Archive for the ‘Religion’ Category

In 2000, an Ontario woman was fired from her workplace at a Christian care home for being gay.

The case came to appeal and the Ontario Divisional Court ruled yesterday that the Kitchener-based Christian Horizons did not have the right to dismiss Connie Heintz for her sexual orientation.

But both sides claim victory, since the court also ruled that religious organizations have a right to set out moral and lifestyle codes, a decision that some consider “murky“. Read more…

Indonesia’s constitutional court has upheld a controversial provision that limits religious freedom. The ruling came down while I was in Jakarta.

The provision actually stems from a 1965 Decree by President Sukarno on the Prevention of Blasphemy and Abuse of Religions, the idea behind which was to ban any organization practicing the “deviant interpretation” of religious teachings. And it’s used mainly to persecute and prosecute Islamic sects such as Ahmadiyah and al-Qiyadah. Read more…

Canada is bound to fail when faced with religious extremism, when Canadians can’t talk about religion. We avoid religious discussions out of political correctness and because we fundamentally lack understanding.

In Jakarta I met with a Brigadier General of the Police who deals with Islamic radicals as part of Indonesia’s Counter-Terrorism program. Indonesia, home to the largest Muslim population in the world, has had some success in reducing terrorist activities by engaging in religious dialogue on the correct theology of Islam, interpreting it as a religion of peace rather than terrorist jihad. Read more…