Let them give out all of them
then; if the New Canadians are seeking Truth I know which one
would win the race. Why forbid
the CBS to present Bibles to those who request them when it's
not costing the Government
anything?. Doesn't this show clearly how far we have fallen
from
Queen as "defender of the
faith" and all? judyt
Lance and Jonathan - A friend sent me this, he believes Canada
is very quickly
going down the tubes - Tell
us this isn't so ... The big and bad USA hasn't gone this far yet.
judyt
LifeSite Daily News
Tuesday July 13, 2004
Canada Forbids Free
Bible Distribution to New Canadians
TORONTO, July 13, 2004
(LifeSiteNews.com) - The Canadian Bible Society is disappointed and strongly
questioning the rationale behind a recent decision by Senior Citizenship
Judge Michel Simard, removing the Society's ability to present bibles on
request to new Canadians.
For more than 50 years the Society has welcomed immigrants in
citizenship courts, offering them copies of the Scriptures. The right of the
Society to do that was formalized in an agreement signed in 1998 with the
government. At all times, it was made clear that acceptance of the bibles
was purely voluntary on the part of the recipients.
"We don't understand what prompted Judge Simard to renege on this
agreement, particularly since there was no prior consultation," said Rev.
Phyllis Nesbitt, National Director of the Canadian Bible Society
In a letter to the Society, Judge Simard merely noted that Canada is a
multicultural nation where freedom of religion is guaranteed under the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms. His letter indicated that notwithstanding
the agreement "allowing holy books to be made available at citizenship
ceremonies detracts from this message."
"But when does excluding bibles from citizenship courts equate with
freedom of religion?" Rev. Nesbitt asked, wondering if the ruling is less
about freedom of religion and more an indicator of declining spiritual
fervour. She noted that "this great nation of Canada was built on a strong
religious foundation." To deny "holy books" at citizenship ceremonies
reinforces secular, irreligious philosophies rather than undergirding
religious freedoms, she said.
(c) Copyright: LifeSite Daily News is a production of Interim
Publishing. Permission to republish is granted (with limitation*) but
acknowledgement of source is *REQUIRED* (use LifeSiteNews.com).
Please help us to continue this service. Mail contributions to: Interim
Publishing, Att'n LifeSite, 104 Bond St. E., Toronto, ON M5B 1X9 or
contribute on line at
http://www.lifesite.net/contribute/lifesite/
