31 March, 2015
James Lunney leaving Conservative caucus | CTV News
Leaders of the faith community were in Ottawa on March 25th to express their alarm at increasing and unprecedented attempts to stifle freedom of religion, conscience and expression in Canada (http://bit.ly/1ErDN48) They identify deliberate attempts to suppress a Christian world-view from professional and economic opportunity in law, medicine, and academia. I share these concerns. I believe the same is true in the realm of politics at senior levels.
In the past month a few words exchanged on social media, words like: science, managing assumptions and theory or fact related to (macro) evolution. My remarks were inflated by media, blended with other unrelated but alleged heretical statements and became a top story on national media creating a firestorm of criticism and condemnation. Since two other politicians in Ontario and Alberta were targeted during the same period, it is clear that any politician or candidate of faith is going to be subjected to the same public scrutiny in coming elections.
In a society normally proud of embracing difference, the role of the media and partisan politics in inciting social bigotry and intolerance should be questioned. Such ignorance and bigotry cloaked in defence of science is as repugnant as bigotry of any other origin. It is based in a false construct from another century and is a flagrant violation of a society that is multicultural, multi-racial and multi faith and strives to be accepting of differences.
Today I am announcing that I have asked the speaker to assign me a seat as an independent MP. I will seek an opportunity to address the House in defence of my beliefs and the concerns of my faith community.
I am withdrawing from the CPC caucus voluntarily; the decision is entirely my own. Given the circling trolls, I do not intend to entangle the most multi-racial, multicultural and multi-faith caucus in parliamentary history in my decision to defend my beliefs.
I have no intentions of betraying my promise to my constituents and will continue to vote alongside my colleagues in the Conservative caucus.
Freedom of Religion is foundational to democracy; if we don’t get that right, it always leads to persecution.
James Lunney leaving Conservative caucus | CTV News
Why the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario is wrong in trying to deny doctors the right to refuse to participate in the procurement of procedures that contravenes their conscience
“Where physicians are unwilling to provide certain elements of care for reasons of conscience or religion, an effective referral to another health-care provider must be provided to the patient.”
Effectively this policy crushes the conscience rights of doctors and puts at risk the safety of their patients. By stripping from physicians the ability to care for their patients in a respectful and moral manner independent of government edicts, patients lose an essential ally dedicated to their care. Put plainly, who can patients best trust to ensure the security of their life? A politicians or their physician?
By bowing to the pressures of various government agencies such as provincial human rights commissions and tribunals the CPSO has allowed their membership to be disarmed in using their best medical and moral judgement in pursuing what they hold to be in the best interests of their patients.
The CPSO document quite correctly points out that a physician may not, under any circumstances, discriminate against a patient based on their 'race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status or disability.' There can be no dispute that to discriminate against a patient on any of these grounds is both illegal and immoral and any health care professional that did so should be firmly sanctioned by the College. But this is not what the reformed policy affects. Nor is it even its intent to address this type of discrimination, although the College of Physicians and Surgeons would have you believe that it is, since they use this argument as a figleaf to cover their naked political promotion of abortion and euthanasia.
The refusal of a physician to either personally perform or refer a patient for a procedure that contravenes their informed conscience is an issue of the morality of the act itself. It has nothing to do with the status of the person requesting that act. She/he is simply exercising their right to act in accordance with their conscience in determining the best course of action for their patients. It's not the status of the patient that is the determining factor in their decision. It is the morality of the act itself.
But should a physician have such a right to refuse a patient's request? Wouldn’t such a doctor be culpable of trying to force their values upon their patient? Is this not just a case of something thinking that their ‘religious beliefs’ are more important that the health and welfare of a patient? This is the position taken by the CSPO. But it is the wrong position because they conflate ‘religious belief’ with ‘freedom of conscience’. Given the panoply of religious beliefs among the world’s populations a doctor could find one to justify refusing to perform a procedure.
