Bishop Charlie Masters responds to the Supreme Court of Canada decision removing legal prohibitions on euthanasia

Posted on February 7, 2015 by David

7 February 2015

My dear brother and sisters,

Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a deeply disappointing decision striking down Canada’s existing Criminal Code prohibition on euthanasia and assisted suicide, declaring these to be constitutional rights. The unanimous decision gave Parliament 12 months to legislate restrictions if it so chooses.

You can read an analysis of the decision on the Association for Reformed Political Action Canada website. And the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s response is on its website.

As the issue has been presented by media in more palatable terms and with compelling personal accounts, public opinion has changed in recent years. So while the decision will be widely applauded, the rationale for Canada’s historic legal prohibition of euthanasia and assisted suicide is largely ignored.

Like previous legal decisions that have undercut the Judeo-Christian moral foundation of our society, this decision favours the few who have politically powerful advocates and who’s stories have been given high profile in the media; but it ignores the harm that may come to the many who are politically weak, physically vulnerable, and have few if any advocates.

In anticipation of this decision, Father Raymond de Souza wrote in the National Post, “that to embrace euthanasia and suicide as constitutional rights involved three revolutions in jurisprudence: i) abandoning the legal principle that every life is always a good to be protected, ii) embracing the idea that suicide is a social good, and iii) removing the particular obligation of the law to protect the weak and vulnerable.”

Citing the experience of Belgium where euthanasia and assisted suicide were legalized in 2002 and where the safeguards have rapidly eroded and the categories of those eligible have grown to the point that even children can now be euthanized, Father de Souza, expects that soon “we will hear positive reviews from the telegenic advocates of expanding the number of suicides and people euthanized in Canada. They will have compelling stories to tell. We will not hear from those who have no advocates – the isolated elderly, alone with no one to speak for them, judged to be burdensome to our health system. The disabled who will now wonder if their doctors are coming with counsels of death do not have fashionable advocates. The truly weak and vulnerable, the exploited and abandoned, do not hold press conferences. The Charter becomes a tool of the powerful against the weak, much like medicine will increasingly become in the age of euthanasia and suicide.”

Rather than give in to despair however, we Christians have constructive options. We can pray and we can act.

In fact, we ought to pray and act because, in the Bible, we know that Jesus saw death not as a friend to be embraced when there is great pain, but rather as an enemy to be destroyed. The One who came to conquer death said: ”

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 (ESV)

How then should we pray?

Pray that our elected leaders will carefully craft legislation imposing stringent limits on euthanasia and assisted suicide and that these will be scrupulously monitored and enforced. The “ball” is now in Parliament’s court; if Parliament fails to act, the result could be one of the most unrestricted euthanasia regimes in the world.
Pray for our physicians and their governing bodies. Pray that no physician or other healthcare worker would ever be required to participate in euthanasia or assisted suicide against his or her conscience.
Pray for the vulnerable – the elderly, the socially isolated, the depressed, the ill – that they would have loving advocates to encourage, care for, and protect them.

How can we act?

Write to parliamentarians encouraging them to put in place stringent laws governing euthanasia and assisted suicide, laws which will provide maximum protection for the vulnerable, and absolute protection for medical professionals whose conscience will not permit them to be associated in any way with euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Work to ensure that high quality, compassionate palliative care is available so those suffering terminal illness will be well cared for and able to live out their natural lifespan with dignity and minimal pain.
Become involved as individuals and as churches in caring for and advocating for the vulnerable, the elderly, the lonely, the disabled, and the physically and mentally ill. By becoming engaged in their lives, we can help people who otherwise might be attracted to death, choose life instead.
Be bearers of the Good News. People need to know that they are not accidents of evolution, but were created by an infinitely wise, loving God who treasures them, and has given them inherent dignity and immeasurable value. They desperately need to be introduced to our Saviour who offers them unconditional love, forgiveness and spiritual wholeness. And they need to know that we too care for them and will walk with them.
Become actively involved in Anglicans for Life Canada or Anglicans for Life (US). Physicians can connect with Canadian Physicians for Life.

