Perhaps the most shocking thing about the terror attack on Oslo was not that the perpetrator was more likely a right-wing fascist than an Islamic fascist, but that it happened in what everyone thought of as such a peaceful country.
I mean, they hold peace conferences there. They even give out the Nobel Peace Prize there.
And yet a man can blow up a government building before opening fire on teenagers.
It’s worth remembering that such a thing could happen here to.
Dennis Gruending writes some of my favourite pieces on the intersection of religion and politics in Canada at Pulpit and Politics. He was a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and a member of parliament for the NDP.
Despite being religious, he’s generally on the same side as me on most social issues, and is also concerned about the rise of the evangelical right in Canada.
So this means I’m excited to hear that he’s publishing a book by the same name as his blog:
I have been struck over the past few years by the growing competition between religious progressives and conservatives for power and influence in Canadian politics. This is an historic rivalry and one that will become even more pronounced now that Stephen Harper has won a majority government, partly through the efforts of religious conservatives. Their political agenda is anchored in opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage, publicly funded childcare, a dislike of many social programs, and a general suspicion of government. Since its inception in 2006, the Harper government has courted conservative evangelicals, along with certain Catholic and Jewish voters, to join a political coalition that would change Canada into a leaner and meaner state, albeit it one with more prisons and a larger military.
Which sounds quite similar to the themes of Marci McDonald’s “The Armageddon Factor” from this past year, but Gruending expands:
The book will look closely at the political ideology and tactics of religious conservatives, but that is only half of the story. I will also report on efforts by religious progressives who are struggling to have their voices heard on issues of equality, justice, human rights, and peace. This is an effort that plays out on Parliament Hill, as well in church basements, synagogues and temples. It is not merely a topic of casual interest; the consequences for our future are potentially dramatic. Religious faith informs political decisions about the division of wealth in our society, education and race relations, immigration, respect for democracy, foreign policy, and environmental issues, to name just a few.
So he’ll cover the religious left too, which should be interesting. He has more on the book at his blog.
I find his religious right versus left dichotomy a bit strange. The religious conservatives tend to paint themselves as fighting against we evil secularists, which of course is an easier group to vilify than people who think of God as love.
I also wonder how much credit Gruending will give to the rise of secularism in Canada. Humanists like Henry Morgantaler blazed the trail for abortion rights in this country.
Nevertheless, it should be an interesting read.
A year ago yesterday, Marci McDonald’s expose on the Christian Right in Canada hit bookstore shelves to controversy.
The softcover version came out a month ago, during the federal election, and was noticeably absent from national bookstore Chapters.
Now, McDonald’s taken to the internet and launched The Armageddon Factor Blog:
On the eve of the 2011 federal election, as the updated paperback edition of the book is being released, complete with a new afterword, it seemed an apt time to launch a blog on the leading issues and players who make up the complex and constantly-shifting kaleidoscope of the emerging Canadian religious right. Others are already working this beat and hopefully together we can help shed some light on one of the most intriguing and influential new movements on the political landscape. Stay tuned___…
She’s got one massive post up already documenting the shift in Canada’s Christian Right from WASP to “very ethnic” (as some Conservative Immigration Ministers might say).
So add this to your blogrolls (and don’t forget Religious Right Alert).
Attempting to discredit my talk of hidden Christian agendas, Stephen Harper is promising not to tackle abortion or gay rights issues, even with a majority government:
he Conservatives would govern the same way with a majority government as they have with a minority, avoiding socially conservative moves such as cracking down on abortions, Stephen Harper said Monday.
…
Mr. Harper shot down that notion [that anti-choice bills were mere trial balloons] Monday, saying he has “no intention of opening up” issues such as abortion if the Conservatives secure a majority.
Similarly, in the National Post’s Holy Post blog, Queen’s political science professor James Farney argues that social conservatives are a ‘spent political force’:
“We’re now just seen as eccentric,” said Link Byfield, a longtime social conservative activist and current provincial candidate for the Wildrose Party in Alberta. “I understand why political people avoid these topics. Politicians are not there to be imaginative or perceptive; they’re there to be popular. Whatever makes people angry they’re going to avoid.
“Harper has made it abundantly and compellingly clear that the social conservative agenda is not to be contemplated in his government and not to be advocated or advanced. And he will have come to this conclusion because he has seen it necessary to get centre voters. As long as he’s leader that will remain the case.”
But is this really the case?
It’s always good to keep a keen eye on what Point of Inquiry always used to call our “cultural competitors,” so it’s likely noteworthy when Pentecostals start forming global organizations.
A group of charismatic, neo-charismatic, pentecostal and neo-pentecostal leaders met in the US to form another council called Empowered21. The idea for the over 50o leaders gathered is to network under leadership of 11 regional councils or ‘cabinets’.
They even have a Canadian branch with the following ambitions:
Some of the purposes of Empowered21 Canada will be to unite the Spirit-filled movement across Canada in an intergenerational gathering for the purpose of seeking a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the 21st Century. They also desire to provide a platform for addressing the critical issues facing the Spirit-empowered church in Canada in the 21st Century and discover contemporary methods, vocabulary and ministry grace needed for engaging new generations in Spirit-empowered living. They will focus on the energy and resources of the Spirit-empowered Canadian church, on the harvest and challenges before them with a desire to witness greater convergence and collaboration of Spirit-empowered ministries across Canada. [emphasis added]
A few of the names are familiar to readers of Marci McDonald’s expose on the Canadian Christian Right, The Armageddon Factor .
Now, I’m not suggesting that this is a new SPECTRE out for world domination, but their goals and worldviews are often antithetical to our own.
(h/t Bene Diction Blogs On)
First, you have less than 24 hours still to vote for Canadian Atheist in the 2010 Canadian Blog Awards. Go, vote.
Marci McDonald, who wrote The Armageddon Factor (an expose on the Christian Right in Canada), will be speaking this Wednesday in Vancouver.
I hope to see as many people there as possible and I’ll be doing a write up afterwards.