“Good Riddance” Says I

Regardless of what you may have heard on radio stations like CFRA, or seen in the more fundamentalist Christian and/or upper-right-Islamophobic-quadrant of the blogosphere over the last couple of days, Dalton McGuinty is not trying to change the Lords Prayer as recited by Christians.

He’s going much further than that and proposing that it be dropped completely.

Not modified in or for the Legislature, but utterly removed from the opening proceedings of that Legislature - and in my humble opinion it’s an action that is long overdue.

Now before too many folks get their knickers tied up in knots over this be clear that he’s not talking about banning prayer completely, he has simply asked “…for a parliamentary committee, with representation from each of the parties and the Speaker’s involvement as well, to take a look at how we can move beyond the Lord’s Prayer to a broader approach that is more inclusive in nature.”

What’s wrong with that?

I’ve already heard the “war on Christianity” crowd ramping up to protect their “rights” and I’m here to tell them (and you) that I’m willing to go to the wall for them, blogging steadily, and daily, on their behalf — just as soon as they show me where they have been given the right to hear a Christian prayer at the opening of the Ontario Legislature, or how their individual right to freedom of personal religion has been infringed upon by not hearing a Christian prayer at the opening of the Ontario Legislature, or any place else outside their church for that matter.

Unfortunately I’ve been down this road before, and know what McGuinty is up against. A few years back I led a small (and ultimately unsuccessful charge) to have prayer in the Legislative Assembly in Nunavut either dropped completely, or changed to be inclusive of all people it claimed to represent. I was called a heretic by the current House Leader of that government, saw a newspaper article printed about me, and ended up being the subject of an Anglican Ministers sermon one fine Sunday morning — and in case you’re wondering; no, he wasn’t using me or my efforts as positive models for his flock to follow…. it was actually more along the lines of “beware, they walk openly among us!!”

My thoughts are simple, as soon as the belief of one faith is given primacy in public government that public government marginalizes all other faiths. The simple act of reciting only Christian prayers at the opening of legislative proceedings tells the populace that the Christian religion is, in the opinion of that public government, the only one worth its consideration, or time - and if you don’t happen to be a follower of that faith what does that tell you?

Back in Nunavut I suggested that if the Assembly felt absolutely compelled to pray for wisdom and guidance at each opening that they use the following

We call upon the higher powers of those gathered here and represented in this House for wisdom and guidance in our efforts here today, and thank them for wisdom and guidance already received.

A simple one liner. Nothing fancy….. no thee’s or thou’s, or hallowed’s, and, most importantly, the beliefs of everyone have been included. The Christians have called upon God and Christ, the Muslims have called upon Allah and Mohammed, the Wiccans have called upon the Lord & Lady, the Hindu’s and Buddhists are happy, and so on, and so forth, and on, and on, and on.

I know more than a few people will have trouble with this concept, and the vast majority of them will easily fit into the “there is only one true religion and one true god and we have them both and the rest of you anti-Christian, devil worshiping, heathens, are gonna burn in hell for all eternity” category of intolerance.