But one’s religious conviction serves only to inform their conscience. It is but one component that an individual uses to come to a fully formed moral decision. For this is the sole purpose of the human conscience: to be the final arbiter of the rightness or wrongness of any act. The conscience needs far more than simple religious conviction to accomplish such an important task. One also requires reason to come to a truly moral decision, particularly if that decision affects the welfare of another. Freedom of conscience thus requires both faith AND reason to be legitimate. For this reason, it has a greater standing in the pantheon of human rights that informs and animates public morality than does simple religious belief.
So why would the CSPO make such a simple category error as conflating or confusing freedom of religion and freedom of conscience? They are doing so in a deliberate attempt to force physicians and surgeons to act in a manner that contravenes their basic human rights as outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. But they are accomplishing this end by using a logical fallacy, in this case, a Straw Man argument. For this reason, they are logically (and by extension morally) wrong in trying to force their members to act in contravention of their conscience since such a fallacy ultimately renders their argument useless. Let me explain why this is so.
Since toleration plays a key role in our multicultural society, giving too much credence to any one religious system of beliefs is a recipe for cultural confusion and conflict within the public square. Thus attacking a doctor’s conscience decision as being little more than an expression of personal religious belief renders that decision moot when balanced off against their fiduciary responsibility to attend to the health and welfare of their patients. This allows the College (in its opinion) to negate a doctor’s right of conscience as guaranteed by both legislation and court precedent by reducing it little more than a personal religious belief. Clearly the CPSO is wrong in this belief as it fails the test of rationality itself through its use of a logical fallacy. Their position might make for good rhetoric… but it clearly fails to meet the standard required to abrogate the fundamental right of an individual to act in accordance with their conscience.
Since the traditional taboo against the taking of an innocent life has now been abrogated by recent decisions of Canadian courts and parliaments it is more essential now than ever that physicians be allowed the maximum degree of personal autonomy possible in deciding whether such acts contravene their conscience. The CPSO decision is clearly a step in the wrong direction.
(Note: This column is a work in progress. I inadvertently posted it before completing its editing and don't know how to get it back into my draft folder. My apologies to you, the reader. Check in again in the next day or two and hopefully it will make for a more coherent read.)
30 March, 2015
29 March, 2015
28 March, 2015
Facebook Page Proves Germanwings Co-Pilot Andreas Lubitz Converted to Islam?
It may be circulating on Facebook and elsewhere, but according to Snopes it is probably not true! We need to stop spreading such stories that do little more than stoke people's bigotry and biases with fear and lies. Using the same tactics as people who are actually trying to do us harm only serves to lower us to the same level as them. It is the path of never-ending conflict rather than one that leads to peaceful co-existence.
Facebook Page Proves Germanwings Co-Pilot Andreas Lubitz Converted to Islam?
Facebook Page Proves Germanwings Co-Pilot Andreas Lubitz Converted to Islam?
27 March, 2015
Cardinal Burke: Gays, remarried Catholics, and murderers are all the same | Crux: What??? Did he actually say that???
Cardinal Burke makes the argument that all mortal sins are the same. While I accept that from the perspective of their effect upon one's soul this argument has some merit... but somehow I just can't my head around accepting that invalidly married couple, sexually active gays, and murderers are all the same. Is there no room for consideration of intent and causation in his moral calculations? Don't get me wrong. I am not advocating situational ethics. But it cannot be as black and white a situation as Cardinal Burke paints it to be.
Cardinal Burke: Gays, remarried Catholics, and murderers are all the same | Crux
Cardinal Burke: Gays, remarried Catholics, and murderers are all the same | Crux
26 March, 2015
25 March, 2015
Getting to the Point: I've Got a Blank Space, Baby!
Getting to the Point: I've Got a Blank Space, Baby!: Arise — go! Sell all you possess. Give it directly, personally to the poor. Take up My cross (their cross) and follow Me, going to the poor...
24 March, 2015
23 March, 2015
Canadian driving vs driving elsewhere
In some countries they drive on the left of the street...
