Oath of allegiance to Queen stays as requirement to obtain Canadian citizenship

Good news.

Would-be Canadians will have to keep taking an oath to the Queen after the Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday refused to hear a challenge to the citizenship requirement.

The decision by the top court leaves intact an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that upheld the “symbolic” oath.

At issue is a provision in the Citizenship Act that requires would-be citizens to swear to be “faithful and bear true allegiance to Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors.”

The challenge to the requirement was launched by Michael McAteer, Simone Topey and Dror Bar-Natan — longtime permanent residents who want to obtain citizenship but, for different reasons, do not want to pledge allegiance to the monarchy.

Informed of the Supreme Court decision that ends the battle, McAteer, 81, of Toronto, said he was disappointed but not surprised.

“It’s been a long haul,” said McAteer, a staunch republican who came to Canada from Ireland 51 years ago.

“(But) I feel the same: If the oath stands, then I won’t take Canadian citizenship.”

Topey, a Jamaican Rastafarian, said her religion forbids taking an oath to the Queen. Bar-Natan, an Israeli, argued that the oath represents entrenched privilege he opposes.

Hey, if’n y’all don’t like it, go back to Ireland, Jamaica, and Israel, and get the fuck out of Canada!

 

Conservative MP’s bill to ban sex-selection abortions is defeated

Will S.:

WK thinks this is unfortunate. I understand that perspective.

I beg to differ, in that I don’t want fetuses which are members of particular groups, whether females, or racial minorities, or whatever, to receive protection, while others do not.

I am not a utilitarian, nor a femiservative, femingelical; no asinine comparisons of saving some children on a bus for me. I oppose the murder of all unborn, and want equal protection under the law for all fetuses, and nothing less than that.

Originally posted on Wintery Knight:

Conservative MP Fiona Bruce

The leftist BBC reports.

Excerpt:

MPs have defeated a cross-party bid to clarify in law that abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal in the UK.

Conservative MP Fiona Bruce, who spearheaded the move, said the law was being “interpreted in different ways”.

But her proposal was defeated by 292 to 201. A review of the extent of sex selective abortion was agreed to.

[…]Her amendment would not have changed the law, but sought to update 1967 legislation that was drafted before it was possible to identify the sex of a foetus.

[…]Making the case for the change, the Congleton MP said her amendment would “clarify beyond doubt in statute that sex selective abortion is illegal in UK law”.

Now you might think that the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats would be against killing unborn girls, just because they are the “wrong” sex.

View original 403 more words

 

Christian Detained in India After Hindus File Complaint Over ‘Spreading Christianity’

Islamic fundamentalist governments and movements like Boko Haram in Africa, and Communist regimes in China and North Korea, are not the only folks actively persecuting Christians outside of the West; with the recent increase in influence of the Hindutva movement in India, due to the rise in power of the BJP and the growth of the RSS, Christians there have been coming under increasing persecution there…

Christian Detained in India After Hindus File Complaint Over ‘Spreading Christianity’.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) — Arvind D’Souza was stopped by the police “for reasons of public order,” even though he had committed no crime. The incident occurred on Jan. 2 in the district of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

D’Souza, who is still in prison under preventive detention, the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) told AsiaNews, ran afoul of a group of Hindu radicals in the village of Maulvikhurd.

The latter filed a complaint with police against the Christian man for “spreading Christianity” and “forced conversion of women and children through the gift of Bibles.”

Continue reading this story >>

From the latter link:

The local police, as Superintendent of Police to Amethi Hira Lal admitted, “found no evidence that D’Souza used force in converting anyone.”

“However, since the fact could undermine public order, they took him into custody in accordance with Article 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and placed him under preventive detention for 14 days.”

“This is a serious violation of human rights,” said GCIC president Sajan George. It is part of “a trend that is spreading more and more in India.”

“In Madhya Pradesh, families, including small children, have been arrested for forced conversions under the state’s anti-Conversion law,” George explained.

Sadly, such legislation is being used “as a political tool to terrorise and persecute the Christian minority.”

 

Filipino City Requires Taxi Drivers to Display Bible Verses on Vehicles

Wow.

TAGBILARAN, Philippines – A city in the Philippines mandates all of its taxi drivers to paint Scripture on the back of their vehicles, also known as three-wheeled motorcycles, in an effort to curb crime in the city.

While the regulation in Tagbilaran has been in effect for over twenty years, reports have just recently highlighted the requirement.

“This is the only city in the Philippines that has such an ordinance,” Samuel Belderol, who issues taxi licenses at city hall, told reporters. “We want the world to know that we are a God-fearing city and that these Bible verses help us draw closer to God.”

