SLOBODIAN: Jesus kicked out of Canadian military chapel

CFB Gagetown, which is Canada’s second-largest military facility, sprawls over 1,100 square kilometres.It has ample room for approximately 6,500 troops and reserves, 1,000 civilian staff, and 10,000 soldiers, cadets, and police who head there to train annually.But there’s no room for Jesus anymore in St. Luke’s Protestant chapel on the base. The Liberal government booted Him out. The chapel occupies one of the 740 buildings yet was deemed one too many to permit visible representation of the Son of God or Christianity.During renovations, the historic sacred building was stripped of Christian symbols. Despite passionate protests, crosses, the altar, stained-glass windows, and steeple won’t be restored. They don’t fit into the Liberal vision of inclusion. The chapel will serve as a multi-faith space on a base that already has multi-faith spaces.Meanwhile, over in the mess, all chicken served is certified halal (permissible) to accommodate Muslim dietary preferences. The animal’s throat is slit. Its heart beats as its blood drains. Muslims recite “Bismillah, Allahu Akbar” (In the name of Allah, Allah is the greatest). This directive was implemented last year, even though the vast majority of troops there don’t believe the fate of their eternal souls depends in part on chickens dying slowly before ending up on their trays. This is the same Liberal government that provided nearly 1,000 prayer rooms in federal government buildings to ensure the 2% Muslim workforce has spaces to perform five obligatory prayers a day, lasting 10 to 15 minutes each.The Liberal government that figures there’s no room for the cross in St. Luke’s chapel mandated that men's restrooms in the CAF must be stocked with tampons and other women’s menstrual products. .Gagetown’s base commander is Colonel Erik Esselaar. St. Luke’s congregants, who weren’t consulted about their treasured chapel being gutted of all that is Christian, appealed to him in vain. There’s no evidence Esselaar had the will or courage to challenge the Liberals on behalf of those under his command. The chapel has been a place of worship, baptisms, marriages, funerals, and prayers for the safety of troops deployed to war zones for 70 years.But New Brunswick Conservative MP Mike Dawson stood up for the congregants and challenged National Defence Minister David McGuinty during Question Period on Tuesday.In doing so, Dawson honoured what the Remembrance Day poppy pinned on his lapel symbolizes — sacrifices made by so many to protect freedom, including religious expression. McGuinty also wore a poppy. “Mr. Speaker, for more than a decade this Liberal government has been questioning and erasing the very values that define this nation,” said Dawson.“But in New Brunswick at CFB Gagetown they reached a new low. This summer the Liberal government actually stole Jesus off the Cross and came back for the nails.”“Using building improvements to cover, they stripped St. Luke’s Chapel of its crosses, its altar, its stained glass after 70 years, and they’re refusing to put them back.”“The congregation was never consulted. And multi-faith spaces already exist on base. We’re not making room for others by erasing the faith of those who already served.”He asked if McGuinty would order St. Luke’s chapel to be restored.When McGuinty rose to respond, his Liberal comrades predictably clapped like seals. “The Canadian Armed Forces is strengthened by a diversity of traditions, backgrounds, and beliefs of all its members,” said McGuinty.He preached that “policies to support diversity are a moral and ethical responsibility” of everyone affiliated with the CAF.“The spiritual health and wellbeing of Canadian Armed Forces members is vital to our operational effectiveness. These guidelines do not ban private or personal faith and are meant to be more inclusive for a wide range of spiritual and faith traditions.”.So, that was a definite no. But the spiritual well-being of Christian CAF members isn’t vital. And keep your beliefs private, like persecuted Christians in China, sub-Saharan Africa, and Middle Eastern countries are forced to do.McGuinty concluded with a tone akin to lecturing a toddler, stating, “The member knows this.” Certainly, Dawson knows this. Knowing the Liberals worship at the altar of inclusion and objecting to them purging Christian symbols from a chapel are different things.St. Mary’s RC chapel at Gagetown is also being renovated. Artifacts, symbols, and stained-glass windows will be restored. Why St. Mary’s and not St. Luke’s? A skeptic might wonder how long it’ll be before St. Mary’s Charter rights are also violated and it’s targeted for not being inclusive.There’s more. The Liberals dealt another blow to religious freedom that would have made Russian Bolsheviks proud. Starting in 1917, the Bolsheviks elevated the state to god status and relentlessly erased religious practices.After several attempts, the CAF finally banned its military chaplains of all faiths from praying at official military ceremonies. Only generic, meaningless, secular “spiritual reflections” are permitted.No symbols allowed. No rituals. No headwear or clothing that might cause “discomfort and traumatic feelings.” Definitely, no God talk.Exceptions are made for indigenous military ceremonies. Indigenous spiritual leaders are exempt from rules gagging all other Canadian military chaplaincy members. “Spiritual reflections do not use religious-specific language, including references to God, etc. They reflect upon lessons learned, beliefs, values, and experiences to inspire gratitude, remembrance, hope, and integrity,” reads the Canadian Armed Forces Military Personnel Instructions — Spiritual reflections in military settings issued July 29.It puts the padres — who are mandated to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies — in a dreadful predicament. .Not only are they forced to struggle with having to deny whatever faith they have, but disobeying could destroy their careers. They’re fiercely devoted to serving military personnel and their families who seek their help and guidance. They don’t want to abandon them. But they can’t minister if they can’t serve in the CAF.The majority of Canadian soldiers who served during war and peace rest beneath crosses or have crosses engraved on their headstones. The headstones of soldiers of other faiths bear symbols of their religious beliefs. They all deserve to be honoured. They all put on the uniform to protect freedom that doesn’t include freedom to muzzle Canadians.McGuinty, fellow Liberal MPs, and military commanders — DEI queens and yes men promoted because they’re DEI queens and yes men — will show up at Remembrance Day ceremonies solemnly wearing poppies.Who exactly are they wearing those precious poppies for? Ask them. Don’t settle for a cowardly word salad about inclusion that actually suffocates freedom and champions exclusion.

SLOBODIAN: Jesus kicked out of Canadian military chapel

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