c. 2003 Religion News Service
Faiths Warn Against Changing Definition of Marriage
OTTAWA (RNS) If gays are allowed to be legally wed, there would be nothing to stop polygamists from wanting in too, a religious leader warned recently.
“If marriage is restructured, how broad will it become?” Bruce Cleminger of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada asked the House of Commons justice committee examining gay marriage.
“Inevitably, polygamists are going to ask: `What about our orientation?”’
The Fellowship, representing several evangelical organizations including Baptists and Pentecostals, teamed with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to launch an attack against broadening the definition of marriage.
A change in marriage laws would lead to destruction of the social order, interfere with nature and result in heterosexuals fleeing the institution, MPs were told.
The crux of the evangelical and Catholic argument was that marriage is a “tried and true” institution intended to foster procreation.
Justice Minister Martin Cauchon initiated the hearings after an Ontario court ruled last summer that a federal ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional.
The ruling, which the federal government has appealed, gave the Justice Department two years to rewrite its marriage laws to include gays.
Jews Protest PETA Campaign
TORONTO (RNS) Canadian Jewish leaders joined their counterparts in the United States in condemning a controversial new ad campaign that likens the slaughter of farm animals to the execution of 6 million Jewish Holocaust victims.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights group known for its publicity stunts, is touring North America with gigantic posters depicting the supposed similarities between Nazi death camps and present-day factory farms.
Jewish groups say the PETA campaign, titled Holocaust on Your Plate, belittles millions of murders in an attempt to shame meat eaters into vegetarianism.
“To equate what is truly one of the most monumental crimes in the history of mankind to the abusive treatment of animals is totally unconscionable,” Manuel Prutschi of the Canadian Jewish Congress told the National Post. “The analogy is obscene. It is totally lacking in any proportionality.”
PETA’s tour is scheduled to make its way to the northeastern United States in April, followed by a possible visit to Canada.
Catholic Group Complains About Priest Skit
OTTAWA (RNS) The Catholic League for Civil Rights says it will file a complaint with Canada’s broadcasting watchdog following a ruling by a regulatory panel that a television show depicting priests enticing young boys with candy was legitimate satire.
The panel, the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council, ruled last month that a skit on the comedy talk show “Open Mike With Mike Bullard” was “sufficiently gently satirical, and related to a very publicly debated controversy, to be acceptable.”
“Merely feeling offended,” it added, “is insufficient grounds to impinge on freedom of expression.”
The running gag showed people lined up to see the show being terrorized by boys on the street. Actors dressed as Catholic priests then lured the boys away with candy.
The league says it received 14 complaints about the episode, and plans to file a grievance with the Canadian Radio, Television and Telecommunications Commission.
“This stunt was obviously conceived in malice to denigrate and reinforce an abusively discriminatory and negative stereotype of Catholic priests,” the league said.
Religions Call Ontario Government to Account
TORONTO (RNS) A multifaith coalition is calling upon Ontario’s political parties to lay out their social priorities in advance of provincial elections, expected in the spring, reports the Catholic Register.
The Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops has joined with groups representing Buddhists, Unitarians, Anglicans, the United Church of Canada, Hindus, Muslims, Lutherans, Mennonites and others in a letter highlighting what the faith groups say should be six election issues.
The letter, sent to Premier Ernie Eves, Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty and New Democratic Party leader Howard Hampton, calls on politicians to:
_ increase the shelter allowance portion of welfare cheques;
_ boost investment in child care and early childhood education;
_ raise income levels of the working poor;
_ ensure access to support and services for the disabled;
_ provide more home care and relief from drug costs;
_ provide more affordable housing.
Minister Battles Military Over Faith
OTTAWA (RNS) Religious services in the Canadian armed forces are controlled exclusively by a few major Christian groups, discriminating against other faiths and minority Christian churches, a Pentecostal minister has charged in a human rights complaint.
The forces have no Jewish, Hindu or Muslim chaplains, Rev. Sheldon Johnston notes in his complaint, reported by the National Post.
A defense spokesman admitted the chaplains don’t represent modern Canada and said officials are working on the problem, starting with the recruitment of the forces’ first Muslim chaplain.
There are 144 regular force chaplains, divided about equally between Catholic and Protestant.
According to figures Johnston obtained from the Defense Department, just under half of armed forces members are Catholic, 19 percent are Anglican and 11 percent are United Church of Canada.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission says it will refer Johnston’s complaint to a human rights tribunal.
B’nai B’rith, the Jewish human rights organization, is backing his crusade and is considering intervening in the hearing.
Trans World Radio Launches French Service in Quebec
CARY, N.C. (RNS) International Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio has begun airing its first French broadcast in Quebec.
The program, a 30-minute French version of the popular series “Thru the Bible” (“A Travers la Bible”) will air at 10:30 p.m. (EST) five days a week over Montreal radio station CJMS (1040 on the AM dial). The new broadcast, which began March 3, can also be heard at http://www.cjms.ca.
A Trans World Radio news release says the current spiritual climate in Quebec is “quite cool,” with declining church attendance, indifference or opposition to organized religion, and the rise in popularity of New Age groups and cults.
Fewer than 50,000 people, or less than 1 percent of the population, are evangelical, TWR says.
The station has teamed with Aujourd’hui Espoir (Hope for Today), a Quebec evangelical ministry, under the name Radio Espoir in an effort to broadcast the show all over the province.
Conference on Religious Fundamentalism
NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario (RNS) A conference here later this month will warn of the dangers of religious fundamentalism, organizers say.
“One of the mistakes of the mainline churches has been to ignore fundamentalism, to view it as too foolish to challenge,” says David Galston, pastor at Eternal Spring United Church in Hamilton and president of the SnowStar Institute of Religion, which is sponsoring the March 11-15 conference.
The gathering, called “Where is Fundamentalism Leading Us?”, will examine how fundamentalism has become a potent force in religion and culture, paving the way for today’s extreme political fundamentalism.
Speakers are scheduled to include Bernard Brandon Scott, a charter member of the Jesus Seminar.
Details may be obtained at http://www.snowstarinstitute.org.
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