Religious Freedom, Canadian Style
If you are requested to do something that goes against your religious beliefs, and you refuse, but you refer those who asked to someone who will, are you guilty of anything? Perhaps not here in the US, but in Canada, the same-sex marriage legislation’s draconian measures consider you so.
A Canadian Christian civil marriage commissioner in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Orville Nichols, could face up to $5000 in fines for having referred a homosexual couple to a different commissioner.
Human Rights Commission lawyer Janice Gingell asked the tribunal to find that Nichols contravened the code and order him to pay $5,000 in compensation to the complainant.
The 70 year-old Mr. Nichols used a clearly religious-based conscience argument for his refusal, saying his faith guides his daily life, that he prays and reads the Bible every day. He told the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal that his faith “takes first place” in his life. He said, “I couldn’t sleep or live with myself if I were to perform same-sex marriages.”
The other commissioner to whom the two men were referred performed the ceremony on the same date they requested of Mr. Nichols.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms lists as its first “fundamental freedom” the freedom of conscience and religion”. But for those pushing this agenda, the plain language of a Charter or a Constitution is not worth the paper it’s written on, and your “fundamental rights” are not recognized. Americans should take note.
Technorati Tags: Canada, Orville Nichols, Janice Gingell, christianity, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, religious freedom
Filed under: Culture • Government • Homosexuality • Politics • Religion
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To this US citizen it isn’t too clear if this person is a public employee or merely someone allowed to perform marriage ceremonies.
In the US it is still pretty clear that a right to marry does not require anyone else to participate in the actual ceremony. In contrast, the clerk issuing the license can’t make up his own rules about who may marry.
I say ‘pretty clear’ because the trend is pretty clear too.
The person in question is a public employee who basically wished to be left alone until “put out to pasture.” The gay community could not tolerate someone with a different sexual philosophy so they rooted him out. Other than losing his job, I trust that the faithful in Saskatchewan will give him money to cover his loss. It could be more than $5000 because of the court costs.
Thing are really really bad in Canada regarding free speech. A Kamloops City Councilor was force to pay $1000 to a gay person for publicly saying that homosexuality was not natural or normal. He chose to pay the initial amount in order to avoid a human rights tribunal. In Canada if you lose you have to pay all the court costs. If they complainant loses they pay nothing.
Canada is becoming a country ruled by activist judges and a legion of other activists who desire to shut down free speech (whether Christian or not).
The “hate crime” bill, which is more like a “thought crime” bill since it criminalizes peaceful free speech, is due for a vote very soon. Call your Congresscritter.