Church of England Newspaper: Cana­dian Bishop takes ac­tion against a trou­ble­some blog­ger

Posted on by
8

From this Sunday’s Church of England Newspaper. It’s subscription only, so I can’t post a link. I have removed a paragraph containing a description of a couple of the items in dispute:

The Church of England Newspaper
12 May, 2013

Cana­dian Bishop takes ac­tion against a trou­ble­some blog­ger

THE BISHOP of the Dio­cese of Ni­a­gara in the Angli­can Church of Canada has filed a law­suit against con­ser­va­tive blog­ger claim­ing “defama­tion of char­ac­ter”.

On 19 Fe­bru­ary David Jenk­ins, au­thor of the Angli­can Samiz­dat blog re­ceived no­tice that Bishop Bird had asked a court to shut down his blog, ban him from mak­ing fur­ther com­ments about him and to pay him $400,000 in dam­ages.

Mr Jenk­ins stated that he had been sur­prised by the law­suit. “Con­trary to what one might ex­pect in such cir­cum­stances, I did not re­ceive a cease and de­sist let­ter in ad­vance of the suit.”

The State­ment of Claim filed with the On­tario Su­pe­rior Court Jus­tice al­leged Mr Jenk­ins ma­li­ciously and falsely stated Bishop Bird was a “weak and in­ef­fec­tual leader and that his ac­tions were mo­ti­vated by avarice or fi­nan­cial gain”. He also claimed that the bishop was a “thief” and had a “sex­ual fetish”, and that he was an “athe­ist and heretic bent upon the de­struc­tion of Chris­tian­ity.”

[….]

The 31 posts cited in the com­plaint were sub­se­quently re­moved from his web­site. At the bishop’s re­quest other posts were also tak­ing down, Mr Jenk­ins noted, “as a ges­ture of good faith.”

“I have made of­fers to set­tle and meet/talk, but they have been re­jected,” he added.

Babies begin to learn language in the womb

Posted on by
1

New research has demonstrated that babies begin to learn language while still in the womb. That makes what a BBC article calls a “foetus” – although later there is a slipup and reference is made to “babies” – a person, a defenceless person,  a defenceless person whose life should be protected by the law:

Now researchers in the US and Sweden have found evidence that we start learning language before we’re even born.

The study discovered that in the last 10 weeks of pregnancy, foetuses are listening to their mothers communicate. And when they are born, they can show what they’ve heard.

This does little to make Canada’s lack of protection for the unborn any less shameful or Stephen Harper’s refusal to even discuss it any less deplorable:

Conservative backbenchers are pushing to reopen the abortion debate, despite public assurances by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the issue is settled.

More than 20 Conservative MPs and senators appeared at an anti-abortion rally on Parliament Hill on Thursday. Among them was Mark Warawa, the MP whose push for a vote on sex-selective abortion – and the right to simply raise the issue in the House of Commons – led other backbenchers to complain publicly they were being silenced by the Prime Minister’s Office.

[…..]

The abortion issue leaves Mr. Harper with a dilemma. Asked for comment, his office declined to address the MPs’ statements but said the issue won’t be reopened.

March for Life: where are the Anglican clergy?

Posted on by
81

If you care to follow this twitter feed, you will glean some insight into what groups will be represented in today’s March for Life in Ottawa. A quick perusal reveals: CampgnLifeCoalition, MomsAgainstAbortion, Catholic Canada, Women of Grace, Right to Life, Archdiocese of TO, and even Liberal4life, not to mention Pro-Life Humanists.

Notable by its absence is a contingent of clergy from the Anglican Church of Canada; it can’t be an aversion to marches brought on, perhaps, by an outbreak of debilitating corns, since so many ACoC clergy are only too keen to march in the Toronto Pride Parade. The fact is, the Anglican Church of Canada is mysteriously silent on the issue of abortion. The church that tirelessly trumpets its commitment to prophetic social justice making is too fearful to take a stand on the sanctity of an unborn baby’s life; after all, it could be viewed as controversial.