Meanwhile in Canada, we drive on what's left of the street!
Meanwhile in Canada, we drive on what's left of the street!
Anti-gay activist Bill Whatcott says he left Canada because his views made him unemployable: ‘I was forced out’ | National Post
I commented on Facebook that I was glad Mr. Whatcott had left the country - and was promptly attacked for being a 'poor excuse for a priest'. My point is that he didn't stand and publicly condemn other mortal sins such as adultery, missing mass, swearing, or theft but primarily went around condemning homosexuality. IMHO, that demonstrates that he is a homophobe and doesn't really belong in our country and has more in common with the Westboro Baptist Church than he does with the Catholic Church.
Agree or disagree?
Anti-gay activist Bill Whatcott says he left Canada because his views made him unemployable: ‘I was forced out’ | National Post
Agree or disagree?
Anti-gay activist Bill Whatcott says he left Canada because his views made him unemployable: ‘I was forced out’ | National Post
22 March, 2015
Getting to the Point: Kill The Brain, Kill The Zombie
Getting to the Point: Kill The Brain, Kill The Zombie: Once upon a time, in a village in Eastern Europe, there arose an unusual problem. A curious disease afflicted many of the townspeople. It w...
Pope Francis in Naples: Meeting with clergy and religious -Joyless lives can't be hidden by priests and religious
If a priest or a sister is not living a joyful life, "people can smell it!" Pope Francis said yesterday to priests and men and women religious in Naples. It was part of a remarkable off-the-cuff speech, of which we only have snippets, of the type we call a "ferverino." "I prepared a speech," the pope said at the beginning of his talk, "but speeches are boring!"
He twitted priests and religious who live affluent lives, hang out with the rich, fail to live joyful lives, and forget to make Christ the center of their lives. These are invitations for all of us, not just priests and religious. Be sure to read the trenchant story of the woman religious and the 100-peso note.
Pope Francis in Naples: Meeting with clergy and religious
He twitted priests and religious who live affluent lives, hang out with the rich, fail to live joyful lives, and forget to make Christ the center of their lives. These are invitations for all of us, not just priests and religious. Be sure to read the trenchant story of the woman religious and the 100-peso note.
Pope Francis in Naples: Meeting with clergy and religious
21 March, 2015
Conrad Black: The shabby, shallow world of the militant atheist | National Post
Brilliantly argued and written! Once again Mr. Black proves why he stands among the greats of today's intellectual class of Canadians.
Conrad Black: The shabby, shallow world of the militant atheist | National Post
Conrad Black: The shabby, shallow world of the militant atheist | National Post
Eupocrisy: A column from Mark Shea
One of the dividing lines between believers is their attitude towards who is saved and who is damned. Personally I find that there are far too many concerned with the latter while not enough are oriented by the first. I have always believed that God will be far more generous with his gift of salvation than many here give him credit for. This short column by Mark Shea touches on this issue in a way that resonates with me. I hope it does the same for you.
Eupocrisy |Blogs | NCRegister.com
Eupocrisy |Blogs | NCRegister.com
20 March, 2015
New study: Euthanasia represents 4.6% of all death according
Taken from the March 2015 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine about a survey of Holland's physicians regarding their practice of Euthanasia.
"A significant and continuous problem is the number of hastened deaths without explicit request from the patient in Belgium.
In 2007, 1.8% of all deaths were hastened deaths without explicit request while in 2013, 1.7% of all deaths were hastened deaths without explicit request.
Since there are 58000 deaths each year in Belgium, therefore approximately 1000 deaths are hastened each year without request."
So in a country with approximately half as many people as Canada, 1000 people per year are euthanized without asking to be killed. That would translate to about 2200 people per year in Canada or approximately 6 people per day dying at the hands of the state. Still think that those of who are loudly ringing out warning that following the Netherlands example is a threat to us all are exaggerating?
Alex Schadenberg, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: New study: Euthanasia represents 4.6% of all death...:
"A significant and continuous problem is the number of hastened deaths without explicit request from the patient in Belgium.
