Over the past week, James Lunney, Conservative Member of Parliament for Nanaimo – Alberni, has been in the news and has been discussed on blogs inside and outside Canada. Sean McGuire calls Lunney an “Anti-Evolution, Climate Change Denying, Anti-Vax MP,” and Larry Moran says, “Poor James Lunney resigns from the Conservative Party because of bullying over his religious beliefs.”
Lunney, who is very candid about his religious beliefs, published an article entitled “Evolution Controversy” on his website. Lunney begins his article by saying,
I know what I believe.
However, Lunney isn’t being criticized for what he believes, but for what he doesn’t believe. As McGuire points out, Lunney doesn’t believe in evolution, climate change, or vaccination. He also doesn’t, or didn’t, believe in same-sex marriage.
During a Parliamentary debate on amending the Civil Marriage Act to allow same-sex marriage said,
Among the thousands of letters I have received on this subject, one writer stated, “I fear God, do you?”. I want to state to the House that yes, I also fear God. I am a Christian. Half a lifetime ago I became convinced of the reality of God and I committed my life to Him. I accepted Jesus, the son of God as my saviour and determined at that time to follow Him.
Based on the rest of Lunney’s contribution to the debate, he thinks the line, “I believe in God, the father almighty, creator of heaven and earth” is or should be the first line of “O Canada.”
Evolution was never the big issue, he just was pissed
that he could not be an overt bigot.