FREEDOM OF SPEECH & RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION

Both in Canada and abroad religious freedom has been increasingly under fire. Unless we attack this injustice in prayer and action we can expect it will only get worse (but it doesn't have to, your voice makes a difference). Here are just a few examples of religious persecution within our own borders (related to the marriage issue).

• June 2009: Case to be heard by the Ontario Human Rights Commission where a man who was awaiting a sex change operation was refused access to an exclusively women's gym. John Fulton, the owner o the gym, has been brought to the Tribunal for discrimination. Click here for a recent article.
• April 2009: Randy Hillier announces that he is running for the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party on the basis of abolishing the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Click here to visit his website.
• February 2009: The Ontario Human Rights Commission calls for a federally enforced media counsel to monitor all forms of print and internet publications in Canada. Click here for a recent article.
• November 2008: Queen's University appoints 6 student "facilitators" to monitor conversations on campus. If they over-hear a conversation containing "incorrect thought" they are to step in and "teach" correct dialogue to the offending parties. Click here for a recent article.
• November 2008: An Independent Review of the Human Rights Commissions, sponsored by the HRC, recommends striking down Section 13.1 of the Human Rights Act. Click here for a recent article.
• November 2008: The Conservative Party, at their Policy Convention, vote to support legislation to support legislation that would remove authority from Human Rights Commissions to use Section 13.1 of the Canadian Human Rights Act to persecute free speech. Click here for a recent article.
• June 2008: Update on Reverend Stephen Boissoin. Following a six year trial, the Alberta Human Rights Commission has fined Rev. Boissoin $5,000 and ordered him to renounce his faith after he wrote a letter to the editor in 2002 expressing concern on homosexual agendas in the school system. Rev. Boissoin and The Concerned Christian Coalition have been ordered to publicly apologize to the gay community, never express opposition to homosexuality again, and renounce all previous statements on homosexuality. The HRC has not explained where the damage fee is going because there are no defined "victims" to pay the damage fine to.
• June 2008: Catholic Insight Magazine has been burdened with $20,000 in legal fees so far defending itself against human rights complaints from homosexual activitists. In February of 2007, Pride Centre of Edmonton filed a human rights complaint against the monthly Catholic magazine, and 18 months later there has still be no word of whether the case will proceed past the investigation stage. The magazine is also coming under fire from a homosexual couple in Toronto who are attempting to get Insight's funding stripped from Heritage Canada's Publications Assistance Program. The magazine is paying its legal fees with support from donors.
• May 2008: In Saskatchewan, Orville Nichols, a Regina marriage commissioner for 25 years, was found guilty of violating the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code for declining to perform a same-sex marriage three years ago. Nichols was fined $2,500 and asked to comply with with the Human Rights Code. If he refuses, he will lose his appointment as a commissioner. As a result of this case, The Human Rights Commission plans on asking every marriage commissioner if they comply with the legislation requiring them to marry same-sex couples. Although this does not affect clergy (they can refuse on the basis of religious beliefs under the Human Rights Code and Charter because they are a religious organization), civil marriage commissioners are required to perform marriages as a public service without religious content, and therefore if they are found in non-compliance they will lose their job.
• April 2008: The Ontario Human Rights Commission ruled that Christian Horizons (a Christian care facility) pay former employee Connie Heintz $23,000 plus to compensation for 2 years of lost wages after she was let go because of a lesbian lifestyle, even though when hired she had signed an agreement declaring she was committed to living according to biblical values. The tribunal also found that a company cannot have two main focuses; therefore Christian Horizons cannot be both a care facility and a ministry, and so they cannot screen who they hire on the basis of lifestyle or make new employees sign a Statement of Faith contract. This has major implications not only for Christian Horizons but other faith based service organizations as well (eg. Salvation Army, Pro-Life Centres etc.).
  
• A Teacher: British Columbia Chris Kempling lost his job for writing letters to the Editor, in his own time, explaining how homosexuals can be helped to change their orientation.
• A University professor: David Mullan was fined by Cape Breton University, Nova Scotia, for expressing his views on moral sexuality.
• A Printer: In Toronto Scott Brokie was summoned by the OHRC and lost his court case in front of the Ontario Court of Appeals, for refusing to print propaganda material for a homosexual activist group.
• A Landlord: The Knights of Columbus in British Columbia was forced to Pay Damages to Lesbians for Refusing to Rent Hall for ?Wedding? Reception.
• An Innkeeper: A Prince Edward Island Christian couple, Dagmar and Arnost Cepica, closed down their Bed & Breakfast business to keep from being forced to accept homosexual couples.
• A Civic Official, Marriage Commissioner or Justice of the peace: Manitoba ordered Kevin Kisilowsky to conduct marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples or hand in his license.
• A Mayor: Fredericton mayor Brad Woodside was brought before the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission for refusing to proclaim Gay Pride Week. In two similar cases in Ontario, mayors Dianne Haskett of London and Bob Morrow of Hamilton were found guilty of "discrimination" and forced to pay large fines by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), in spite of their religious objections to making Gay Pride Week proclamations.
• A Pastor: Reverend Stephen Boissoin was summoned by the Alberta HRT for writing letters on the issue of homosexuality. This case is still pending.
  

This is one form of discrimination that is very alive within Canada. However, this is minor in comparison to what happens on a daily basis in many nations around the world. Currently, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea are all well known for their extreme persecution of Christians. It is estimated that more Christians have died for their faith in the last 50 years than in all of human history combined and yet this, by and large, is un talked about in Canadian media.

As the jews have become an articulate voice regarding the holocaust so now it is time for Christians to raise their voices regarding injustices happening on a regular basis to their brothers and sisters both within our borders and all across the globe. We encourage you to pray and speak about this issue in your spheres of influence. Together we can make a difference (huge).

Click here to visit the Abolish the Ontario Human Rights Commission website.

SITES TO GET INFORMED ON RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION:

• International Christian Concern
• Christian Persecution Information
• EFC's Page on the Persecuted Church
• One Free World International
• Persecuted Church Blog

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION WEBPAGES:

• Canadian Human Rights Commission
• British Columbia Human Rights Commission
• Alberta Human Rights Commission
• Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission
• Manitoba Human Rights Commission
• Ontario Human Rights Commission
• Quebec Human Rights Commission
• Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission
• Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
• New Brunswick Human Rights Commission
• Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission
• North West Territories Human Rights Commission
• Yukon Human Rights Commission

VIDEOS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH:

Click here to watch full McGuill presentation (in parts)