In 2007, 1.8% of all deaths were hastened deaths without explicit request while in 2013, 1.7% of all deaths were hastened deaths without explicit request.
Since there are 58000 deaths each year in Belgium, therefore approximately 1000 deaths are hastened each year without request."
So in a country with approximately half as many people as Canada, 1000 people per year are euthanized without asking to be killed. That would translate to about 2200 people per year in Canada or approximately 6 people per day dying at the hands of the state. Still think that those of who are loudly ringing out warning that following the Netherlands example is a threat to us all are exaggerating?
Alex Schadenberg, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: New study: Euthanasia represents 4.6% of all death...:
To Judge or Not to Judge? | Daily News | NCRegister.com
I think Pope Francis would approve of this internet meme... at least if this article is correct.
To Judge or Not to Judge? | Daily News | NCRegister.com
To Judge or Not to Judge? | Daily News | NCRegister.com
19 March, 2015
18 March, 2015
Jacques Delisle, ex-judge convicted of wife's murder, says he didn't do it - Montreal - CBC News
Most people think that the Supreme Court of Canada 'legalized' assisted-suicide with its recent ruling this February. In fact, the justices with the 9-0 ruling did something more. As a result, this judge who had been convicted of his wife's murder, might actually be able to go free.
You see, what the Court actually did was strike down a section of the Criminal Code which read:
This means that it is now legal to use 'I did it because they wanted to die' as a defense. This is more than just legalizing Doctor-Assisted Suicide. It's the enactment of full-on euthanasia with the concomitant risk that people will be killed without their consent - with the legal blessings of the highest court in the land.
At the risk of being accused of being an alarmist, may I suggest that this is but the first 'step' on what will turn out to be a very slippery slope to enforced mortality.
Look at it like this:
a) In the 1930's, Canada enacted legislation that legalized and opened up the path to divorce. It was intended to be something available for extreme cases and was predicted to be very sparingly used in the country. 50 years later, we had no-fault divorce and a marriage failure rate approaching 50%.
b) In 1967/68 Pierre Elliot Trudeau, then the Canadian Justice Minister introduced legislation permitting the legalization of abortions under strict conditions, with guarantees and safeguards to ensure that abortions were legal but rare, only to be used in cases where the life and welfare of the mother were at risk. By the late 1980's all restrictions on abortion were swept away by the Supreme Court and now somewhere between 20 -30% of all pregnancies end in an abortion in North America. We are only now beginning to feel the effects of the demographic bomb that exploded with this ruling meaning that we have had to dramatically increase the rates of immigration into our country to ensure a growing workforce to pay for our social and pension programs.
c) In 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada removes the restriction in the Criminal Code which forbade the killing of another person who asked to have their life ended. A restriction is put in place stating that the death can be effected by a physician for a patient enduring 'intolerable suffering'. How long to do you think it will be before 'suffering' gets redefined into irrelevancy and wholesale euthanasia is practiced in our country? Given the progress of the other two great social innovations listed above, it should probably come to pass before the life of the last 'boomer' is snuffed out. I'd bet my life on it. Thanks to this misguided decision of the SCC, I'll probably have no choice but to participate in the death lottery that's coming.
If history is any form of teacher, we have good reason to be very, very afraid of what will most likely soon become common practice in our country.
Jacques Delisle, ex-judge convicted of wife's murder, says he didn't do it - Montreal - CBC News
You see, what the Court actually did was strike down a section of the Criminal Code which read:
No person is entitled to consent to have death inflicted on him, and such consent does not affect the criminal responsibility of any person by whom death may be inflicted on the person by whom consent is given.
This means that it is now legal to use 'I did it because they wanted to die' as a defense. This is more than just legalizing Doctor-Assisted Suicide. It's the enactment of full-on euthanasia with the concomitant risk that people will be killed without their consent - with the legal blessings of the highest court in the land.
