The Canadian Manifesto: How the American Neocons Stole my Country

Maurice Vellacott's administrative assistant, Timothy Bloedow, once accused me of hating Christians. This was in response to my criticism of his critique of Dr. John Stackhouse's review of Marci McDonald's book: The Armageddon Factor.

(Did you get all that?)

Though Prof. Stackhouse was critical of McDonald for focusing too much on the Apocalyptic nature of some religious groups, he agreed with her concern for reconstructionism. "There are Christians about whom even other Christians should be wary, especially those who talk about things like theocracy and Christian government."

Bloedow runs a website called christiangovernance.ca, promoting just those things that we should be wary of.

In his new book Faith in the Halls of Power, D. Michael Lindsay reveals that the Moral Majority/Christian Right, was inspired by Francis Schaeffer, who ran a commune in Switzerland, promoting a second American revolution. This time they would not be taking on the British, but the Humanists, reclaiming the United States for Christianity.

Their brand of Christianity, where the Bible is not just the Truth, but the only Truth. Schaeffer writes that 'If we accept part of the Bible as a myth, we might as well be consequent and accept the whole Bible as a myth. Why, I can have more respect for a Teddy boy who tells me that killing a friend with a bicycle chain is all right. He at least has a philosophy.'

There is no compromise.

Schaeffer's commune became the launching pad for the Moral Majority/Christian Right. He encouraged his followers to become active, starting the anti-abortion movement, as a test for the power of pugnaciousness. Presidential hopeful (I hope not), Michelle Bachmann, claims that Schaeffer influenced her own views on abortion.

Lindsay tells us that while many Evangelical leaders initially agreed with the necessity for such a movement, others soon lost the taste:

Even though the Moral Majority succeeded in galvanizing evangelicals in the 1980s, as early as 1985, leaders within the group were growing uneasy about the alliance between religion and politics. Moral Majority vice president Cal Thomas resigned from the organization to pursue a career as a columnist. When I interviewed Thomas, he told me that evangelical political action at the time was — and according to him still is — "operating in the flesh and attaching God's name to it.... It's doomed to futility."

In 1996, Thomas and evangelical pastor Ed Dobson (no relation to Focus on the Family's James Dobson) wrote Blinded by Might, in which they asked, "How can [evangelicals] impose a morality on people that you can't impose on yourself?" Citing rampant materialism, sexual promiscuity, and evangelical hubris, Thomas and Dobson renounced their involvement with the Religious Right. (Lindsay p.56)

But the worst of them kept going, amassing fortunes, feeding off people's fears and prejudices.

Surprisingly, however, the most scathing denunciation came from Schaeffer's own son, Francis Jr.

In his book Crazy for God, he suggests that the movement is one of rampant racism, ignorance, perversion and greed.

Most of us would agree, but as expected, the right-wing noise machine sprung into action, launching attacks on their guru's son.

Everyone Has a Manifesto

Geert Wilders has a manifesto. Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist, has a manifesto (which is not unlike that of Wilders).

Francis Schaeffer himself, argued that the Communists had a manifesto and the Humanists had a manifesto, so the Christians should also have a manifesto.

A written statement declaring their intentions, motives, and views. So he wrote one, which became the guide for the Moral Majority/Religious Right.

After researching this movement for several years now, I've determined that somewhere there is a Canadian Manifesto. There has to be.

The connections between the Conservative-Reform-Alliance Party and the American Neoconservative/Religious Right movement, are too profound to be random.

So I've decided to make that the title of this particular body of research, as I organize my writings and thoughts. (Is that possible?)

The Canadian Manifesto will lay bare the war on women, gays and ethnics, and the attempts to turn Canada into a theocracy. It will also reveal how the real power in Canada has been sent South. The final chapter of Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine.

Not a conspiracy theory, but in the words of Joe Friday, "just the facts". However, I will not change the names to protect anyone, since none are innocent.

