OTTAWA, Nov 22 (LSN.ca) - The recent attacks on Stockwell Day’s Christian faith have generated a groundswell of reaction among Christians but also among believers of other religions. All across Canada Bible believing Christians have been outraged by the vilification of their religious beliefs by political leaders and the media. Liberal Multiculturalism and Status of Women Minister Hedy Fry topped off the week of Christian bashing saying that Day’s public mentioning of his belief that “Jesus Christ is the God of the whole universe,” was “an insult to every Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, everybody else who believes in other religions.”
As LifeSite reported yesterday, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), a national association of 32 Protestant denominations representing some 3 million Canadians has condemned the anti-Christian attack directed against Mr. Day. But leaders from other religions have also added their voices.
Rabbi Reuven Bulka of the Machzikei Hadas Synagogue in Ottawa told LifeSite, “We firmly believe Canada is a multicultural society which is open and welcoming to all religious faiths, the expression of a person’s individual faith affirmation is a sacred part of the Canadian context and no one should be denied that right and be accused of anything untoward in expressing that.”
Aziz Khaki, vice-president of the Muslim Canadian Federation, was quoted in the Vancouver Sun calling Fry’s remarks “ridiculous.” Mr. Khaki said that there is nothing wrong with Day proclaiming that “he receives spiritual joy by believing Jesus Christ is the centre of the universe. Mr. Day is proud of his faith, just as I am proud of my Muslim faith.”
Thomas Langan, national president of the Catholic Civil Rights League, said Tuesday that Fry needs to start “being more sensitive to the vast majority of Canadians who are theists,” including Jews, Christians and Muslims. He told the Vancouver Sun, “Fry’s attitude toward Christians is beyond the pale. They’re the mind-boggling remarks of a terribly uninformed person. I feel sorry for her. ... Christians deserve respect and not to have their words twisted in to the opposite of what they are: We believe in a God of love, not hate. To put forward your position, your faith in Christ like Day does, is not to insult people who disagree. Fry is being a kind of fanatical anti-theist.”
Interdenominational Christian organizations such as 100 Huntley Street and Focus on the Family have also added their concerns. David Mainse of 100 Huntley Street and one of the most admired televangelists, was interviewed by Michael Coren for the National Post. Mainse said “Some of this negative, critical talk about our religion, about my religion, shows a huge ignorance gap here. There’s something anti-Canadian, anti-pluralistic, anti-decency about it all. And no way would it be accepted about, say, the Jewish or Muslim faith. Nor should it be.” Focus on the Family is addressing the attack on Mr. Day’s Christianity in its upcoming letter to its supporters.
Although the media (except for the Vancouver Sun’s coverage) has not given much press to this unprecedented public negativity against Christian beliefs, Christians around the country are listening and are very offended. An article on the front page of the Globe and Mail yesterday entitled “Why evangelical Christians are seeing the light of Day”, noted that “conservative Christians are angry at what they believe are attacks on Mr. Day for his faith.”
See the LifeSite coverage:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2000/nov/001121.html#3
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2000/nov/001117b.html
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2000/nov/001120.html#1
See the National Post article at:
http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20001121/377377.html