Comparing Constitutions

by | January 17, 2015
http://is.gd/oUVIIt

http://is.gd/oUVIIt

Good humoured one-upmanship is fun and healthy.  It helps us laugh at topics we usually take seriously. Canadian secularists and atheists are serious about making the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms a completely secular document because they object to the inclusion of a deity in the Charter’s preamble

Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:

However, when I mentioned the preamble to an Irish colleague, he said

I think ours is crazier than yours.

 

tinyurl.com/l36olyq

tinyurl.com/l36olyq

He is right; the preamble to the Constitution of Ireland is more religious and more Christian/Catholic than Canada’s:

In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, from Whom is all authority and to Whom, as our final end, all actions both of men and States must be referred,

We, the people of Éire,

Humbly acknowledging all our obligations to our Divine Lord, Jesus Christ, Who sustained our fathers through centuries of trial,

Gratefully remembering their heroic and unremitting struggle to regain the rightful independence of our Nation,

And seeking to promote the common good, with due observance of Prudence, Justice and Charity, so that the dignity and freedom of the individual may be assured, true social order attained, the unity of our country restored, and concord established with other nations,

Do hereby adopt, enact, and give to ourselves this Constitution.

Pierre Trudeau famously said,

I don’t think God gives a damn whether he’s in the constitution or not.

If God is indifferent about His inclusion in Canada’s constitution, how do the Most Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ (who is included as one of the Trinity) feel about being in the Constitution of Ireland?

Ní chuirimid a thabhairt diabhal an bhfuil nó nach bhfuil muid i mBunreacht na hÉireann.

Translation: http://is.gd/jjqZ45

4 thoughts on “Comparing Constitutions

  1. Diana MacPherson

    That god phrase in our constitution drives me crazy and I loved Pierre Trudeau’s remark about it because he was a practicing Catholic and he clearly saw how absurd it was to include the phrase.

    Reply
  2. Carl

    I also prefer not having religion forced upon me and yes, I would like the constitution updated, but I assume Canada pushes religion less than most countries? Can anyone confirm?

    Reply
  3. Tony Marcantonio

    gods have no place in any democratic State – It de facto excludes and discriminates part of its population.

    Reply

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