Maurice Vellacott and the Culture of Christianity

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

In 1996, a very pregnant, 40 year old Bettye Joyce Beal from St. Louis, slipped and fell in her home, and as a result lost a lot of blood. When she arrived at hospital it was determined that the baby in her womb was not getting the blood and oxygen it needed, and therefore, the doctor on duty recommended a transfusion.

However, Beal declined treatment, because as a Jehovah's Wittiness, blood transfusions were against her religion. The hospital sought a court order, but by the time it was received, the woman and her unborn son had died. (1)

According to their website: "Jehovah's Witnesses condemn abortion, teaching that life begins at conception and life is sacred to Jehovah."

This is a perfect example of religious beliefs in conflict, not only with state's laws, but laws within a religious sect.

Maurice Vellacott has on many occasions tried to push through a bill allowing health care workers to refuse to provide medical assistance if certain procedures were against their religious beliefs. Of course, we know that this was just another attempt at criminalising abortion and clearly Vellacott had not thought this through.

If a health care worker's religious beliefs prevent them from doing their job, they need to find a different profession. There are far too many varying religious beliefs in this country to accommodate them all.

I was recently berated by Vellacott's legislative assistant Timothy Bloedow because I questioned his boss's education. At issue was the use of the term 'doctor', since Vellacott does not hold a PhD, but a religious doctorate, which makes him well qualified to act as a pastor. Fair enough.

I kind of like Mr. Bloedow because he keeps me on my toes.

However, at issue here, is whether Vellacott is qualified to act as a Member of Parliament in Canada, and it's not his education that is the problem, but his interpretation of religion. The Religious Right, to which he is a card carrying member, have created a culture of Christianity, based on a few talking points.

The various think tanks and non-profit organizations that operate within this "culture" or "sub-culture", do all the thinking, and rather than leading their followers toward an understanding of faith, they lead them through a mimicking of faith. 'Just do what our pamphlets tell you to do, and leave the rest to us. And please make your cheques payable to ....'

The understanding is that the heads of these organizations have read the Bible from cover to cover, and have found the absolute "truth". However, while I've no doubt that they have read the Bible from cover to cover, they did not unearth the "truth" and stuck it in their pamphlets. They have unearthed a palatable "truth", leaving out the meat of the Bible which would prove why it can only guide, but not dictate.

In fact if Canadians really lived by the infallible word of the Bible we would probably be arrested. The late Charles Templeton, a former televangelist, who even toured with Billy Graham, provides an example in the story of Abram and his wife Sarai.

And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair. The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels. (2)

Templeton suggests that this speaks to the morality of God, which would be astonishing by today's standards. Abram pimped out his wife to save his life, while enjoying the rewards of the arrangement.

Could I then set up a brothel and claim that it is based on the Bible?

The Old Testament is filled with stories like that, that speak of a vengeful and immoral God, so why would we want to have our laws based on Biblical principles?

The Religious Right use their faith as a weapon, and have established imaginary enemies. They believe they are being victimized because of their beliefs, but they are not the victims here. In fact I think the biggest victim of this new political movement is Christianity itself, because they've turned it into the most unwelcoming religion on the planet.

As a politician, Maurice Vellacott makes a great preacher. As a preacher he makes a lousy politician. The two can mix, but he has not sought to find the formula. Next election, the progressives in his riding must work together to remove him from office, because not only does he not represent Canadian values, he does not represent Christian values.

He is not the only poster child for the need to separate church and state, but he is definitely one of them.

Sources:

1. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS & LIFE SAVING THERAPY, Kevin O'Rourke, December 1996

2. Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith, By Charles Templeton, McClelland & Stewart, 1996, ISBN: 0-7710-8422-6, Pg 59-61

John Carpay, John Weston and Their Attack on Canada: Shona Holmes

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

John Carpay is the co-founder of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, referred to by Equipping Christians for the Public Square Centre (ECP) as "Canada’s leading organization fighting the enemies of freedom in Canada’s courts." Up until recently, ECP's director was Timothy Bloedow, legislative assistant to Maurice Vellicott.