Before you ask, no I’m not there, either; my excuse is I have a lawsuit to pay for.

Bishops meet to discuss reconciliation

Posted on by
19

Read it all here:

The fourth consultation among Canadian, American and African bishops took place in Cape Town South Africa from Thursday May 2nd to Sunday May 5th 2013. We met in the context of worship, prayer, Scripture reading and the breaking of bread.  Through the presentation of papers, continuing conversation, and growing relationships we engaged in dialogue both in sessions and over meals.

[….]

We recognized that we have inherited the ministry of reconciliation from our Lord Jesus Christ; that God’s mission is not a human achievement. It is something we are called to live into and to share. We observed that the engagement in the ministry of reconciliation is a costly process because it involves facing positive and negative truths about others and about ourselves with courage, honesty and humility.

What a lovely sentiment. Note the Canadian bishops in attendance:

The Rt. Rev’d Michael Bird — Diocese of Niagara, Canada
The Rt. Rev’d Jane Alexander — Diocese of Edmonton, Canada
The Rt. Rev’d John Chapman — Diocese of Ottawa Canada
The Rt. Rev’d Michael Ingham — Diocese of New Westminster, Canada
The Most Rev’d Colin Johnson — Diocese of Toronto & Metropolitan of Ontario
The Rt. Rev’d Michael Oulton — Diocese of Ontario, Canada
The Rt. Rev’d Mark MacDonald — National Indigenous Anglican Bishop, Canada

Polygamous plastic marriage

Posted on by
60

With impeccable logic, Slate points out that, if marriage is good for same-sex couples, it should be good for a polygamous ménage, too.

As the Slate article notes, when it comes to redefining marriage, we’re not done yet.

I feel slightly sorry for both TEC and the ACoC: they struggle mightily to keep up with the foibles and fashions of the culture in which they are so pleased to be immersed, yet they are still fumbling with the, by now, passé blessing of same sex couples. Where is the generous pastoral response for polygamists, where are the polyamorous clergy proudly coming out to be consecrated as bishops in bullet proof vests, where are the Big Love or Die movies? Very disappointing.

Yes, really. While the Supreme Court and the rest of us are all focused on the human right of marriage equality, let’s not forget that the fight doesn’t end with same-sex marriage. We need to legalize polygamy, too. Legalized polygamy in the United States is the constitutional, feminist, and sex-positive choice. More importantly, it would actually help protect, empower, and strengthen women, children, and families.

[…..]

The definition of marriage is plastic. Just like heterosexual marriage is no better or worse than homosexual marriage, marriage between two consenting adults is not inherently more or less “correct” than marriage among three (or four, or six) consenting adults. Though polygamists are a minority—a tiny minority, in fact—freedom has no value unless it extends to even the smallest and most marginalized groups among us. So let’s fight for marriage equality until it extends to every same-sex couple in the United States—and then let’s keep fighting. We’re not done yet.

Anglican Journal: Bishop sues blogger for defamation

Posted on by
22

Leave your comments here; I would be interested to know how long they stay up (or if they even appear):

Bishop Michael Bird of the diocese of Niagara has filed a defamation lawsuit with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against blogger David Jenkins.

The suit alleges that, in his blog Anglican Samizdat, Jenkins has published comments about Bird that were injurious to his “credit, character and reputation…in his office as spiritual leader and Bishop of the Diocese and in his occupation as priest…”

Hamilton lawyer Graydon Sheppard, who is representing the bishop, told the Anglican Journal that the lawsuit was a last resort measure from the bishop. “He, and to some extent, his wife, have been under constant attack for more than two years by this blogger…” Jenkins, he added, “has gone beyond fair comment and debate about doctrinal matters.”

What is it like, being sued for libel?

Posted on by
12

It is like participating in a poker game while in the middle of a fencing match. There is thrust, parry, bluff, counter-bluff all of which must be executed with one hand because the other is holding your wallet containing money for the bets – and it is open, spewing its contents in all directions.

The legal system is a wonderful thing.