Early last night, the media was alight with the news that “Canada Funds Anti-gay Group’s Work in Homophobic Uganda,” which, this morning, became “Fantino orders review of funding for anti-gay group working in homophobic Uganda.” It’s about time, Mr. Fantino! In response, Michael Payton, National Director, CFI Canada sent out a media release, “National Secular Organization Outraged Over Government Funding of Evangelical Ministry“:
TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Feb. 11, 2013) - In response to the surge of controversy surrounding Crossroads Christian Communications’ receipt of hundreds of thousands in government aid, the Centre for Inquiry (CFI), Canada’s largest secular and skeptic organization, calls on the Government of Canada to cease all funding of organizations with an openly discriminatory code of ethics.
Crossroads Canada is an evangelical ministry that describes homosexuality as a “perversion” and a “sin” on their public website. “Crossroad’s anti-homosexuality stance is open discrimination.” said CFI Canada’s National Director, Michael Payton. “It is outrageous that an organization received this level of government funding while its main purpose is evangelism.”
Payton says he is deeply concerned about the double standard which is set between secular and religious charities. “When most secular charities receive government funding, there are miles of red tape that they have to put up with; it amazes me that a religious group would receive so much funding while having practices which contravene the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
“It certainly points to a double standard,” Payton continued, “If a charity receives government funding, the government should ensure that the programming is directed to positive societal change, not to promoting a discriminatory religious ideology.”
CFI Canada Advisor, Grant Lefleche, used his column, “Grant Rants,” to to exclaim, “The Stupid It Burns: Government of Canada Edition”:
Please, Ottawa, please, please, please, please pour some water on the burning stupid. . . . . We don’t have very high expectations of you, Government of Canada. . . . . But we really do expect that every once in a while you use your collective brains before jumping down the rabbit hole. Especially when the rabbit hole is more like a massive sink hole that just swallowed a city.
That’s Lefleche’s opening paragraph; his postscript is even better:
PS. Crossroads is saying in news stories that it is [in] Uganda spreading the almighty’s love and using federal money for specific objectives (digging well[s] and the like.) and not religious missionary work. It’s not a defense that is of much use. You don’t get to blast homosexuals at home, then take tax dollars and use them to do work in a country that is passing laws to kill gay people for being gay. You just don’t.
In other news, “Pope Benedict XVI Announces His Resignation.” Consistent in his hypocrisy, the out-going pope says,
After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.
Finally and good riddance, Ratzinger.
“Now,” according to the Montreal Gazette, “Canadians might have another question on their mind: Is one of their countrymen set to become the next pontiff?” I certainly hope not!
Marc Cardinal Ouellet is being touted as one of the likeliest candidates, perhaps even the favourite, to succeed Benedict.