Because He lives and death is defeated,

The Diocese of Niagara still busy deconsecrating and demolishing

Posted on February 6, 2015 by David

The Diocese of Niagara deconsecrated St. Paul’s in Thorold in June of 2014. Plans to demolish it were thwarted by members of the community who wish to preserve it as an historic building. Representatives from the diocese, holding back the tears, let the community buy it for a nominal fee.

St. Paul's Read it all here:

On Monday, the Anglican Church of Canada announced that the Synod of the Diocese of Niagara — the governing body of the diocese — has voted to enter into an agreement to sell historic former St. Paul’s Anglican Church and the adjoining cemetery to the new Friends of St. Paul Port Robinson group, which McDonald heads, for a nominal fee.

The announcement means the stately white building no longer faces the wrecking ball and could stand for future generations to enjoy.

McDonald, who can see the church from her front yard, was convinced by a friend to join a couple of other Port Robinson residents in an impromptu visit to Thorold city council last September.

The stunned residents had just learned the 170-year-old church, which had been deconsecrated last June, was slated for demolition.

Justin Welby wants businesses to pay more tax

Posted on February 4, 2015 by David

He is upset that businesses are using foreign countries with more attractive tax laws as a haven for tax saving.

From here:

The Archbishop kept his strongest comments for the role taxes play in ensuring that companies contribute to the societies in which they operate.

“There has always been the principle that you pay the tax where you earn the money,” he told me.

“If you earn the money in a country, the revenue service of that country needs to get a fair share of what you have earned.”

Welby’s point about contributing to the society in which a business operates by paying tax in that country would be more convincing if the Church of England didn’t receive extravagant tax breaks. The church collects £1 billion a year in donations, spends £189 million in salaries, has an investment portfolio worth £5.5 billion and receives £84 million in Gift Aid tax rebates.

The church, of course, is a charity and does not operate for profit – although the £5.5 billion looks suspiciously like profit to me. In spite of its spiritual aspirations – none of which seem particularly in evidence these days – as an organisation, the CofE runs as a business.

It doesn’t help that in 2012 when the government threatened to impose VAT tax on church building renovations, the church pleaded to be exempt from that tax, too.

To be clear: I don’t think churches should have to pay tax. However, since churches are in that privileged position in our society, a church leader who whines about businesses minimising their taxes deserves all the ridicule we can muster: his organisation is a consummate tax dodger.

The Diocese of Niagara sells another church

Posted on February 3, 2015 by David

The ever shrinking Diocese of Niagara is busy selling properties to keep itself afloat. One of the latest is St. Matthias in Guelph.

Having no building, St. Matthias is a Community on the Move – not necessarily a move towards the Gospel, though. It is non-doctrinal, so if you decide to attend, it’s best not to believe anything in particular. All are welcome, especially those who define themselves through their sexual orientation – as long they don’t believe in anything much other than their sexual orientation.

The residents of the surrounding area are not particularly happy with the six story apartment building that will replace the church. They have even written to the bishop, imploring him to reconsider. I’m sure the $2M that is at stake will not be a factor in the final decision.

From here:

A group of Guelph residents is appealing to the Anglican bishop for the region to reconsider selling a south-side church property for redevelopment into a six-storey, 81-unit mid-rise apartment complex for post-secondary students.

“Wouldn’t that be nice,” vocal opponent Stephen Runge said Monday, noting the proposal by Waterloo-based HIP Developments Inc. requires a conversion zoning bylaw amendment. That’s currently under review by municipal staff, ultimately for recommendation to city council.

Runge is with a neighbourhood organization called The McElderry Group objecting to the proposal, which he said wouldn’t fit well with a neighbourhood of family residences near retail and parkland components close to Kortright and Edinburgh roads, nor meet the provincial goal of infilling.

“It doesn’t help the neighbourhood,” Runge said, adding it’s also such an infilling “intensification corridor.” The province’s Places To Grow goal is to slow urban sprawl with developments within cities.

