Friday November 16, 2001
CANADIAN MILITARY CHAPLAINS TOLD TO AVOID CHRISTIAN REFERENCES IN PUBLIC SERVICES
Federal anti-religious policies becoming officially entrenched without public or parliamentary debate
OTTAWA, November 16, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Reciting the Lord's prayer, or using phrases like "Father, Son and Holy Spirit," at last week's Remembrance Day services was a no-no according to a new directive from the Canadian military to its chaplains. The policy change came down from the chaplain general in Ottawa July 24 and was reported yesterday in the Kingston Whig Standard.
All military chaplains are Christians, since the number of representatives of other religions, such as Muslims does not warrant a full-time chaplain, according to Col. Ron Bourque, the chief Roman Catholic chaplain to the Canadian Forces. However, Bourque told The Whig that the new policy "only has to do with public prayer because you can't control who attends." In an attempt at reassurance he said the policy was written "to leave a certain amount of autonomy" and, "in voluntary worship [like a service in a Roman Catholic chapel on a base], the chaplain is free to conduct worship according to their denomination."
Calls made to current Chaplain General Commodore T.A. Maindonald's office were not returned by press time. The federal government appears to be officially and unilaterally entrenching anti-religious policy without debate in either Parliament or the public realm.
See The Whig's coverage:
http://www.thewhig.com/news/011115/5355246.html
SEE PAST EVIDENCE OF THE LIBERAL GOVT'S SUPPRESSION OF RELIGION
No prayer allowed at Parliament Hill memorial service for 0911
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2001/sept/0109172 .html
No prayer allowed at Peggy's Cove crash memorial service
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/1998/dec/9812153 .html
Unprecedented attacks against religion during last federal election
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2000/nov/00112702.html
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