[OneHope]

Everyday I read the newspaper and it appears that everyday there are at least two articles on developments with Canadian Human Rights Commisions.

The most recent ruling, from the Alberta Commission, is against youth pastor Stephen Boissoin who wrote a letter denouncing homosexuality published in the Red Deer Advocate.

After seeing the letter, a straight school teacher, Dr. Lund, filed a complaint to the Human Rights Commission. The Commission recently found Rev. Boissoin guilty.

The Alberta youth pastor is now required to:

-pay a fine of $7000
-cease publishing in newspapers, by email, on the radio, in public speeches or on the internet, in future (lifetime ban), disparaging remarks about gays and homosexuals
-provide Dr. Lund with a formal written apology for the original letter
-request that that apology be published in the Red Deer Advocate

Basically, Rev. Boissoin cannot, even in private e-mails, criticize homosexuality.

Dr. Lund will be compensated for his time and effort in making the complaint. He will also be compensated for the suffering he endured "as a result of his complaint" when the citizens of Red Deer, Alberta, ridiculed him for being a tattletale and a censor.


This offends me deeply, not as a Christian, but as a citizen of what I had always believed to be a country based on fundamental freedoms such as the freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, etc. Additionally, the ruling was supported by the Government of Alberta who sent a lawyer to intervene against the pastor.

Are we, not as Christians, but as Canadians, losing our liberty?

[bowstaff981]

I'm offended by you insinuating that Canada is violating human rights, you can expect to hear from the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

But in all seriousness that is ridiculous. So just to make it clear, all he was doing was criticizing homosexuals? He wasn't making any threats?

[S.B.Nichols]

I;m not up on the laws in Canada. Is there nothing similar to free speech up there? The life-long ban seems strange to me...

It also seems like this will open the doors for all kinds of similar lawsuits.

[Art]

Wow. That surprises me, as an American. In the local sense, as well as the broader sense. I would be interested to know exactly what was said, though.

[danlong]

Originally Posted by S.B.Nichols

I;m not up on the laws in Canada. Is there nothing similar to free speech up there? The life-long ban seems strange to me...

It also seems like this will open the doors for all kinds of similar lawsuits.

It had been brought up here, in my church, a couple years ago when we heard about the new law up there. It "can't" happen in the US, though I'm not convinced. That is why you see the huge endeavor to get homosexuality legitimized by the various churches here.

[S.B.Nichols]

I wonder if a church (in Canada or America) could be sued for discrimination if it refused to marry a homosexual couple. Has this happened to anyone's knowledge?

[normajean777]

Mr. Lund should be kicked out Red Deer. Thats basically Canadas Bible Belt, like 3 churches for each resident lol.

[bowstaff981]

Link to the letter

http://canadianpastor.blogspot.com/

[OneHope]

I don't agree with a lot of what is written in the letter. For example, I could see how "Come on people, wake up! It's time to stand together and take whatever steps are necessary to reverse the wickedness that our lethargy has authorized to spawn." could be used to incite violence against gay people." I also think that it was morally wrong for a newspaper to publish such a letter. I definitly would not like to see that letter published in my local newspaper.

BUT, I do believe in the freedom of the press and freedom of speech and that these are cornerstones of any democracy. I therefore believe that Rev. Boissoin has every right to say what he did.


Additionally, the Ontario Human Rights Commission went after a Christian charity organization which looks after old people and receives public funding because they fired a woman who came out of the closet as a lesbian. When the woman began working for the organization she signed a contract stating that she would not engage in homosexual behaviour.

Also, the B.C. Human Rights Commission is currently going after Macleans magazine over an article written by a secularist about Muslim aggression in the world after Muslims in Ontario complained.

[Bryan]

here's a quote I read about in a article today about this subject:

"What we're learning here is really the bedrock difference between the United States and the countries that are in a broad sense its legal cousins," Steyn added. "Western governments are becoming increasingly comfortable with the regulation of opinion. The First Amendment really does distinguish the U.S., not just from Canada but from the rest of the Western world."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/11/america/hate.php

as much as I wish Fred Phelps would come to the end of God's mercy and leave this world, there's nothing I can do to keep him from preaching what he preaches.