Carpay has been a long time Stockwell Day supporter, and is part of his Reconstructionism team. Though he once ran as a Reform Party candidate but lost, his partner and co-founder of CCF, John Weston, is now one of Harper's MPs, and like Harper, these men and CCF are committed to demolishing Canada's Health Care system. To do this they take on constitutional challenges, including that of Shona Holmes. (1)

The Mysterious Case of Shona Holmes

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is one of the groups behind the organizing of the infamous and band of the ignorant, Tea Party rallies in the United States. Funded primarily through the Koch foundation, a conglomerate with holdings in oil and gas, chemicals, minerals, ranching, and securities, they have also launched campaigns against climate change, regulating the tobacco industry and the size of government.

Their Director is Art Pope, an ex-legislator who has been dubbed "The Knight of the Right". Pope has created several "organizations to sway public opinion, monitor the legislature, develop grass-roots political efforts and bring court challenges" and he has spent "millions of dollars on a network whose purpose is to move North Carolina to the political right." His goal was to purge the North Carolina state House of Representatives of Republican moderates. (2)

In mid-2009, Americans for Prosperity launched an advertising and advocacy campaign opposing U.S. health care reform: Patients United Now. According to talk show host Rachel Maddow:

They're experts at fake grassroots campaigns that promote corporate interests. Americans for Prosperity is the group that ginned up anti-stimulus rallies earlier this year. They also organized what they called the "Hot Air Tour" to campaign against the whole idea of global warming. They were the ones who sent Joe the Plumber around the country to rail against the Employee Free Choice Act, which is pro-labor legislation.

One other thing about Americans for Prosperity, their most visible spokesman, is a man named Tim Phillips. He is the President of the organization and we've asked him to come on the show to talk with us about the group. Tim Phillips got his start in fake grass roots with a firm called Century Strategies, run by Ralph Reed. Century Strategies is famous for having duped Christian groups into lobbying for energy deregulation. You know, like the Bible said.They were doing that at the behest of Century Strategies' client, Enron. Tim Phillips and Ralph Reed were later made even more famous in the Jack Abramoff scandal, for duping Christian groups into lobbying against gambling. But only in areas where these guys happened to have competing gambling interests as clients.These guys are the pros. (3)

And of course much of the funding comes from Koch Industries through a network of think tanks and non-profit groups.

John Carpay, who is also involved with the Fraser Institute and Preston Manning's the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, is a regular speaker at an affiliate of Koch, the Atlas Experience, where like Stephen Harper, he preaches to the American conservatives on the evils of the Canadian identity.

So who better to call on when they wanted to launch another "fake grassroots campaign", than their buddy John Carpay and his Canadian Constitution Foundation, and he knew just who would be up for the job. An Ontario woman named Shona Holmes, who claimed that had she not gone to the U.S. for surgery, she would have died. Did I mention that she "claimed" she needed this life surgery? (Holmes is second from right in the photo below, taken with Republican Party brass.)

Holmes was featured on a number of ads suggesting that Obama was looking to replicate the Canadian system, and just how damaging that would be. However, columnist David Lazarus of the Los Angeles Times wrote that "a single-payer Canadian style insurance system is not part of any leading reform proposal as the ad suggests". Media Matters for America called the ad "Strong on emotion and weak on facts.

So who is Shona Holmes and is her story true?

"What many Canadians don’t know is that Ms. Holmes has a lawsuit against the Ontario government, which has not been filed, to recoup 100 thousand dollars for her 2005 trips to the Mayo clinics to remove a Rathke’s Cleft cyst. The suit is also a challenge to single tier care and the Canadian health system. She is one of two plaintiffs, the handlers behind it are The Canadian Constitution Federation. After doing the commercial and a talk show circuit in the US Shona Holmes publicist told CBC News, she was now declining interviews." (4)

According to American journalist Ian Welsh, the entire thing was a hoax:

On the Mayo Clinic's website, Shona Holmes is a success story. But it's somewhat different story than all the headlines might have implied. Holmes' "brain tumour" was actually a Rathke's Cleft Cyst on her pituitary gland. To quote an American source, the John Wayne Cancer Center, "Rathke's Cleft Cysts are not true tumors or neoplasms; instead they are benign cysts."There's no doubt Holmes had a problem that needed treatment, and she was given appointments with the appropriate specialists in Ontario. She chose not to wait the few months to see them. But it's a far cry from the life-or-death picture portrayed by Holmes on the TV ads or by McConnell in his attacks. (5)

The following video represents one of Americans for Prosperity Tea Party chats, where they are trying to use fear mongering, even suggesting that Obama would engage in the genocide of senior citizens. But as one person suggests after the video: "It's really too bad there are so many uneducated people. End of life counseling is done all the time and in fact, check your private insurance policy, cuz it's in there. I worked for an attorney and we wrote living wills all the time - and guess what? We never killed anyone."

What this speaks to more than anything is the enormous ties between the Republican Reconstruction team and Canada's Religious Right. John Weston, the MP who helped to found the Canadian Constitution Foundation, also belongs to the Christian Legal Fellowship, that challenge our Constitution, taking on court cases based on religious freedom.

Sources:

1. New MP profile: West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea-to-Sky's John Weston. Vancouver Sun. October 18, 2008

2. "The knight of the right: Ex-legislator Art Pope has quietly built a political network to advance his conservative vision for North Carolina", By Rob Christensen, Raleigh News and Observer, January 29, 2006.

3. Rachel Maddow: Big Money Pulling the Strings of Protests, Heather/Video Cafe'; Rachel Maddow, August 6, 2009

4. Shona Holmes and The Canadian Constitution Federation, By: Bene Diction, August 2, 2009

5. Americans Lives vs. Insurance Company Profits: The Real Battle in Health Care Reform, By Ian Welsh, Huffington Post, July 21, 2009

My Apologies to Timothy Bloedow, But I do not Hate Christians

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

I posted an item yesterday about the Evangelical Fellowship, and received an email from Timothy Bloedow, legislative assistant to Reform-Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott, correcting an error I had made regarding affiliation. I have temporarily taken the posting down, but will repost once I have corrected the error, because I still believe that the message is an important one.

However, Mr. Bloedow accused me of hating Christians, and nothing could be further from the truth. However, what I pointed out to him is that since the Religious Right movement has decided to enter the "public square", as they like to describe their political activism, they can no longer declare religious immunity.

They are helping to determine how our tax dollars are being spent, so we have a right to question their motives. And we also have a right to expose groups that claim to be non-profit, enjoying all of the tax breaks that go along with that, when they are clearly simply another voice for the Harper government.

Stephen Harper himself once complained about Stockwell Day exploiting religious groups for political gain, when it was discovered during their leadership race in 2002, that The Campaign Life Coalition, an anti-abortion lobby group backing Day, had sent out 130,000 letters asking its supporters to donate money so the organization could buy memberships in bulk to help their chosen candidate. (1)

I visited Bloedow's website ChritianGovernment.ca, and he has an item where he is attacking Marci McDonald's book, The Armageddon Factor. Or actually he is attacking Prof. John Stackhouse's critique of the book, when he concurs with her that "there are Christians about whom even other Christians should be wary, especially those who talk about things like theocracy and Christian government (Reconstructionism). For some reason, almost everyone who thinks Christian theocracy also thinks stoning of homosexuals as though the two are synonymous." (2)

Bloedow suggests, and rightfully so, that murder is a criminal offense, so the actual physical act of stoning someone to death would be against the law. Fair enough.

However, there is more than one way to 'stone a homosexual'. Or a woman. Or Muslims. Or any other identifiable group being marginalized in the name of Christianity. You do it by cutting their funding. By erasing them from a guide on Canadian identity and by viscerally attacking them on what are supposed to be "faith based" websites.

In his defense, Bloedow's site is mild compared with many others I've visited, but in at least one headline he refers to 'Equal' or 'Same-Sex' marriage as "Homo-sexual marriage", as if a person's identity is based solely on their sexuality.