At the risk of being accused of being an alarmist, may I suggest that this is but the first 'step' on what will turn out to be a very slippery slope to enforced mortality.
Look at it like this:
a) In the 1930's, Canada enacted legislation that legalized and opened up the path to divorce. It was intended to be something available for extreme cases and was predicted to be very sparingly used in the country. 50 years later, we had no-fault divorce and a marriage failure rate approaching 50%.
b) In 1967/68 Pierre Elliot Trudeau, then the Canadian Justice Minister introduced legislation permitting the legalization of abortions under strict conditions, with guarantees and safeguards to ensure that abortions were legal but rare, only to be used in cases where the life and welfare of the mother were at risk. By the late 1980's all restrictions on abortion were swept away by the Supreme Court and now somewhere between 20 -30% of all pregnancies end in an abortion in North America. We are only now beginning to feel the effects of the demographic bomb that exploded with this ruling meaning that we have had to dramatically increase the rates of immigration into our country to ensure a growing workforce to pay for our social and pension programs.
c) In 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada removes the restriction in the Criminal Code which forbade the killing of another person who asked to have their life ended. A restriction is put in place stating that the death can be effected by a physician for a patient enduring 'intolerable suffering'. How long to do you think it will be before 'suffering' gets redefined into irrelevancy and wholesale euthanasia is practiced in our country? Given the progress of the other two great social innovations listed above, it should probably come to pass before the life of the last 'boomer' is snuffed out. I'd bet my life on it. Thanks to this misguided decision of the SCC, I'll probably have no choice but to participate in the death lottery that's coming.
If history is any form of teacher, we have good reason to be very, very afraid of what will most likely soon become common practice in our country.
Jacques Delisle, ex-judge convicted of wife's murder, says he didn't do it - Montreal - CBC News
Introducing Hobbs... the newest member of my household here in the Upper regions of Pontiac Co., QC.!
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| (Paddy) Hobbs at 10 weeks of age |
The photo above is of my new puppy, Hobbs (or 'Paddy-Hobbs' since he arrived on St. Patrick's Day). He is a 10 week old Bearded Collie (a Beardie) who was bred and born in Saskatoon and was flown to Ottawa yesterday to take up residence here with Mateo and I.
He is of the same breed as Mateo and will no doubt be a spitting image of his big 'brother', at least if their resemblance as puppies is any indication.
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| Mateo at 10 weeks of age |
Here's hoping that Mateo will be up to the task of helping to housetrain his little brother so that we won't have too many nights like last night when I took Hobbs outside MANY times as he cried and barked only to have him return to his kennel without producing so much as a spurt or a sprinkle!!
17 March, 2015
16 March, 2015
Victim: Bishop tapped for higher post enjoyed watching abuse | The Chronicle Herald
This appointment is a mistake. A BIG mistake. No one who has had a credible allegation made about them should be appointed anywhere as a bishop. The fact that three separate victims all claim that this priest watched as they were abused by his superior should be sufficient to erase his name from consideration to run ANY diocese. Period.
In this day and age, any benefit of the doubt must be given to the Church - meaning if there's even the slightest doubt that a candidate for the episcopacy might be compromised in these scandals, he should be rejected out of hand.
I love Pope Francis and believe he is a true gift for the Church. But I believe he's made a big mistake with this appointment in Chile - even if he personally believes that this candidate isn't personally guilty of what is alleged by the victims of his former superior.
Victim: Bishop tapped for higher post enjoyed watching abuse | The Chronicle Herald
In this day and age, any benefit of the doubt must be given to the Church - meaning if there's even the slightest doubt that a candidate for the episcopacy might be compromised in these scandals, he should be rejected out of hand.
I love Pope Francis and believe he is a true gift for the Church. But I believe he's made a big mistake with this appointment in Chile - even if he personally believes that this candidate isn't personally guilty of what is alleged by the victims of his former superior.
