Saturday, March 18, 2006

Must Faith Remain Taboo in Canadian Politics?

Jenny Jackson in The Ottawa Citizen wrote a piece that begs contemplation. The key quote though is Mr. Mckay's prediction that faith will drive the ideologies of the 21st century unlike the 'isms' of communism, fascism, and socialism," that drove the 20th century. We at LFP have great concerns with this. Look no further than the middle east and Ireland and some would suggest the U.S.A. today to see what faith led ideologies have wrought. The article is rich in quotes some of which are referenced below.

"It's wrong to see religious communities as more ethical. That suggests that, by nature, (humans) are depraved, and that is not so."

"You have to advocate righteousness without appearing self-righteous."

"Faith conflict, in my view, will drive the ideologies of the 21st century, unlike the 20th century, which was the 'isms' of communism, fascism, and socialism,"says Mr. McKay.

Christian Politicians must be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

In the House of Commons, faith is almost taboo.

Mr. McKay says Canadians are spooked by the "merger" of the U.S. religious right and George W. Bush's Republican party, he said, as faith groups "have allowed themselves to become the handmaiden of the Republicans."

"It's the transition of a faith group into a public interest group that makes people nervous."

"religious belief has a unique zeal, sense of certainty and rationale for imposing itself. It believes it is simply right and it is in a unique position to persuade people about its universality and consequences of not following it."
....

No comments:

Post a Comment