We don't call it "hetero-sexual marriage" or "people who like threesomes marriage". It is simply "marriage". It is two people committing to one another, who want to share that commitment with family and friends, and who want to be recognized as equal citizens.

So when I posted the following 1987 quote from the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, it was with the utmost respect:

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada affirms the rights of all Canadians, including homosexuals, to share in the privi­leges of a free and democratic society. We uphold the view that the Scriptures teach that homosexual practice is unac­ceptable. At the same time, we call on all Christians to affirm justice and equality to all people. (3)

On Bloedow's suggestion, I am going to write to them to apologize for aligning them with the new branch of political evangelism that does not seek "to affirm justice and equality to all people."

And as I told him, Marci McDonald has opened a debate that was long overdue, and may have actually done them a favour. She has brought what they call 'Christian Conservatives' into the "public square." We just want to know who they are and what they want from us. And if they are indeed being partially funded by their American counterparts, that speaks to our sovereignty, since it means that a foreign country is meddling in Canadian democracy.

And we also want to know why all the secrets. Secrets only lead to speculation, so if your intentions are not as being warned, you tell us what they really are.

I quoted from the Evangelical Fellowship because I've always been drawn to religious organizations with messages of tolerance. That's what I grew up believing Christianity to be.

And maybe that's why so many of us are speaking out against this movement, because it is not about instilling "Christian values", but destroying them.

Sources:

1. Day slips into Bible college for Rally, By S. Alberts, National Post, February 13, 2002

2. What does theocracy REALLY mean? By Tim Bloedow, Christian Government, May 23, 2010

3. Fragmented Gods: The Poverty and Potential of Religion in Canada, By Reginald W. Bibby, Stoddard Publishing Company, 1987, Pg. 160

Why Maurice Vellacott and his Reconstructionist Theories Will Fail

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

With the introduction of Marci McDonald's book; The Armageddon Factor (1), we are now being given an opportunity to debate the enormous influence of the Religious Right on Canadian politics.

And one area that needs a great deal of debate, is the issue of Reconstructionism, which is being organized in the breezeway between Reform-Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott's office and the American 'Conservative movement*'.



C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Stephen Harper


In Lloyd MacKey's book, The Pilgrimage of Stephen Harper, he claims that Harper did not come to his "born-again" status from the need to be reborn to escape a lost life, but rather from the results of a cerebral journey.

C.S. Lewis dealt in absolutes, so as one of the theologians introduced to him by Preston Manning, Lewis would be the easiest for an analytical mind to grasp. Stephen Harper is a smart man, but he is not a wise man, and Lewis expressed Christian faith in the simplest of terms.

In fact, it has been those 'simple' terms that have had his critics state that among other things, his theories were "textually careless and theologically unreliable." (2)

Lewis is what is known as an 'apologist', which is described** in part as:

... a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views ... Apologists have based their defense of Christianity on historical evidence, philosophical arguments, scientific investigation, rhetorical persuasion and other disciplines.

Rather than being mythological, they try to make Christianity scientific, historical and absolute. For Lewis, it was all-or-nothing and half-heartedness was not to be tolerated. There was no middle ground. In that way he gave permission for religious intolerance, and most definitely intolerance toward anyone not seeking religion at all. To him they were simply "mad men" or "lunatics".

C.S. Lewis has come to be revered by Reconstructionists who want to transform the earth into the "kingdom of God", a necessary action before the second coming of Christ.

In Reconstructionism, the main thrust shifts from the salvaging of lost souls in a doomed society to the reconstruction of a Christian world. The significance of the Reconstructionist movement is not its numbers, but the power of its ideas and their surprisingly rapid acceptance. Many on the Christian Right are unaware that they hold Reconstructionist ideas. Because as a theology it is controversial, even among evangelicals, many who are consciously influenced by it avoid the label. This furtiveness is not, however, as significant as the potency of the ideology itself. Generally, Reconstructionism seeks to replace democracy with a theocratic elite that would govern by imposing their interpretation of "Biblical Law."

