Expunging the Cross from our civilisation

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For once I agree with the ACLU – sort of:

Perched high above the ground in the middle of California’s Mojave National Preserve is a two-metre-tall structure known simply as the cross in the desert.

The white cross, erected 75 years ago by veterans to honour soldiers killed in the First World War, has plunged the U. S. Supreme Court once again into a debate on the separation of church and state.

In trying to defend the cross that sits atop Sunrise Rock, Justice Antonin Scalia has raised a far thornier issue: What does the cross represent? Is it a religious symbol of Christianity, and therefore an affront to other religions? Or is it simply a common symbol marking the place of the dead, which therefore transcends religiosity?

For now, the cross — made out of metal pipes — is covered with plywood to hide its significance.

The Supreme Court case, which is actually over complex land transfer rules, has prompted a fascinating philosophical exchange.

Peter Eliasberg, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California, told the Supreme Court many Jewish war veterans would not wish to be honoured by “the predominant symbol of Christianity” and that the cross “signifies that Jesus is the son of God and died to redeem mankind.”

The lawyer is right: of course the cross “signifies that Jesus is the son of God and died to redeem mankind.” To pretend otherwise in an effort to surreptitiously slip Christian symbolism into public life is less than honest. The real problem is, the Cross and what Jesus bought for us when he died on it, is the foundation upon which Western civilisation was built: remove it and our concepts of good, evil, justice, charity, fairness, the sanctity of life and human dignity will all be blown away by the first puff of wind.

It has already begun: scientist, Peter Singer advocates infanticide for “defective” babies; situational ethicist Joseph Fletcher advocated decontaminating our gene pool by weeding out “idiots” and the “diseased” through compulsory abortions; Linus Pauling proposed a policy of segregating genetic “inferiors” by branding them with indelible marks; transhumanists like Lee Silver wish to develop human chimera (something that has already been done in the UK) by combining human and animal DNA to “improve” the species. These ideas have infiltrated today’s society, unfettered as it is by the restraints once imposed by the morality of the Cross. What a nightmare.

Rowan Williams and the Devil

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Rowan Williams strongly disagrees with the Iraq war and seems to think the Devil was behind it:

Williams cites the Devil in attack on invasion ‘spin’

The bitterness, recriminations and accusations of betrayal which enmeshed the Iraq war surfaced unexpectedly and powerfully at a memorial service for the fallen yesterday.

Dr Williams said: “The invisible enemy may be hiding in the temptation to look for shortcuts in the search for justice – letting ends justify means, letting others rather than oneself carry the cost, denying the difficulties or the failures so as to present a good public face.” In this context, “the invisible enemy” denoted the Devil.

It’s a shame that Rowan can only spot the Devil at work in government when he is working to such dramatic effect in Rowan’s own denomination.

Bishop of Toronto, Colin Johnson, takes out a full page ad admonishing the government to help the poor

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Alleviating poverty used to be something that the church believed was its duty. Today the Anglican church, as it visibly withers year by year, is very much wrapped up in its own myopic pursuits: seeking out gay individuals to transform into clergy, suing those who are not in agreement and paying for full page newspaper ads badgering the government to do the church’s job. After a token  plea to Anglicans, Johnson makes clear that charity has become the province of government – and the taxpayer:

As we come together to celebrate this Thanksgiving, I ask you to pause and imagine looking down at a half-empty plate of plain food, a meal that will leave you hungry at the end. That’s the reality for 300,000 Ontarians who rely on food banks to ward off hunger each month.

There are many others. Some we know personally, because they turn to our churches seeking food and companionship. We do what we can to help. The needs are great. The numbers of the poor have grown in the recent recession.

A key part of the solution involves a stronger response from Government. We applaud this Government’s initiative in its current budget. There is still much more that must be done for the hungry and poor in our midst.

As a first step, we recommend a $100 Healthy Food Supplement be added to the monthly incomes of people living on social assistance. Research has shown that people on social assistance, living far below the poverty line, have a poorer diet and get sick much more than other people. An extra $100 per month would enable them to afford more nutritious food.

Yes, there is a cost to this. But hunger and poverty are also costly, in terms of extra health care, emergency food services, less alert students and much more. And what price can we put on the anxiety of not being able to feed your children properly, or the desperation of simply struggling to get through each day?

Anti-Olympic signs could mean jail

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The CBC reports:

A proposed B.C. law would allow municipal officials to enter homes to seize unauthorized and possibly anti-Olympic signs on short notice, civil libertarians say.

Violators could be fined up to $10,000 a day and jailed up to six months, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association said Friday.

The proposed law was introduced Thursday as a bill to amend the Municipalities Enabling and Validating Act.

The government said in a statement that the changes will “provide the municipalities of Vancouver, Richmond and Whistler with temporary enforcement powers to enable them to swiftly remove illegal signs and graffiti during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”

I can think of only one adequate response:

Olympic Finger

Ontario Provincial Synod coming to Cochrane

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Look out Cochrane:

Cochrane will be host to the Ontario Provincial Synod of the Anglican Church from Wednesday October 14 through Friday October 16.

Over 70 delegates, the Primate Archbishop Fred Hiltz, 12 Bishops, guests, speakers and observers will assemble in the Transfiguration Hall for 2 days of intensive meetings, decision-making, worship and the election of a new Metropolitan.

What can be done? Hard to say, but try hanging garlic on your door and sprinkle holy water along the city walls.

The state’s obligation to punish vs Christian forgiveness

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Yet another demonstration that Mr. Bumble was right: The law is an ass:

Child rapist strikes again days after being let off because victim’s Christian family forgave him.

A top judge is at the centre of an investigation after he freed a child rapist who then kidnapped and raped another youngster just eight days later.

Judge Adrian Smith had spared the 16-year old sex attacker a jail term after his first victim’s family, who are devout Christians, forgave the teenager.

Judge Smith is thought to have allowed the boy to go free after hearing statements from the victim’s father who said his ‘religious faith’ had allowed to him to forgive the attacker.

As part of the three-year community rehabilitation order, the youth was ordered to receive counselling sessions to address his behaviour and supervision from probation officers.

The Christian family who forgave the rapist did something extremely difficult that their faith, nevertheless, requires – both for their own benefit and because God forgives them. The state, though, is there to restrain evil by punishing the wrongdoer, not to indulge in vicarious Christian forgiveness. As St. Paul says, “for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” Rom 13:4b

Instead, a mealy-mouthed judge has permitted more evil because he did not do what his job requires.

Fund raising in the Diocese of Niagara

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The early days are a little hazy, but I remember:

AIM: Anglicans In Mission: that was inflicted on us  during  the Bothwell/Asbil oligarchy, I believe.

Survive and Thrive: a concoction of Ralph Spence. People would keep referring to it as Strive and Thrive, though.

The victims of these schemes – parishioners – eventually caught on to their true significance:

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However, now, under the expert guidance of Bishop Michael Bird, we are in the era of pursuing excellence and – crusading to raise $750,000 in order to keep suing fellow Christians. Such is the march of progress.