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Letters, week of May 14

How would Jesus vote? Sir: Last week, thousands of parents across Ontario took their children out of school in protest of the Liberal’s new sex-ed curriculum, the latest in a string of wedge issues pitting the Christian right against the more secular
Letters to the editor

How would Jesus vote?

Sir: Last week, thousands of parents across Ontario took their children out of school in protest of the Liberal’s new sex-ed curriculum, the latest in a string of wedge issues pitting the Christian right against the more secular left. Though the separation of church and state is integral to secular democracy, many chose to wholly ignore this. So, with next year’s federal election looming, I find myself wondering, if Jesus were around today, who would he vote for?

It is taken for granted that the tenets of Canadian conservatism align with the teachings of Scripture. Yet, if we look for Jesus’ opinion on contentious modern issues like homosexuality or abortion (yes abortion existed in the ancient world), we find he had nothing to say about either. He did explicitly condemn divorce (Matt 19), but no party platform opposed divorce, so our search must broaden.

Thankfully, the Gospels are rife with references to economic issues and the accumulation of individual wealth. Jesus disdained individual wealth, saying that, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God (Matt. 19:24).” More explicitly, the Book of Acts describes the ideal Christian community: “No one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common (Acts 4).” Thus, it can be concluded with certainty that Jesus and his disciples would favour a socialist economic system and the (radical) distribution of wealth.

Though Jesus obviously gave no explicit advice on foreign policy, he did say, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt 5:44).” Since he did not say, “Mercilessly blow your enemies to bits with drone strikes,” it is a dubious proposition that he would support any military involvement in the Middle East or Ukraine.

Thus, based on his non-interventionist foreign policy, support for egalitarianism, and concern for the disadvantaged, he would certainly fall to the far left of the Canadian political spectrum. Would Jesus vote NDP?

Jack Mallon

Sarnia

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Disappointed with prayer decision

Sir: The recent hoorah regarding prayer before council meetings is disgusting. This country was built on prayer, hard work, freedom of speech and our ability to provide and protect our families and our fellow man.

I am not university schooled but as a 75-year-old Canadian, I am appalled that because someone in Quebec has taken offence to our prayers and procedures at our council meetings, we are now prohibited by law from following a procedure that has been in place since we became a nation.

If this is allowed to continue, eventually we will have no churches of any denomination and all our priests, ministers and heads of whatever religious beliefs will be out of work. Where will it end?

I am glad I am not university schooled or a politician if they can be led around like sheep instead of standing up and saying “no.” This is Canada and we will not bow down to anyone who chooses not to conform to Canada’s way of doing things. If our federal, provincial and municipal governments can’t stand up and put an end to this atrocity then perhaps we should join the other countries who protest and yes even riot to protect our country and the memories of those who died to assure us we are “Canadians.”

G. Douglas Neely

Point Edward


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