“We only issue 3,000 licenses every year and each one must have a unique verse on it, no duplicate verses allowed,” he explained, nothing that the drivers are assigned a particular Bible verse.

Those that fail to have the Scripture painted on their taxis may be fined or have their license revoked.

City Council member Lucile Lagunay said that the presence of the verses has helped to change the atmosphere in the city, and has consequently lowered the crime rate.

“With a Biblical message at the back of the units, commuters get to see the message every day and it helps in way to preserve the peace in our city,” she stated. “Everyday commuters get to see the biblical message on the tricycles and who want to think of crime when they see biblical passages everywhere.”

Some of the verses painted on the taxis include, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul,” and “God loves a cheerful giver.”

“Years ago people used to paint obscene messages and images on their tricycles, but the city ordinance changed that,” Buala Siongiex, who has been painting verses on the motorcycles for two decades, stated. “Now when you read the word of God you can’t help but feel alive, even a little bit of God’s word makes you happy.”

While it is not clear how the law was passed or who was responsible for its passage, the vast majority of Filipinos are Roman Catholic, with an estimated 2.8 percent professing to be evangelical Christians as there are numerous Baptist, Pentecostal and non-denominational congregations throughout the nation as well.

As previously reported, in 2012, hundreds of Christians and other youth marched in Manila to protest a performance on the island by American pop star Lady Gaga. Dr. Benny Abante, former Manila congressman and pastor of Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church, took to the streets with approximately 70 youth from his church. He denounced Gaga’s song, “Born This Way,” which he believes is manipulative toward young people and promotes homosexuality.

“It is not only immoral, it is a blasphemy,” he told ABS-CBN News. “The Lord Jesus Christ is being maligned here and mocked.”

“[It’s] a direct affront to the moral and religious values that our nation has been known for,” Abante said.

Good for Tagbilaran! May the Faith continue to grow there, as they have already demonstrated faithfulness.

 

Britain’s Cultural Problem

Will S.:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/bCG9NgX05a0?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent

Originally posted on ReactionaryThought:

Pat Condell on Britain’s cultural problem:

View original

 

Two more cases of official ingratitude towards vets

In addition to this one, previously reported here, a couple stories on my other blog, here and here.

This is how modern North American governments, and their jackbooted brain-dead thug enforcers, treat those who have served their country.

Why any North American today would risk life and limb for their country’s government’s interests, only to potentially ended up treated this way, I cannot fathom.

I sure as hell wouldn’t!

 

Indiana Trooper Sued for Sharing Gospel During Traffic Stop

And rightly so, in my opinion.

UNION COUNTY, Indiana – A police officer in Indiana has been leveled with a lawsuit for sharing the gospel with a driver during a traffic stop.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is representing complainant Ellen Bogan, 60, who claims that Indiana State Police trooper Brian Hamilton violated her constitutional rights by asking her about her religious beliefs after he pulled her over for an alleged traffic violation.

According to reports, the incident occurred in August in Union County, Indiana. Hamilton gave her a warning about making an illegal pass—and then asked her if she went to church anywhere. He also reportedly asked her if she had accepted Jesus as her Lord and savior.

“I’m not affiliated with any church. I don’t go to church,” Bogan told the Indianapolis Star. “I felt compelled to say I did, just because I had a state trooper standing at the passenger-side window. It was just weird.”

The trooper then asked Bogan if he could give her a tract, and he went to his vehicle to retrieve it for her.

“The whole time, his lights were on,” she said. “I had no reason to believe I could just pull away at that point, even though I had my warning.”

Bogan later contacted the Indiana State Police to lodge a complaint and request an investigation. She also enlisted the assistance of the ACLU to file a lawsuit claiming that Hamilton violated her First and Fourth Amendment rights by speaking to her about matters of faith and handing her a tract that asks the recipient to “realize you’re a sinner” and “realize the Lord Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins.”

It’s one thing for ordinary Christians to have the freedom to be able to share the Gospel with colleagues in day-to-day conversation.

It’s another for police to take advantage of their ability to stop people from their regular movements, and accost them with proselytization while they have a captive audience.

A balance needs to be struck in society, in terms of finding the right place within the public square for sharing the faith.

There is a time and place for everything, as Scripture acknowledges.

Agents of a state committed to religious neutrality in a country with freedom of religion should not be taking advantage of their powers to proselytize ordinary citizens who aren’t their colleagues, while on the job, especially under such circumstances as this.

I wouldn’t want a cop to pull me over, and proselytize Islam, or Judaism, or atheism; I can therefore sympathize with this atheist woman.

The corollary of the Golden Rule is that you don’t do unto others what you wouldn’t have them do unto you.

Therefore this cop was wrong, and should accordingly be punished.