Evangelical vs Catholic - Tolerance toward Gays in Canada

It Shall come to pass...

Born-again Christian news service, LifeSite blames the Catholic Church for the rising tolerance of homosexuality in Canada. In an article published April 27, 2004, Managing Director of LifeSite, Steve Jalsevac notes that Msgr. Vincent Foy, a Catholic theologian, predicted in 1968 that the permissive attitude of the Canadian hierarchy towards Catholic sexual teachings would undermine the very idea of morality in sexual matters among Catholics.

Jalsevac is referring a Canadian Bishops statement in 1968 that said,

"whoever honestly chooses that course which seems right to him does so in good conscience."

Reginald Bibby, a member of the sociology faculty at the University of Lethbridge , studies religious trends, has written a report according to LifeSite that concludes;

"acceptance of homosexuality in Canada runs parallel to the general abandonment of religious practice. The decline in the number of faithful Catholics has especially contributed to the growing acceptance of homosexuality."

Reginald Bibby, UoL Photo

This is a sad exercise of saying, "I am a better Christian than you," argument being presented by the evangelical media. The Catholic church has long been assaulted by a vocal group within the evangelical movement with smug statements like , "they're not real Christians like we are."

Recent polls have indicated stronger Canadian support for Same-sex marriage and Maclean's magazine's Year End Poll of Canadians provides further insight into the Evangelical (Born-Again) views on politics. 49% of those identified as evangelical said the "it was never right to let your personal religion interfere with decisions made by politicians.

Perhaps the Evangelical Leadership should be listening to their own membership here in Canada rather than those in the United States.

You can find referenced articles here;

Editors Note: I have been unable to find Bibby's report online.

Msgr. Vincent Foy's 1988 detailed article "Tragedy at Winnipeg" PDF and his "Fifty Reasons Why the Winnipeg Statement Should be Recalled" PDF

The Frying Pan

I received this story in an email from a friend (thanks Steve). I am sure it is one of those that has been floating around the net for years. If not really true, it certainly highlights a Mother's ability to know, even when she was being told something different. My own Mother often knew, "Right Mom!


Rick Barnes

The Frying Pan

A YOUNG MAN CALLED PETER INVITED HIS MOTHER FOR DINNER. DURING THE COURSE OF THE MEAL, HIS MOTHER COULDN'T HELP BUT NOTICE HOW HANDSOME PETER'S FLATMATE WAS. SHE HAD LONG BEEN SUSPICIOUS OF A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO, AND THIS ONLY MADE HER MORE CURIOUS.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE EVENING, WHILE WATCHING THE TWO INTERACT, SHE STARTED TO WONDER IF THERE WAS MORE BETWEEN PETER AND HIS FLATMATE THAN MET THE EYE. READING HIS MUM'S THOUGHTS, PETER VOLUNTEERED, "I KNOW WHAT YOU MUST BE THINKING, BUT I ASSURE YOU, SIMON & I ARE JUST FLATMATES.

ABOUT A WEEK LATER, SIMON CAME TO PETER SAYING, "EVER SINCE YOUR MOTHER CAME TO DINNER I'VE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND THE FRYING PAN, YOU DON'T SUPPOSE SHE TOOK IT DO YOU?" "WELL, I DOUBT IT, BUT I'LL E-MAIL HER JUST TO BE SURE," SAID PETER, SO HE SAT DOWN AND WROTE:

DEAR MOTHER,

I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU "DID" TAKE THE FRYING PAN FROM MY HOUSE, I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU "DID NOT" TAKE THE FRYING PAN, BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT IT HAS BEEN MISSING EVER SINCE YOU WERE HERE FOR DINNER.

LOVE, PETER

SEVERAL DAYS LATER, PETER RECEIVED AN E-MAIL FROM HIS MOTHER WHICH READ:

DEAR SON,

I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU "DO" SLEEP WITH SIMON, AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU "DO NOT" SLEEP WITH SIMON, BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT IF HE WAS SLEEPING IN HIS OWN BED, HE WOULD HAVE FOUND THE FRYING PAN BY NOW.

LOVE MUM

LESSON OF THE DAY: DON'T EVER LIE TO YOUR MOTHER (SHE ALWAYS, ALWAYS FINDS OUT)

Snow in Kelowna

This is what it looks like. Use the link below for the web cams on the Kelowna Floating bridge.



CHBC TV's web cams

Canadians still saying yes

Canadians are still supporting same-sex marriage according to an extensive National poll conducted byEnvironics. More than half (54%) of Canadians believe that Parliament should pass such a law, while 43 percent believe it should not.


Rick Barnes

The poll follows much heated debate in Canada after the Supreme Court released it's opinion on proposed Legisaltion the federal government would put before Parliament in February this year

BC and Quebec were the most supportive of same-sex marriage, each at 60% for and 35/38 respectively, opposed. Alberta, was the most opposed reversing numbers from BC and Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba were the slightly less negative than Alberta. 55% of those asked in Ontario said yes.

The poll further indicates that if you are under 60 years of age, 57 % support same-sex marriage. The numbers are even higher for those aged 18-29 where 68% said yes to proposed legislation.

A message to Canadian politicians, especially those from BC in the Conservative party. British Columbians support same-sex marriage and so should you!

Poll results are available on Environics website.

Beans, Blogs and Cats

Sometimes I am way too serious, today as you can see I have had an off day. I have been watching this site try to cover too much stuff. So I have started moving all my BC politics stuff over to a new blog called "From the Heartlands."


Cats ready for Prime Time TV

That's one good thing today, the other was a visit to Queer Thoughts from Patrick in Vernon. He has a ton of blogs but one that really fits today's silliness mode! Check out Patrick Meows Out Loud! ! Lots of cat stuff there and had me laughing.

Oh yeah, he's just joking.

Tell him I sent you! Maybe you can tell him where the man is in the coffee beans!

Blow Jobs eh?

See I told you I was having one of those days. Better go outside soon or my brain will get stuck in this mode. At least outside it will freeze, saving what's left!


What were you thinking? My mother sent me this!

Find the Man in here!

Some days are like this, just need a break. It's -17c outside right now, expected to go to -27, what happen? I live in Kelowna, it might get this cold one day a year, not a week of it.

More snow on Monday in the mountains and +6c by Tursday!


Internet Picture, Find the Man in here.

Have you found the man yet!

Homophobia ahead of national security?

Funny how you can't remember where you put things ... we used to have someone that could read these. Gay linguists discharged from the military ran in the Monterey Herald. See Fired 26 Gay Guys that Understood Arabs .

Steve Ralls, of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a nonprofit group which advocates for the rights of gay military members, said ...

''The military is placing homophobia well ahead of national security, it's rather appalling that in the weeks leading up to 9/11 messages were coming in, waiting to be translated... and at the same time they were firing people who could've done that job.''

Yes Steve has a point here. Osama must be laughing his head off, eh? What do you think Jerry Falwell?

Seems those gay boys were taking up places good american boys should have
been in. Elaine Donnelly of the Center for Military Readiness, a conservative advocacy group that opposes gays in the military, added ...

"... the discharged linguists never should have been accepted at the elite Defense Language Institute in Monterey in the first place. 'Resources unfortunately were used to train young people who were not eligible to be in the military,'' she said. ''We need to recruit people who are eligible to serve.''

Now what? Maybe if you told them you were gay in Farsi, they wouldn't be able to kick you out, I mean they wouldn't know what you were saying!