Stories about religious and multicultural issues in Quebec:
Kirpan left mark, court told
Testimony is expected to continue today in the trial of a 13-year-old Sikh boy accused of using his kirpan and another religious symbol to threaten two of his schoolmates. While it involves a relatively minor incident, the case is noteworthy as it involves the Marguerite Bourgeoys school board, the same one that tried unsuccessfully to have kirpans banned from their schools and lost a high-profile case in a Supreme Court decision. The case became an important part of the reasonable accommodation debate in Quebec and is apparently still a touchy issue. A friend of the Sikh boy's family was asked to leave the courtroom during the trial yesterday because he was wearing a kirpan.
Montreal Gazette, October 30
Quebec demands immigrants sign off on 'shared values'
Future immigrants to Quebec will be required to sign a declaration promising to learn French and respect Quebec's "shared values," the government announced yesterday. In a document with echoes of the controversial code adopted last year by the rural town of Herouxville, immigrants will be informed that Quebec is a democracy where men and women are equal and violence is prohibited.
National Post, October 30
Earlier: Stories about Cardinal Ouellet's critique of Quebec society
Other stories from the past week:
Tributes to Ellen Tallman, legendary Vancouver prof and therapist
I recently joined more than 300 people at a Vancouver memorial service for the legendary UBC literature instructor-turned-therapist Ellen Tallman. She was a famed patron of West Coast poets. She represented a quintessential West Coast culture during her long life: searching, humanistic, loosely spiritual, loving, intellectually sophisticated, frank and always probing.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, October 23
Anglican bishop seeks OK to bless same-sex marriages
Bishop John Chapman plans to ask the Canadian House of Bishops next week if he can develop an appropriate rite, then designate one parish -- possibly Saint John the Evangelist on Somerset Street -- to offer blessings to gay couples already married in a civil ceremony. He told several hundred people gathered at Christ Church Cathedral yesterday for an annual synod, or general meeting, that he wants to take it slowly.
Ottawa Citizen, October 24
Earlier: Stories about the Anglican schism
Anti-abortionist must pay taxes, says court
A New Brunswick judge has dismissed the appeal of an anti-abortionist who refuses to file income tax returns in protest of government-funded abortions. David Little, 62, formerly of Fredericton but now living on Prince Edward Island, was convicted last year for failing to file tax returns for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002. He says because some of his tax dollars go to fund abortions, it constitutes a violation of his freedom of religion.
Canadian Press, October 24
Holy hockey sticks!
Our national sport is like an organized religion, according to a university course that will examine our fervour for the game
Globe and Mail, October 24
Earlier: Worshipping the Habs
A new low for 'human rights'
The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) kept its head down during the recent federal election. With no less than four ongoing investigations into its conduct, it wisely stayed beneath the radar. But with the election over, it's back at it, with its most egregious violation of our civil rights yet.
Ezra Levant, National Post, October 24
Earlier: Stories about "human rights" tribunals and commissions
Salvation Army reports giving down
A major Canadian charity is struggling to deliver services as its critical holiday donation period approaches due to a decrease in financial gifts and an increase in the number of people seeking help amid a global financial crisis. While the Canadian Red Cross, the United Way and Canadian Cancer Society are among those who say they're monitoring the financial crisis but still are unsure of its effect on operations, the Salvation Army of Canada says the economic situation has already hit its bottom line.
Canadian Press, October 25
Earlier: Credit crisis hasn't affected charitable giving -- yet
In dying, philosophers teach us how to live
British philosopher Simon Critchley has just come out with a book with a fabulous concept, in which you can get your fill of such death quotes. The Book of Dead Philosophers (Raincoast/Granta) explores what 190 philosophers have said about death. Even better, it describes how they died. There is not much more you need to know about a person. There is no better test of a person's authenticity than the correspondence (or lack thereof) between what he or she believes about dying and how he or she departs this mortal coil. When it comes to death, you can't fake it.
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, October 25
Finding a family
The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, known in English as The Way of St. James, is a collection of old pilgrimage routes that cover all Europe. They all have Santiago in northwest Spain as their final destination. For more than 1,000 years, pilgrims have been walking along the Camino de Santiago.
Jill Bennett, Vancouver Sun, October 25
Vancouver cemetery hosts The Night for All Souls
The Night for All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery on Saturday evening was full of secular but spiritual rituals designed to help the more than 1,000 people who attended develop more meaningful relationships with their deceased loved ones.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, October 27
Doukhobor leader received Order of Canada
John J. Verigin was a 'longtime beacon of peace and goodwill' who led group since 1939
Vancouver Sun, October 28
Good triumphs over evil as Diwali celebrations light up GTA
It is mostly Hindus, Sikhs and Jains who celebrate the festival. There are different legends in regions of India about the festival's origin but there is general consensus it originated as a celebration of the return of Lord Rama after he defeated demon king Ravana, who had abducted Rama's wife, Sita.
Toronto Star, October 29
Diwali a soulful celebration of light
Mainstream appeal allows fifth annual Indian festival to attract more performers, more people of all ages, religions
Vancouver Sun, October 30
Yoga with religious 'elements' out of bounds for Malaysian Muslims
Muslims in Malaysia may be barred from doing yoga if they engage in Hindu "religious elements" during the exercise, a top Islamic cleric said yesterday. Harussani Zakaria, a controversial cleric from Perak state, said the government-backed National Fatwa Council would soon decide whether Muslims are allowed to practise yoga.
National Post, October 30
October 30/2008
