WASHINGTON, April 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Rev. Louis P.Sheldon, Chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition, in an opinion piece, writes about the loss of Canada’s freedom with the introduction of homosexual “marriage.”
The article, titled Canadians Will Lose Religious Freedom Once Homosexual Marriage Is Firmly Entrenched, extensively quotes Canadian pastor and religious commentator Fr. Raymond J. de Souza. Sheldon writes, “Canadian Priest Raymond J. de Souza has recently written Thinly Disguised Totalitarianism, an essay for First Things that describes a frightening scenario emerging in Canada over the relationship between homosexual marriage and religious oppression.”“De Souza notes that once an Ontario court ruled in 2003 that homosexual marriages were legal under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the rush was on to spread this new-found ‘right’ throughout Canada. Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien and his successor both refused to appeal the court’s decision and directed the legislature to rewrite Canada’s laws on marriage. The legislation exempted Canada’s clergy from having to perform homosexual marriages-but the future of this exemption is currently in doubt.
“According to de Souza, ‘The Canadian federal government has asked the chief judicial authority whether a bill which exempts religion’s blessings of marriage from government redefinition is constitutional. One would hope that the question need not even be asked.’”“De Souza predicts that Canada’s increasingly totalitarian government will first force churches to rent out their facilities for same-sex couple’s wedding receptions. Then, religious charities will be forced to recognize employees’ same-sex relationships. Eventually, religious schools will not be allowed to fire homosexual teachers who are ‘married.’ Little by little, the Canadian government’s pro-homosexual rulings will be used to strangle and suppress religious freedom and expression.”“The author notes that this oppression is already a reality in Ontario. In 2002, an Ontario court ordered a Catholic high school to allow two homosexual teens to attend the school’s prom night. The judge heard Catholic opinions on why this should not be allowed but sided with the homosexual students. This case is still meandering through the appeals system.”“In 2003, the House of Commons added ‘sexual orientation’ to Canada’s ‘hate speech’ code. The Senate has yet to act on this, but if passed, it will create a Thought Police system that will suppress any utterances considered to be critical of homosexual behavior. Once this law is passed, it is entirely possible that priests and pastors could be prosecuted for simply quoting the Bible on sodomy.”“De Souza is correct to fear the imposition of a homosexual-inspired totalitarianism system upon freedom of speech and religion in Canada. He notes that Canada’s thinly disguised totalitarianism is perfectly described by former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini who defined Fascism as: ‘Everything within the state, nothing against the state, nothing outside the state.’ Clearly, homo-fascism is a powerful force in Canada.” Sheldon warns American citizens: “Those with religious convictions about the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States would do well to look at where Canada is headed. The same fate awaits us if we do not block the legalization of same-sex marriage here.” Read the article on-line, at: https://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1573
Read Fr. Raymond de Souza’s full article on-line, at: https://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0404/opinion/desouza.html