Canada’s Anglican Churches Can Join Anti-Gay Network, So Long As They Leave Behind Their Church Property
Good luck stealing your churches: Four Canadian churches who split the Anglican Church of Canada (because they’re willing to tolerate the gays) for the more conservative Anglican Network in Canada will not get to keep their property, the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled. Religion Clause: “The court held that ownership of parish properties remain with the Diocese. Under the Act to Incorporate the General Synod of the Church of England in Canada, parishes can dispose of property only with the consent of the Executive Committee and Bishop. Using the property for purposes related to ANiC amounts to improperly taking them outside the jurisdiction of the Diocese. The court also rejected the parishes’ argument that the property was held in trust for ministry consistent with historic, orthodox Anglican doctrine and practice. It held that only departure from core tenets or fundamental doctrine can breach a religious purpose trust. The blessing of same-sex unions does not engage core or fundamental doctrine.”
That ruling is gonna give the men in dresses and pointy hats in the vatican some serious hissy fits………………..
Do Canada’s hate speech laws have any teeth, as in the authority to prosecute churches for preaching anti-gay hate?
Depends on your view of what anti-gay hate speech is. We tend to be stuck in a view that as Canadians, unless you are preaching the death and destruction of a particular group, then you aren’t necessarily preaching hate. Much like in the States.
Very few people have been charged under hate crimes legislation because it is hard to prove. Certain relgious individuals have been taken to Human Rights Tribunals which can find fault, but are limited on other powers or compensation decisions.
@3 Michael vdB:
I’d say that Leviticus 20:13 most certainly does preach the death and destruction of a particular group: us.
To say we should charge a whole group of people, who are Christian or Muslim, because of a few contested verses in the texts is a little short sighted and not what Hate Crimes Laws were created for. A large group of Christians don’t even think that verse in the Bible is relevant today. So to try and make a blanket statement is doing a disservice. You don’t like it when people make blanket statements about the gays, so why think that all Christians believe in something so narrow minded as Leviticus 20:13?