There’s an opportunity for the Anglican diocese to reconsider the project it has embarked on with Hip since the church closed its doors two years ago, the Guelph group emphasized. It’s asking the diocese not to renew the deal’s terms of sale when they expire in June.

In an open weekend email to Bishop Michael Bird, the group expressed deep disappointment at the decision by the synod of the diocese to negotiate a sale agreement with HIP for 171 Kortright Rd. W., citing viable alternatives that include two offers, though less lucrative, from other local church communities. Runge said the group hasn’t received a response yet, but expects to.

The Anglican Church of Canada: we are the Borg

Posted on February 2, 2015 by David

I recently received this email to which I think it might be interesting to respond publicly:

You know, the ACoC isn’t some monolithic body, right? There are many evangelicals, conservatives, and traditionalists who’ve stayed within the ACoC. Hell, there’s even folks like myself still being ordained there (by “like myself” I mean, young, straight, married, evangelical). How does that fit within your universe?

Contrary to what my correspondent suspects, I don’t have the luxury of inhabiting my own universe; after all, if this were my universe there would be no ACoC.

I dispute that there are “many evangelicals, conservatives, and traditionalists who’ve stayed within the ACoC”. There are some, obviously, but most have already left; the few that remain tend to protest too much and form small, quivering, impotent huddles like the Anglican Communion Alliance; their stated aim may be to staunch the liberal tide but no-one, least of all the ACoC, takes them seriously. There are even some orthodox bishops for whom I have some sympathy: Bishop Bill Anderson, for example; I interviewed him here and here.

No matter how much conservative holdouts might try to convince themselves otherwise, the ACoC is a monolithic body: it is an organization that forces assimilation into the dominant culture. It pretends to be inclusive but clergy who resist the liberal drift in any serious way are isolated, ostracised and generally not hired in the first place. The main purpose of any who stubbornly remain is to bolster the illusion of the ACoC’s tolerance and inclusion when they are conveniently paraded as tame conservatives at ecclesiastical photo ops.

For many years my own parish maintained a dignified isolation from its home diocese, the Diocese of Niagara. We ignored them and they ignored us – unless they needed more money, of course. Eventually, though, it becomes apparent that this is a dishonest relationship; how can you remain a subsidiary of an organisation with whom you fundamentally disagree? If you wish to retain any integrity, you can’t.

So, to my correspondent: my dear boy, if you, as you say, are “young, straight, married, evangelical”, get out now before you are assimilated.

Diocese of Quebec facing extinction

Posted on February 1, 2015 by David

According to a Quebec priest, if the diocese does not change it will die; he doesn’t elaborate on whether this will be a good or a bad thing, relying, presumably, on the affable temperament of his readers to lead them to think the latter. I am not affable.

His solutions are to become more ecumenical, bilingual and accepting of all the gay people longing to attend Anglican churches. Rev. Yves Samson is himself gay and seems at a loss to explain why he is already not attracting more sexually like-minded individuals. Surely it can’t be because gay men and women have no more interest in an ecumenical Anglican eco-cult than heterosexuals.

From here:

As Rev. Yves Samson speaks to his congregation in the Quebec town of Trois-Rivières, two things stand out: the bilingualism of the sermon and the dearth of parishioners.

Samson holds nothing back when he says that, without radical change, the Anglican Diocese of Quebec could soon be extinct.

“If we want to keep going on (the old) track we will all die,” Samson says in an interview after his French and English sermon to a room full of near-empty pews in the St. James Anglican Church.

The numbers are interesting:

Some numbers about the Anglican Diocese of Quebec, which serves a large part of the province, including Quebec City, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières:

Priests: 25.
Parishes: 52, with 45 per cent running a deficit in 2012.
Congregations: 87, with 64 per cent saying they would close or be amalgamated by 2019.
Annual income: Below $20,000 for roughly 70 per cent of congregations.
Regular services: Forty-two per cent of congregations have fewer than 10 a year.