Reconstructionism would eliminate not only democracy but many of its manifestations, such as labor unions, civil rights laws, and public schools. Insufficiently Christian men would be denied citizenship, perhaps executed. So severe is this theocracy that it would extend capital punishment beyond such crimes as kidnapping, rape, and murder to include, among other things, blasphemy, heresy, adultery, and homosexuality. (3)

Wanting to replace democracy with a theocratic elite, sounds very Leo Strauss, though I suppose that's why neoconservativism and the Religious Right are such a great fit. When Stockwell Day was teaching at the Bentley Bible schools, in his social studies classes he warned students that democratic governments "represent the ultimate deification of man, which is the very essence of humanism and totally alien to God's word." (4)

Footnotes:

* "... your country [United States], and particularly your conservative movement, is a light and an inspiration to people in this country and across the world" Stephen Harper 1997 to the Council for National Policy, the vanguard for the American Religous Right (5)

** Wikipedia

Sources:

1. The Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada, By: Marci McDonald, Random House Canada, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-307-35646-8 3

2. C.S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion, By john Beversluis, Prometheus Books, 1985, ISBN 1-59102-531-1

3."Christian Reconstructionism: Theocratic Dominionism Gains Influence: Part 1 -- Overview and Roots," by Frederick Clarkson, March 1994, The Public Eye

4. Bentley, Alberta: Hellfire, Neo-Nazis and Stockwell Day:A two-part look inside the little town that nurtured a would-be prime minister - and some of the most notorious hate-mongers in Canada, By Gordon Laird, NOW Magazine, 2000

5. Full text of Stephen Harper's 1997 speech, Canadian Press, December 14, 2005

Maurice Vellacott Goes "a Courting"

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

Maurice Vellacott is the Reform-Conservative MP for the riding of Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, and one of the strongest social conservatives in Stephen Harper's caucus.

According to Marci McDonald, author of The Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada, Vellacott's office is now the clearing house for Christian Right activity in the capital, thanks to his Reconstructionist legislative assistant; Timothy Bloedow.(1)

There was one error in McDonald's book though, about Vellacott's education. She stated that he received his doctorate in theology from a University in Chicago. However, Vellacott does not hold a doctorate in theology, despite what his website bio might suggest.

He does have a Bachelor's degree from Briercrest College - whose mission statement reads as follows: "Briercrest College and Seminary is a community of rigorous learning that calls students to seek the kingdom of God, to be shaped profoundly by the scriptures, and to be formed spiritually and intellectually for lives of service."

It is an accredited school and I'm sure their standards are exemplary.

However, his 'master's degree' (Master of Divinity from the Canadian Theological Seminary) is not. The CTS is affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (Harper’s Church), but most of their degrees are obtained, again, through distance education. There is no thesis required, and it is only recognized as a stepping stone toward ministerial pursuits.

And his 'doctorate' degree (Doctor of Ministry from Trinity International University) was obtained from another evangelical Christian university that offers distance education. They are located in Deerfield, Illinois; but if the ‘Trinity’ makes you feel warm and fuzzy, because of the reputation of Trinity University, their website claims that they are NOT affiliated. However, they do list ‘The following online Ph.D. Programs in Religion focus on the nature of religious belief and specific religious and quasi-religious systems.....

This is not the same as the better recognized Doctor of Theology, which is an academic degree, rather than just a ministerial one. In fact, you can obtain a doctorate degree (i.e.: Doctor of Ministry) for your “life experience”; as well as off the Internet.

His education is not really the issue, though he should be more honest in his bio, nor are his religious beliefs. His riding consists of a large Mennonite population, and as Canadians they too deserve a voice. They voted for Vellacott because of his beliefs, not in spite of them.

However, since the majority of Canadians do not share such stringent, and dare I say, hypocritical views, he does not get to force them on the rest of us. I would prefer that Mr. Vellacott be up front and honest, and let us decide on issues that threaten to change the landscape of Canada.

