This Week in Canadian Religion 2018-07-08

by | July 8, 2018

 

By Scott Douglas Jacobsen

“U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy to Canada told guests at her cosier-than-usual Fourth of July party in Ottawa on Wednesday night that the countries’ strained relationship will overcome the tough times.

Ambassador Kelly Craft delivered the message with the U.S. and Canada locked in an unprecedented trade dispute.

She made the acknowledgment to hundreds of partygoers, who listened as they sipped cocktails and ate shrimp on the sweeping front lawn of her official residence.

“Canada and the United States have an enduring partnership that I am confident will stand the test of time – and believe me, these are testing times,” Craft told the crowd, which experienced attendees of the annual gathering described as far smaller than past years.

Craft, who was hosting her first Fourth of July party as ambassador, also quoted former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson in her remarks to drive home her message.

“I have never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy as a cause for withdrawing from a friend,” she said.”

Source: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-jagmeet-singh-among-those-boycotting-ottawa-fourth-of-july-party/.

“Canada’s Supreme Court recently decided to deny accreditation to a top university’s proposed law school simply because its beliefs on sexuality and marriage were too conservative for Canadian culture. Trinity Western University’s “Community Covenant” holds all students to the standard of sex within marriage, which it defines as between one man and one woman.

Canada’s decision should serve as a cautionary tale to Americans. Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop reaffirmed what it had said in Obergefell v. Hodges, that belief in one-man, one-woman marriage is based upon “decent and honorable” premises, and clarified that it is a “protected view and in some instances (a) protected form of expression.”

Congress should now act to ensure that American schools will never face the kind of religious discrimination to which Canada has subjected Trinity Western.”

Source: http://www.insidesources.com/cautionary-sex-religion-decision-canada/.

“Canada’s Supreme Court recently ruled 7-2 against Trinity Western University, prioritizing sexual orientation over the free exercise of religion. This ruling should serve as a warning flag to U.S. citizens.

Canada was only nine years ahead of the United States in redefining marriage. If the U.S. does not change direction, we could follow in Canada’s footsteps, sacrificing religious liberty for faux-equality and faux-diversity.

Trinity Western University, in Langley, British Columbia, is a Christian university that hoped to establish a Christian law program. The Law Society of British Columbia refused to grant Trinity Western accreditation, claiming that the university’s community covenant agreement discriminates against LGBT students.

The covenant establishes a Christian community that abstains from violence, acknowledges the inherent worth of every person, prohibits cheating, and bans alcohol. The offending clause in this case is Section 4, titled “Healthy Sexuality.”È

Source: https://www.dailysignal.com/2018/07/03/canadas-supreme-court-relegates-religious-beliefs-to-second-tier-status-america-be-warned/.

“Freedom of religion is guaranteed to all Canadians in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter has taken two major blows recently – one from a policy change implemented by the federal government, the second from the Supreme Court of Canada.

The first blow came when the government announced that any group wishing to apply for Canada Summer Jobs grants had to pledge to follow the Liberal Party’s official policy on a woman’s freedom of choice with respect to abortion.

The second blow came with the Supreme Court’s decision in the Trinity Western University law school case. It ruled allow provincial law societies could override religious choices made by candidates who freely chose to abide by the religious principles of certain Christian law schools, as a condition of entry.

Abortion is, and always has been, a sensitive topic for governments and courts. Most modern and democratic countries have resolved the complex topic by allowing unrestricted freedom of choice to a pregnant woman during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Thereafter, there are restrictions.”

Source: https://troymedia.com/2018/07/04/freedom-religion-disappearing-canada/.

July 9, 2018 –  It is arguably one of the most challenging life transitions people can experience: leaving your home country for an unknown new land, working to establish yourself financially, socially and professionally, in many cases, without the support of pre-existing family networks.

A comprehensive public opinion study of new Canadian – a partnership between the Angus Reid Institute and Cardus – suggests immigrants often seek and find help, both temporal and spiritual, from Canadian religious communities. These communities are evidently integral in new Canadians’ journeys into their new lives in this country.

Half of Canadians who were born outside of Canada (49%) say they received material support from faith based communities in Canada, including help finding a job or learning a language.”

Source: http://angusreid.org/faith-canada-immigration/.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the Founder of In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal and In-Sight Publishing. He authored/co-authored some e-books, free or low-cost. If you want to contact Scott: Scott.D.Jacobsen@Gmail.com.

Do not forget to look into our associates: Godless Mom, Nice Mangoes, Sandwalk, Brainstorm Podcast, Left at the Valley, Life, the Universe & Everything Else, The Reality Check, Bad Science Watch, British Columbia Humanist Association, Dying With Dignity Canada, Canadian Secular Alliance, and Centre for Inquiry Canada.

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