Search results

I think it's time for me to retire from this conversation. Throughout I trust I have maintained a reasonable and courteous manner of discussion. I have not attacked anyone personally, and I never called anyone "dude" or any other name. However, if that is the way things are discussed these...

Great idea! A few years ago I was invited to my local mosque (it's out in the countryside near where I live) to represent the veterans' group I belonged to at a ceremony to honour victims of a mass shooting. It was indeed an honour to go there, wearing my beret and medals, take off my shoes at...

Funerals are personal , like weddings. We observe a person's passing in terms of his or her own faith. This has nothing to do with ministry; we need chaplains to do that. What I object to is the use of religion to add pomp and circumstance to an event that really has no religious...

Yes, that would probably be a possible change, and it would probably work. Also I think as society changes, gradually so will these traditions. I'd like to live to 150 in order to see it!!

Well no, not really. All I'm saying is that no matter what your opinion, the issue has been decided. It is the law. Most regiments in the Army have official alliances with Christian churches, many have officioal prayers, Graces, blessing etc. These have been created over generations of...

This entire thread is actually moot and irrelelvent. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the "Saguenay" case that all levels of government (and government agencies) must be neutral towards religion. This means no church parades, no religious blessing of Colours, no blessings of buildings, no...

As a journalist, soldier and veteran I have been tracking the Legion for several decades. Here are some of the things I've discovered: The Legion has about 240,000 members, and has been losing about 10,000 members every year, for the past 30 years, or even longer. The Ordinary membership...

Again, religion isn't determined by the majority. It's determined by the individual. A Sikh in Kamloops is still a Sikh in Restigouche.

The point is not whether they are religious or cultural. The court decision does not ban any ceremonies; it simply says government doesn't do them. COs and chaplains are supposed to assist members in holding such ceremonies, but don't run them under command authority any more. Theoretically...

That's interesting. In 2015 the Surpeme Court of Canada ruled in the Saguenay case that government (all levels) in Canada must remain neutral on the subject of religion. This means government cannot conduct religion, promote it, or even suggest it, and all government functions and services...

Essentially RCAFA here has collapsed. The Legion runs everything; they include CAVUNP but those guys are just as white and out of sight as the Legion.

This is the problem, actually. The Legion consists of about 240,000 people, only a relative handful of whom have any Canadian Forces service. The average member is a blue-collar white male, high school grad and social conservative. They only know one way to run things, and that is with...

I live in a small rural community in south central Ontario, between two medium-sized cities. The Legion in both has a lock on all commemorative events such as RD, Battle of Britain etc and they all consist of a endless program of prayer, blessings, invoations and Bible readings, often with a...

I've just completed the survey and I stressed that the day should be secular, in order that all may feel included. The Legion won't like it, but then again, they don't seem to like much. During my speaking engagements for Historica Canada I often put forth a scenario in which three people join...

This is a good idea and I plan to respond. However, the main problem is that VAC does not control Remembrance Day, the Royal Canadian Legion does. In 90 per cent of Canadian Communities, it is run as a Christian church service. Where I live it is a full half-hour of prayers, blessings and...

The basic problem is that religion, specifically Christianity, has been hard-wired into the Forces for centuries. However, it has not been so for any other government agency. As a result deferring to Christianity has been conflated with loyalty and willngness to serve, fitness as a soldier...

I guess it varies branch to branch.  Some are more adamantine that others. Oddly I live near a major base, where personnel have been deploying on operations for decades, yet all the Legion branches around here give the impression that our military activity ceased on VE Day.  They often don't...

Yes, Speak is the operative word.  But they don't pray in any sense.  Their presence as representatives of the inclusive and welcoming nature of Canada is eloquent. I think as this evolves we will eventually see this become the norm.  It simply has to.

First of all I'd really like to comment on the cordial and courteous nature of all these posts.  This was not the case 18 years ago when I logged on here and commented on the issue of Lt(N) Scott who was court-martialled for keeping his lid on during prayers. Both he and I were subjected to a...

Yes, it's interesting that some people can spend their entire career and never run into it.  But for others it becomes a real problem.  It depends on your CO's feelings and how it plays out. In 2006 I watched absolutely aghast as the CO of the Ceremonial Guard in Ottawa threw several soldiers...