As a Dominionist, he is committed to giving up our reputation for tolerance, without asking us if this is acceptable.

Alliance with Stockwell Day

During the leadership campaign of 2002, Maurice Vellacott aligned himself with Stockwell Day, against Stephen Harper and Grant Hill. Harper criticized Vellacott for mailing out endorsements for Day, through his constituency office, at public expense.

However, Harper and Hill both made more serious allegations of exploitation of religion and faith based issues, after a "secret" rally was held at Briercrest, Vellacott's Alma Mata.

Stockwell Day yesterday continued to seek support from evangelical Christians with a barely publicized campaign stop at Canada's largest Bible college, even as one of his opponents warned the Canadian Alliance leadership race risks being "perverted" by a single-interest group. Mr. Day held a campaign rally at Briercrest Bible College in Caronport, Sask., an event that attracted hundreds and was not included in the public itinerary posted on the candidate's Web site. He campaigned earlier in the day at the evangelical Victory Church in Moose Jaw, Sask.

Mr. Day lashed out at rivals Stephen Harper and Grant Hill for accusing him of aiming his campaign primarily at devout Christians and opponents of abortion. the latest chapter in a week-long controversy that began with complaints by Mr. Harper and Dr. Hill over the former party leader's campaign tactics. Last week, organizers for Mr. Harper went public with concerns that Mr. Day is appealing to a narrow base of religious groups -- including orthodox Jews, Pentecostals and anti-abortion Catholics -- in a bid to regain the leadership post he was forced to relinquish late last year.

The Campaign Life Coalition, an anti-abortion lobby group backing Mr. Day, was also censured by party officials for sending out 130,000 letters asking its supporters to donate money so the organization could buy memberships in bulk to help the candidate. Organizers for Dr. Hill and Mr. Harper complained successfully that the actions by Campaign Life violated party rules prohibiting groups from buying memberships.

The National Post has also learned Mr. Day's campaign director in Quebec, Eric Lanthier, recently appealed to evangelical Protestants in Quebec to buy 5,000 memberships. "The objective is 5,000 [membership] cards," Mr. Lanthier wrote in January on the Web site of the Association of Evangelical Protestant Churches, promoting Mr. Day as a candidate who has worked in "defence of Judeo-Christian values."

Vellacott's Attacks on the Judiciary

Maurice Vellacott has always been a vocal critic of Canada's court system. In 2006, he sought out a CBC reporter and accused Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin of claiming "God-like" powers. Citing a speech McLachlin had made to a New Zealand conference, he charged her with comparing the process of applying unwritten constitutional principles to acquiring prophetic gifts. "Suddenly there's some mystical kind of power that comes over them, by which everything that they've ever decreed is not to be questioned." (1)

McLachlin pointed out that she had never said anything like that, and Vellacott was forced to apologize, but it was empty given that he would later suggest that the Supreme Court was assuming the role of a secular priesthood. This made the appointment of Reconstructionist Timothy Bloedow, as his legislative assistant, a perfect match. Bloedow has called for the dismantling of all federal institutions, including the courts, and from his own website: ChristianGovernment.ca

Judeo-Christian political theory is unique in its hostility to totalitarianism. Christian government, and Christian government alone, is anti-tyrannical. God has designated multiple governments for a just and functioning social order: civil government, church government, family government and self-government. Such division of authority and diffusion of power mitigates against political centralism and tyranny. With the rise in the influence of Humanism in Canada and the West, this division of authority is disappearing.

Even most Christians today don’t appreciate these facts and, therefore, they aren’t prepared to support and promote Christian government. Hopefully they will change their position before totalitarian Humanism or Islam take over and it’s too late.

"Even most Christians today don't appreciate these facts"? Bloedow doesn't see a Canada with religious tolerance, not even tolerance for "most Christians".

Sources:

1. The Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada, By: Marci McDonald, Random House Canada, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-307-35646-8 3

2. Day slips into Bible college for Rally, By S. Alberts, National Post, February 13, 2002