|
|
Pioneer Christian Monthly - September, 1999
God and the Constitution by Bob Anes "God has no business in the constitution." At least that is what a few thousand constituents of Svend Robinson think, and they asked him to read a petition to take God out of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The reaction was predictable: Many Christians, including myself, said, "Enough is enough." That was to be expected. Political correctness to satisfy minorities has gone much too far already. Reaction from the NDP What about the reaction from Alexa McDonough and other NDP members of parliament? They punished the "enfant terrible" of the NDP by sending him to the back benches. What is happening here? Is the party which officially advocates abortion, the champion of homosexual "rights," and spews nothing but hate on the picket line standing up for God? Is the Almighty in need of help from the NDP? I think not. To put it bluntly, I smell a rat. I think their concern has a lot more to do with the sagging image of the NDP than with concern for God. More than once I have asked NDP’ers the question: "If Tommy Douglas (who was a Baptist preacher) were alive, do you think he would be a member of the NDP today?" Usually I get an "I don’t know," and sometimes a surprisingly honest "I don’t think so." Should Christians be Surprised or Upset? What are we as Christians to think of God being in the preamble of the Charter? Does it mean anything, or is it just lip-service based on tradition? The Charter has been used many times to circumvent or change laws that have been around for decades and were probably drafted when God was taken seriously by lawmakers. They made laws against child pornography, but based on the Charter; a B.C. judge threw that out. Because of minorities and pressure groups, laws are being changed by the courts. Nine un-elected (and mostly left wing) Supreme Court judges have become the law makers of the land. Is it any wonder we are in deep trouble? The Charter is a Humanistic Document. In my opinion the Charter is the worst piece of legislation Canada ever had the misfortune to enact. It is the biggest make work project for the legal profession anywhere in the world. And all of it at the expense of the taxpayer, financially as well as morally. It says everything about rights, and absolutely nothing about responsibilities. Have you ever checked your Bible about rights? I think you will find very little. What about responsibilities? Plenty: Love God. Love your neighbour. Be generous. The Charter is a pure humanistic, and hence flawed, document. God may have something to do with the Charter, but the Charter has absolutely nothing to do with God; it is mainly of benefit to criminals, lawyers, and mal-contents. Does the Charter Protect our Rights? Some people say that the charter "protects them" in that certain rights are now guaranteed. Is this true? Does the Charter increase our rights? As with most left wing deceptions, the answer is NO. The Charter did not increase our rights, it decreased them. Before the Charter, we had the right to do anything we wanted, unless forbidden by law, such as murder, raping, stealing, etc. Once the Charter was enacted, our rights were defined: if it is not in the Charter, we may do (or have) it until somebody objects, because it is not a right. For instance, the right to own something you have worked and paid for is not there. The government can take anything away from you, just like that. Do you have the right to work? If there is a labour union in the plant where you apply for a job, they will tell you, "You can only work here if you pay us "x" amount of dollars." As far as I am concerned, this is pure blackmail, and it should not be allowed. But this form of legal stealing is not forbidden by the Charter, and hence we are out of luck. Through union dues, one is forced to support causes one is totally opposed to, including abortion, pornography in public libraries, and no prayer in the schools. And, of course, to provide money for the NDP, which, at the present time, should make Christians in B.C. rather uncomfortable. There are signs that people are waking up. MacLeans Magazine received hundreds of letters from Canadians who agree that the Charter is bad for Canada. I think it is time for Christians to become involved: to pray without ceasing and demand from our politicians that the Charter be repealed. It may be a long and hard battle, but for the future of Canada, it has to be done. For further information on the deterioration of the moral fabric over the last 30 years, may I recommend a real page turner of a novel: Deadline, by Randy Alcorn, published by Multnomah. This is one of the best books I have ever read; it can be ordered from a Christian book store. Bob Anes is a member of The Pioneer editorial committee. |
Please click the "Back" button of your browser to return to previous page.