visiting guest. They will sit in the back of the church and put their arms arond each other and even kiss. Then when something is said to them about their behavior or to leave because of it they bring a lawsuit of discrimination against the church.

This has happened in two churches in my area so far. Both churches managed to escape this lawsuit by saying they would not allow any couple to behave that way in church either.

[Gaurav]

Hey
As scary as it is, I think that we must ensure that we keep faith. I think that we will become persecuted and our lives as Christians will be far from easy.

[Sammi]

Thank you for posting that my friend!

Here’s another assault on Christianity. It's very politically correct and fashionable today.

 Christians are losing their jobs because they have spoken out against homosexual marriage. There are court cases ongoing right now in Canada, where gay groups are fighting for their "right" to be married in any church of their choosing.

 Our politicians assured us these attacks would not come, that once the gays got their right to pretend to be a God sanctioned couple, they would be happy. Not so.

A lesbian couple is suing a Nights Of Columbus branch for refusing to rent out their hall for the gay reception. The K.O.C. actually offered to pay for the unhappy couple to rent any other hall they wanted, but the gay rights groups have taken over in order to further their agenda of gaining the “right” to be married by any pastor/priest they choose.

A guidance councillor lost his job because of his Christian views on homosexual marriage. Despite the fact that our Pinocchio nosed government officials assured us this stuff would not happen. Some even chastised Christians who questioned whether these types of attacks would occur if gays got marital rights. We were labelled as alarmists, and paranoid!

 Our lying leaders will most likely fluff off this rambling moron as harmless and out of touch, but in the end, this guy and his type will get their way.

 Thanks again my brother.

Are there any links for these stories that you can give? I am having a discussion with some non-believing Canadians and Americans whom I have told of this but they want to see "proof". Do you have any links Bronzesnake? If not that's ok.

[Shammu]

American Civil Liberties Union
Among the ACLU's repertoire of victories are cases involving the defense of Communists, anarchists, Ku Klux Klansmen, and those who sought to overthrow American government. More recently, the ACLU attacked the city of Redlands, California for displaying a small cross in their city's seal. Unable to face the well-funded and well-staffed ACLU, the debt ridden city was forced to cower as the pack of ACLU lawyers mounted. Nearby, Los Angeles County was also under attack for a similar display of the city's heritage. Why is it that the ACLU attacks a small cross, nestled below the larger and more visible Greek goddess of vegetation on the Los Angeles seal?

From its inception, the ACLU has worked to create a new America. To do so, the ACLU found it necessary to achieve two main things: first, the abolishment of Constitutional barriers to governmental power and second, the enervation of man's soul to make him weak and dependent on government. Both of which move America towards a progressive state and, according to Dr. Krannawitter, are advanced by "removing God from the American mind."

In order for the ACLU to tear down constitutional barriers to governmental power, they must extinguish America's fundamental belief in God, since such a belief is an essential denial of the supreme power of government. Rights come from God, not government. When God's presence in the American mindset ceases, however, people no longer look to God as the grantor of rights but to government. Thus, the ACLU argues that the more power the government has, the better off the people under it are. If one looks at the history of the Soviet Union and any other Communist country, one will be apt to find Communist leaders who predicated their form of government on atheism and a secular state religion. This sort of anti-religious atmosphere precludes the existence of any rights beyond that which the government has granted.

In addition to the emphasis on the source of rights and governmental power, the ACLU has worked to make people needy and dependent on government. Alexis de Tocqueville warned of those like the ACLU who wished to exacerbate the malignant tendencies of democracy. He explained that the government, if people allow it to do so, will create an incessant dependency of the people on the government as it expands its power under the guise of utility, finally reducing "each nation to being nothing more than a herd of timid and industrious animals of which the government is the shepherd." The ACLU seeks not only to create a people that are dependent and needy, but also a government that "little by little extinguishes their spirits and enervates their souls" by giving them all they want, so that they will be naively content without hopes, dreams, or a will of their own. This is a sort of despotism unlike any other.
<Snip>
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/morrell/040904

Christianity's double standard
In no case are the left's efforts to undermine our society more apparent than in the debate over the separation of church and state. The intent of the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment is quite clear: The government of the United States will not establish an official state religion or inhibit the free practice of any faith. While government may not work to influence or regulate the values and beliefs of citizens or their churches, there is no inhibition whatsoever on these same citizens and churches from working to influence their government through the democratic process. In effect, the First Amendment and Establishment Clause are the embodiment of the entire spirit of the Constitution: Government is subservient to the will of the people, and the people have the right to seek to influence and form their government according to their own standards so long as they do not restrain others from holding or practicing differing ideas.