Victim: Bishop tapped for higher post enjoyed watching abuse | The Chronicle Herald
'Going Down to the River' by Doug Seegers
If your heart beats with the blues, then you have GOT to take a few minutes and listen to this song. The fact that it's written and performed by someone who lived 17 years on the streets only serves to give it an authenticity that will leave you breathless.
I don't often post songs on this blog (outside of the Advent /Christmas season that is) but this is one you've got to hear.
I don't often post songs on this blog (outside of the Advent /Christmas season that is) but this is one you've got to hear.
LIQUID BREAD: THE TOP 5 BOCK BEERS FOR LENT!
Beer for Lent? Now there's an idea I could really get behind! I wish I had thought of that before I opted for my usual 'no dessert Lent' promise.
This story reminded me of that old meme:
Beer is made from hops...
Hops are plants...
Therefore, beer qualifies as a salad!
The Catholic Gentleman
This story reminded me of that old meme:
Beer is made from hops...
Hops are plants...
Therefore, beer qualifies as a salad!
The Catholic Gentleman
One day late... but maybe it's just his Irish spirit that's to blame!!
Such is life I guess. Poor lad was all washed and dressed for the trip and now he's got no place to go! Still, he's going to arrive here on St. Paddy's Day... and that will give us another great reason to celebrate this year. (As if we needed more reasons in this corner of the globe!) I'll have to pick him up a green collar to make sure he's going to feel like fitting in with the festivities!
My sincere thanks to Meaghen Bobryk for all her hard work and super pictures in raising Hobbs to this point in life! If every dog breeder communicates and cares for her animals like she does, canines the world over would be a happy and blessed lot!
15 March, 2015
14 March, 2015
Two Catholic Men and a Blog: The Obligation to Live and Give
Two Catholic Men and a Blog: The Obligation to Live and Give: A recent post on this blog dealt with the potential creep of the Right to Die movement morphing into the "Obligation to Die" via...
13 March, 2015
12 March, 2015
A Priest's Journey: Depression and Suicide - Catholic Stand : Catholic Stand
"Father John then revealed: “Courage is a three-letter word: YES. Yes to who you are. Yes to your flaws. Yes to ask for help.”
When Father John realized he couldn’t journey alone and needed help, he went to his priest superior seeking his help. Father John was then hospitalized. He still occasionally sees a psychiatrist for medication, a therapist and, of course, a spiritual director.Click on the link below to read the entire article:
Father John told us, “Mental illness is a disease and it’s not your fault. At first, I suffered with depression. Then I learned to live with it. Now I realize it lives with me. It’s not who I am.”
11 March, 2015
Pita Priest’s “Pastoral” Slap Down at A Funeral
With the usual caveats about whether or not this story accurately describes what transpired at this funeral mass, let me say that if it is in fact accurate and true, it illustrates the incredible grace that has kept the Church alive despite the ministrations of her dense and woolly-headed clergy. The levels of insensitivity described, from the priest stating it wasn't necessary for him to administer last rites (the lay pastoral team could 'take care of it') through to the eucharistic abuses described at this lady's funeral mass, make me wonder why it is that there are still fervent, practicing, faithful Catholics at all!!
THANK GOD for the Holy Spirit for it must daily work miracles to repair the damage done to the faith and piety of many at the hands of the Church's priests.
Pita Priest’s “Pastoral” Slap Down at A Funeral
THANK GOD for the Holy Spirit for it must daily work miracles to repair the damage done to the faith and piety of many at the hands of the Church's priests.
Pita Priest’s “Pastoral” Slap Down at A Funeral
Getting to the Point: Up The Down Staircase
Getting to the Point: Up The Down Staircase: Wednesday, and it is time for the ‘papal examen’ once again, our weekly trip through the Pope’s speech to the Roman curia back at Christmas...
How a "Little Course" from Spain Strengthened Christianity in America - Aleteia
The Cursillo Movement's history and importance today.
How a "Little Course" from Spain Strengthened Christianity in America - Aleteia
How a "Little Course" from Spain Strengthened Christianity in America - Aleteia