www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Religious freedom in Canada.

I have heard that in Canada, they have such stringent anti-hate speech laws that you cannot even publically profess the believe that your religion is superior to others. Is this actually true? Will that goverment actually arrest and imprison its citizens for their religious beliefs because they may offend somebody?

The reason I ask this is because I am aware that a few Canuts are on this forum and perhaps they could answer this for me so that I dont have to go around having a bad idea about their country.

Robert K.

Perhaps you've been victimized by an anhydrous ammonia leak somewhere in Kansas, but I find this inquiry rather strange.

Canadian law, like U.S. law, is based upon English Common Law. Canadian citizens have very similar laws to the ones under which we operate in the U.S.

Slander is still slander. But proposing that one community is more adherent to the truth is a freedom-of-speech issue; not a slander one. (What is a Canut?)

Christ is Risen!!!

I think it used to be a coach at Notre Dame.

(Sorry, just a bit of second generation Newfie humor.)

Thank you again to all those who replied to me. First of all, let me say that I have nothing in the world against Canadians or Canada in general. I only wanted to see if someone could clear up what Ive heard about Canadian law being very restrictive on freedom of sppech. It is a fact that Canada has some of the most stringent Hate speech laws on the books and as I have heard before, not even religious organizations are free to teach or say whatever they please on any subject.

A Canut is a nickname for Canadians.

A Canuck is a nickname for Canadians, not a Canut (unless you're a crazy Canadian, I guess).

Yeah, I've heard "Canuck", but "Canut" was a new one for me. (O Lord, we've got a Newfie on the board. Here come the jokes!!! Guess we've gotta get the Quebecers and Ontarians to behave themselves. As if,......)

I know that one time I stopped at a bar in Toronto (several years back) and ordered a Moosehead. The bartender looked at me as if I was crazed. I said that the beer was from Newfoundland. He arched an eyebrow and said: "Moosehead. It figures." I ended up with a Labatt Cinquante.

Blessings!
Christ is Risen!!!!

Nothing the Canandian government enacts can be as severe as the Law of Christ, which suggests that those who speak hate alientate themselves from God. I rather pay a civil fine.

Axios

Canut? Come on, you ignorant Yankees (I can say this because I am a dual citizen). Yes, it's Canuck, like the Vancouver hockey team.

Actually I would disagree with the comment. Canadians are definately not as outgoing with their religious beliefs in the public realm, particularly politics. However, Canadians are very open to many different religious beliefs because of the many different ethnic backgrounds in Canada.

Also, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops is not as conservative as its American counterpart. It has openly stated it has no problems with married clergy in the Ukrainian Catholic Church. I would say this is one of the only great benefits of our liberal society regarding the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Daniil

The National Conference of Catholic Bishops in the US has also confirmed the "rights" of the Eastern Catholics to have married clergy and to follow their own disciplines.

The problem appears to be not the NCCB, but rather the skittishness of the Eastern Catholic episcopacy to step up to the plate for fear of what will have to be dealt with within our churches. (The financial implications are staggering!)

And, perhaps a bigger issue, is the question of who is actually the "Eastern Catholic Church" right now. Many of the ethnics who remember this stuff of married priests and deacons and of "priestly families" are dying off and the communities, as a result of conversions, are not quite the same breed of cat as in earlier years. For the hybrid parishes, the question of "returning to our roots" rings rather hollow since the "roots" are not there.

For this reason, I am not surpised that the Bishops' Conference is confused.

Blessings!

Christ is Risen!!!

Many Roman Catholics have a rather confused picture of the Orthodox practice of married priests. First of all, it is not uniform throughout Orthodoxy. Some areas have few unmarried priests, others have qyuite a few. In many areas, a strong preference for unmarried priests exists and if they were available, the married priesthood would not be common at all.

It seems the Ukrainians and other New World eastern Catholics are ordaining "mature" married men as priests. Byzantine Catholics must decide what is best for their community, but most of us Orthodox have no reason to object to your status quo.

Axios

Well, among the Greeks, the married priest is the norm -- both here and in the old country. The unmarried one is the ecclesiatical-geek or scholar (depending on one's perspective).

Essentially: what difference does it make? It's just "our folks" doing "our thing". If "they'uns" don't understand, it's their problem, not ours.

Just LOVE them Canadians!! They think like the old word folks. And hold to the principles.

Zyto o ethnos!! (Long life to the ethnos!!)

Blessings!

Christ is Risen!!!

[ 04-01-2002: Message edited by: Dr John ]