It is amazing how far America has strayed from these simple truths. Now, instead of people of faith being protected by the government, they are victimized by a liberal controlled activist judiciary. Led by the ACLU, American liberals are pushing an agenda of forced inclusion of alternative faiths and lifestyles into school curricula under the euphemism of "diversity," while at the same time working to deny the same rights to Christians whose views are decried as "intolerance." In the ACLU's version of the world, it is acceptable for a kindergarten girl to be pulled from the cafeteria and threatened with expulsion for saying grace over her afternoon cookies and milk, but protecting a high school student's right to wear a "Satan's Church" T-shirt is worthy of a lawsuit in Federal Court. In Louisiana, the ACLU feels that the state abstinence web site should be shut down because a few students mentioned "God" in the site's unregulated chat room, but efforts by California schools to indoctrinate students in to the precepts of Islam, complete with assuming a Moslem name and staging their own "jihad" via a type of dice game, are praised as models of sensitivity. It is obvious that the ACLU and liberal court system's goal is not to keep the American classroom a secular arena free of religious biases, but to systematically undermine the American system of values through excluding Judeo-Christian beliefs and attempting to supplant them with a cadre of alternative beliefs of their own choosing.

The assault on Christianity goes far beyond the classroom. Today, liberals actively seek to oppress local churches' freedom of speech through an arbitrary and inconsistent tax code. For example, churches are no longer churches, but IRS 501(c)(3) organizations. Since few churches could survive under the tax burden imposed on Americans today, houses of worship can no longer be concerned about merely saving the souls and acting as the moral compass of their brethren, but maintaining their tax exempt status. As outlined in IRS Publication 1828, churches are prohibited from "endorsing any candidates, making donations to their campaigns, engaging in fund-raising, distributing statements, or becoming involved in any other activities that may be beneficial or detrimental to any candidate. Even activities that encourage people to vote for or against a particular candidate on the basis of nonpartisan criteria violate the political campaign prohibition of section 501(c)(3)." In effect, our churches as no longer free to address the issues of the day from their own moral and ethical viewpoints, but must submit to government mandated censorship or face financial ruin. While "secularist" organizations are free to promote political candidates under the full protection of the First Amendment, religious groups who attempt to do the same contend with paying a free speech tax.
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/darr/041215

Here are some more links.

Liberalism's ultimate goal: the destruction of Christianity through Social Security
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/darr/050620

Keeping the faith -- at arm's length
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/darr/050220

Judge: Remove Bible From Court Display

ERASING CHRISTIANITY


http://www.silverback.org/links/articlesbytopic/assaultonchrist.htm

These should get you started.
Bob

Malachi 2:16
"I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel, "and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment," says the LORD Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.

[Tabitha]

Hey
As scary as it is, I think that we must ensure that we keep faith. I think that we will become persecuted and our lives as Christians will be far from easy.

On the majority of the planet, that is already a Gospel truth.  True Christianity is pretty much assisted suicide most places because you know that the people who you are trying to help will kill you, if not today, then tomorrow. Christ did it for you, so now you're doing it for Christ. Believe me, people, when the last days are here, the Holocaust will look like a holiday. Satan hates humanity because God loves us, but he despises Christians because we know how deeply and we love Him back.

[amazing grace]

Denomination vs. Unity
separation of church and state seem to be a problem in the US my question, why  so many denominations, why do the details seem to matter so much, when I think as long as we all worship the same loving God, then they're all okay.  With separation of church and state and freedom of religion that makes each denomination theink thiers is the only right religion, how can we ever become the unity in Christ that the bible calls for?  

[nChrist]

Hey
As scary as it is, I think that we must ensure that we keep faith. I think that we will become persecuted and our lives as Christians will be far from easy.

On the majority of the planet, that is already a Gospel truth.  True Christianity is pretty much assisted suicide most places because you know that the people who you are trying to help will kill you, if not today, then tomorrow. Christ did it for you, so now you're doing it for Christ. Believe me, people, when the last days are here, the Holocaust will look like a holiday. Satan hates humanity because God loves us, but he despises Christians because we know how deeply and we love Him back.

AMEN TABITHA!

You've just mentioned something that should make every Christian in the free world stop, give thanks, and pray for those being persecuted around the world.

I've made an effort in recent months to learn about Christians being tortured and killed around the world for possessing Christian material or worshiping God. I'm not a wealthy person by man's standards, but I do have a wealth of Godly material that I can study in peace and safety any time I want to. I hope and pray that I will never take that freedom for granted again.

I should and must pray for those Christians who are being persecuted, and I must give thanks for the freedoms I enjoy. First and foremost:

Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable GIFT, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour Forever!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 2:19-22 ASV  So then ye are no more strangers and sojourners, but ye are fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief corner stone;  in whom each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord;  in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.