The Anglican Church of Canada does Interfaith Dialogue

Posted on January 31, 2015 by David

From here:

Interfaith dialogue
Canada is an increasingly pluralistic country, and more and more Canadians are living, working, and socializing side by side with people of other religious traditions. For Christians, there is a growing need not just for dialogue with people of other faiths, but for genuine relationships with them. Increased awareness of religious plurality, the potential role of religion in conflict, and the growing place of religion in public life all present urgent challenges that require greater understanding and cooperation among people of diverse faiths.

The Anglican Church of Canada pursues formal dialogue with people of other faiths together with the other member churches of the Canadian Council of Churches.

I would like to commend the ACoC on this initiative. In fact, Interfaith Dialogue is so important, I feel compelled to make a contribution. So here goes:

Islam is wrong.

In defence of selfies

Posted on January 31, 2015 by David

When taking photographs on my travels, I am inevitably confronted with people obscuring famous landmarks by standing in front of them taking selfies. They appear to suffer from the conceit that a grinning visage is of more interest than a 1000 year old cathedral. Consequently, I have developed an intense dislike of selfies. Until now, that is; a Muslim cleric wants to ban selfies. What more incentive do we need to start taking them?

From here:

A Muslim cleric has drawn ire after saying “stop, let me ban selfies.”

Indonesian cleric Felix Siauw took to Twitter to call selfies “shameless” and “unpure”.

“These days many Muslim women take selfies without shame. There are usually nine frames in one photo with facial poses that are just – My Goodness – where’s the purity in women?” he said.

Justin Welby the socialist

Posted on January 31, 2015 by David

From here:

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby opened the discussion, which was part of the Trinity’s Institute’s conference on Creating Common Good: A Practical Conference on Economic Inequality, Jan. 22 to 25. Examining scriptures from both the New and Old Testaments, he said, “There is an ambivalence, an acceptance of wealth as blessing and yet a hesitation, a doubt, a fear about its consequences.”

Of course, examples of people who have created great wealth and used it for the common good, such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, spring to mind and are reason to give thanks, he acknowledged. There is no biblical injunction against all personal wealth but, he said, there is an injunction against “the systematic and indefinite accumulation of grossly unequal [wealth in] societies.” That, he said, “always leads to abuse, even if every wealthy person is generous, because the asymmetries of power means that wealth allocation becomes a matter of paternalism not a basic issue of justice.”

There has never been – nor, I contend will there ever be – a society in which there is not an allocation of grossly unequal wealth. The difference between capitalist inequality, an inequality from which, as a salaried archbishop Welby derives considerable benefit, and socialist inequality is that the poor in capitalist countries tend to be far better off than the poor in socialist countries.

As Winston Churchill observed, the only equality that socialism manages to spread is equal misery – apart from the ruling elite, of course, who appropriate grossly unequal wealth.

I can’t help wondering if Welby believes his own Gospel – the one where the poor are blessed and a camel going through the eye of a needle is easier than a rich person going to heaven. In Welby’s red Christianity, the rich young ruler would not be invited to sell everything he had and give the proceeds to the poor: his wealth would have already been confiscated by the state, depriving him of the choice. But that’s what socialism is all about: removing choice.

Woman wants to marry her father

Posted on January 26, 2015 by David

From here:

Yes. I want it to represent our uniqueness, so we aren’t doing a white wedding. The color scheme is black and purple, and we are both going to wear Converse tennis shoes. He’s wearing jeans and a nice dress shirt. He says he’s not wearing a bow tie, but it’s my wedding and I am saying that he is. My best friend will be my maid of honor and she’ll be dressed in purple. My grandmother and grandfather — my fiancé’s parents — are going to attend and my grandpa will give me away. The tables will have bouquets of trees without leaves to represent our marriage, which will be like a growing tree. My dress will be black.

Having already redefined marriage to mean almost anything – and consequently, almost nothing – how could the Anglican church turn this father daughter couple down? Gene Robinson could come out of retirement and preside at the ceremony. His purple shirt would match the bridesmaid’s: what could be more apt?