You know when some
asshole says “no offense” and then immediately launches into a completely
offensive tirade that makes you want to punch him in the face? But instead of thinking “it`s cool, he said
no offense”, you think “that guy is a fucking asshole!” Well that is how I feel about Canada`s Public
Safety Minister Vic Toews right now.
Let`s just say the
Conservative Government`s idea of “religious freedom” differs slightly from my
own view. I`m of the thought school that
goes something like “believe whatever you want just don`t hurt anybody”. Theirs tends to be more along the lines of “everyone
is free to be Christian, and by Christian I mean specifically the kind that
judges everyone and spits all over the grave of equal rights”. Maybe I`d feel a little better if it was more
like the Jesusy kind of Christianity that`s all loving thy neighbour and don`t
treat them like shit and stuff. But it`s
not. So I guess it shouldn`t have been
that much of a surprise to learn that the government is eliminating essentially all
non-Christian chaplains from federal penitentiaries.
According to a CBC article, the government has decided that Christian chaplains are in
a unique position to cater to all religious beliefs and provide the services of
all of them. Since apparently Christians
are the only ones possessing this incredible skill of universal guidance, getting
rid of all the other ones was the only logical option. This one`s for you taxpayers!
Here`s the thing that
economics doesn`t explain away: Why are Christians exclusively able to provide
interfaith teachings? Who decided this,
and what was the criteria for their decision
Vic Toews stated that he “strongly supports the
freedom of religion for all Canadians, including prisoners”. So in other words it`s not actually religious
discrimination because Sikhs, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Christians are all
equally allowed to be Christian. Yay Canadian rewrite of equality!
HOW IS THIS OKAY
In addition to being
an incredibly blatant rejection of the right to religious freedom as outlined in
the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, this decision demeans the work of
all non-Christian spiritual leaders who have devoted their lives to their faith
and strive to develop a deeper understanding of that faith. Then they use that passion to help inmates
through some of the most difficult times of their lives. And Vic Toews reduces their work by saying “well
this guy`s a Christian so he can probably do it”.
Moral of the story: If you say you`re not a douchebag and then say
something douchy, you`re still a douchebag.
There is no magical non-douchebag cloak that you get for preceding
bullshit with the words “no offense”, or “I`m no racist ”, or “I`m all for equality,
but...” If you find yourself using
disclaimers like these, you are probably a dickhead. Just like if you are the Minister of Public
Safety and find yourself saying you`re “not in the business of picking and
choosing which religions will be given preferential status through government
funding” and then proceed to cut the jobs of everyone not affiliated with a particular
religion, it turns out that is exactly the business you are in.
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