Posted on 07/17/2010 4:06:35 AM PDT by Clive
Are there lifestyles incompatible with Canadian culture?
It’s heresy in some quarters to even ask the question, but of course it’s true.
There are things that go on in the world that are acceptable or even institutional there that we find offensive and deplorable.
The deluded lefty belief that “it’s all good,” and “who are we to judge” and “every culture is as valid as ours” just doesn’t wash.
Last week, the civilized world was outraged by the death sentence handed by an Iranian court to a 43-year-old widow.
She had already been given 99 lashes for having an “illicit relationship,” following the death of her husband.
She was later convicted of adultery and sentenced to death by stoning.
After the rest of the world (the good parts of it anyways) expressed their outrage at this barbaric practice, the head of Iran’s human rights body said Monday the sentence is now under review.
In other words, no promises, but they’re keeping the rocks handy.
As an aside, you’ve got to think being the head of Iran’s human rights commission is a pretty cushy gig.
Your “in” tray is pretty much empty and the only thing in your “out” tray is a handful of pointy stones.
There are countries that routinely use terror and violence against their own citizens, recruit child soldiers, and use rape and dismemberment as campaign tools during an election.
Opulent and “sophisticated” countries such as Saudi Arabia are still ranked as some of the most repressive in the world — especially if you are a woman, Christian, Jew, or have an interest in free speech or democracy.
Ignorance, violence and superstition are rife in the world.
In other words, there are a lot of crappy countries that are quite content in continuing their rich heritage of crappiness.
That’s why Canada is so special.
Canada represents something different in the world.
We took the best of the British traditions of respect, law, duty, hard work, fairness and parliamentary democracy and added just enough New World brashness from our American cousins, and created something unique.
We have benefitted from the arrival of people from many lands.
Chances are if you’re reading this, you’re one of them, just like me.
Call me a cultural imperialist, but I believe that when working properly, the values we hold in Canada are simply better. Cultures that abandon personal freedom, respect, mercy, justice, kindness, the rule of law, and tolerance (except for the intolerant) are simply not as good as those that embrace them.
People not only have better lives, but they have more peaceful, prosperous and fulfilling lives in tolerant, progressive and moderate climates, like Canada.
I have no problem in insisting that people coming to or living in Canada buy into these core beliefs. They work — certainly better than what is going on in 95% of the rest of the world. That’s what makes Canada such an attractive immigration destination — it’s different from what people left behind, not an opportunity to recreate the same problems here.
And you don’t get the benefits without the buy-in.
That may mean modifying beliefs that conflict with our core values.
This isn’t racist — skin colour or where you come from has nothing to do with it.
Jerks come in every colour of the rainbow.
This also doesn’t single out any religion, except those who abandon moderation in their dealing with others.
But aspiring to a life of respect, tolerance, dignity, justice and caring is open to all people.
And no apologies should be needed for insisting on it.
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Indeed. So why then does official government dogma continue to promote the Canadian-value-destroying lie of "multiculturalism"? Simply to buy votes.
John 8 (New International Version)
John 8
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11”No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
___________________________________________________________
A couple interesting things here. 1) What was the trap? Roman law left the death penalty in Roman hands; you needed permission to have capital punishment. 2) What was Christ writing? It is the only time that there is a mention of Christ writing in the Bible.
Re post 3. I have never seen a more perfect example of someone answering their own question.
1) I’m guessing that the Romans would have looked the other way at the stoning of a prostitute; 2) I’ve heard the theory that he was writing something about the men standing around and what they had done to violate the religious laws re sexual immorality.
It’s fun to speculate on the writing a little isn’t it? To me it is just such a powerful story. I enjoy the wordplay of the Pharisees always trying to catch Christ in argument and Christ reacting with personal power and absolute truth where a man would not be able to sort out the proper response quickly enough even if he understood the whole situation. It’s the reverse of those situations where you walk away and think “If only I had said . . .”
I think it’s interesting that the muzzies claim to respect Christ as a prophet but still are stoning adulterers.
And no apologies should be needed for insisting on it."
Then quit harassing Mark Steyn.
' Mad Mo' is a wackjob '?
Who is mad mo?
Scott Hahn has an absolutely brilliant analysis of the “trap” To do my best to paraphase professor Hahn he states that if Jesus says that they should stone her according to the law, the Pharisees catch him imposing a death sentence which can only be done by the Romans and thus Jesus is guilty of insurrection. On the other hand, if Jesus says she doesnt neeed to be stoned the Pharisees catch him going against the Old Testament law and thus could never be the Messiah. Jesus’s brilliant answer puts the Pharisees in an untenable position because they could never say that Jesus told them to stone her, because Jesus had such an incredibly low opinion of the Pharisees (calling them vipers, etc.) the Romans would not have accepted that he considered them “without sin.” So much more that I am missing would highly reccommend reading Hahn’s work as there are so many subtleties here that fly right over my head.
The term “tolerance” is very subjective. Do we throw facts out the window to get along? When one says he/she is intolerant of intolarance, who makes the determination? And isn’t that a moral code established by those who say you can’t put your morality on me? The writer’s whole suggestion is we can’t violate some law of intolerance, who is the judge??? Do we go by who has the highest IQ? Or what?
Aha! Hadn’t had my 3rd cup of coffee yet. : )
Those who advocate “tolerance” are disingenuous liars. What they really want is “approval” from society. I may tolerate homosexuality, for example, but it’ll never get my approval. There’s a huge difference between tolerance and approval.
The escapes from the “traps” and the “impossible situations” are very convicting for me — and a lot of fun. It’s so hard as a mere man in those “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” kind of situations to avoid lying or somehow doing something immoral or unethical to avoid the trap. I like the female response “I don’t know what to say.” Problem is if you are a talker by profession: sales, law, etc., you have an obligation to speak . . . and it gets tricky!
Jesus was writing the Ten Commandments on the ground.
Yeah, it’s really cool the way Canada hauls people into court for criticizing muslims or homosexuals.
You are awfully confident of that! Tell us more.
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