Does the government truly have the best interest of ALL people in mind? That seems to be an underlying conviction since 2020 with the emergence of the virus. Many honestly believe that the government and health officials genuinely care about protecting our valuable lives. But announcements made by our national leader seem to demonstrate that the federal government doesn't have the best interest of ALL people in mind.
Trudeau's government wants New Brunswick to fund abortions at Clinic 554, a private clinic located in Fredricton. The province currently funds three clinics; however, Trudeau is penalizing the province financially until they give in to his demands. On July 27, he told reporters that his government withheld "millions of dollars in health transfers" in this year's federal budget because of their incompliance. The press secretary quickly corrected these words and informed the reporters that the federal government had only withheld $140,216 from New Brunswick. Though there is a huge discrepancy between these two numbers, it doesn't change what Trudeau's government is trying to accomplish. The prime minister has said they are working "extremely hard to ensure that everyone across the country has access to the full range of reproductive services." Which is code for full access to abortions all across Canada. In my last post, I mentioned that we need to stand up and speak up for the vulnerable. Well, the most vulnerable group in our nation are those who are in the womb. On average, each year throughout our country, nearly 95,000 babies are aborted. The loss of one baby's life is devastating. But when we see big numbers, we have a hard time grasping just how many it is. So for a moment, let's compare some Canadian stats. In WW1, a war that lasted four years, roughly 66,000 uniformed men died. That's less than the total of babies that die each year in Canada through abortions. In WW2, another war that lasted four years, 45,000 soldiers died. Again, that's less than the total of abortions in one year. There's a war raging in our own country, and it's a war on the lives of those in the womb. Yet, this is a war that Trudeau's government is continuing to support and even pressure provinces into complying with. So does the government have the best interest of all people in mind? The answer should be obvious. They are willing to support taking a baby's life in the womb and penalize provinces that don't entirely agree with this stance. If they think so little about the pre-born, why do we believe they value those who have been born? Is it because we think that we have merit and worth which we can contribute to society? As a Christian, I believe that every person's life has value because God has created us in His image (Gen. 1:27). To take the life of a person immorally and unlawfully is a sin (Ex. 20:13). Yet, our governing authorities have no qualms about pressuring provinces to give full access to women who want to get rid of their babies. How can the governing authorities care so much about protecting people from a virus with a 99% recovery rate and yet support abortions? These two actions are juxtaposed to one another. Are they for protecting life or taking life? I think the answer is that there is something else behind their actions - a platform. Trudeau has been pushing a feminist agenda from the beginning of his time in office. He has been open about this and even boasts about the advancement in feminism with different agreements he makes with provincial leaders. There's a lot to unpack with the topic of feminism. I'll list some sources on my resource page that you can look at. The movement has changed and morphed over the years. Essentially it is a political movement that advocates the rights of women. Two rights that are championed in this movement are the right to equality and choice. And these are linked together when it comes to abortion. Feminists argue that women should be treated like men, and since men can choose to do whatever they want to with their bodies, women should also. But is this true? Can men do whatever they want with their own bodies? Can they impose themselves physically or sexually upon someone else without penalization? Yet, the feminist movement advocates for women to have the freedom to impose themselves over another person's life. You see, the baby in the womb is a separate person with their own God-given rights. By choosing to have an abortion, the baby's right to life is violated as the baby is murdered. So how can Trudeau's government on the one hand say they are protecting the lives of vulnerable people from a virus while on the other hand support the taking of the lives of vulnerable people by pressuring provinces to give full access to women to have abortions? Simply put, he is not governed by what is best for the people but what is best for his platform and party. After all, he's a politician. The picture below is taken from honestyouthpastor's instagram page.
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Registration forms, border guards, mandatory masks, forced isolations, social distancing, restrictions on group sizes, and passports - these are all things implemented by our government, all in the name of protecting our health. Everyone must comply with the rules, or they are penalized with fines. The government relies on ads, commercials, hefty fines, and snitches to enforce the regulations they have come up with.
As C.S. Lewis would say, this is the worst form of tyranny. In his book, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology (Making of Modern Theology), which is a collection of essays written between 1940-1963, he writes, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. This very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be “cured” against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals.” It is time to wake up to what is happening around us. The overbearing restrictions and regulations imposed upon the citizens of this country have caused more harm than good. Tristin Hooper has written a great article regarding the negative impact of the lockdowns in Canada. You can read the article here. Some provinces are now opening up. Alberta led the way, and others are following in their steps. As things open up, we need to continue to step up and speak up. We need to hold the government accountable to the law of the land (ie. the charter of rights and freedoms) and accountable to God’s Law. Remember, the government is God’s servant (Rom. 13:1-4) and must carry out God’s will, not their own. We also need to stand for justice and protect the vulnerable. Listen to what the Bible has to say: James 1:27 - “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” Psalm 82:3-4 - “Give justice to the weak and fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Isaiah 1:17 - “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless; plead the widow’s cause.” Proverbs 31:8-9 - “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Many believe that getting the jab is protecting the vulnerable. Medically speaking, the jab only protects you from having significant symptoms if you get the virus. You can still carry it and pass it to others even when double-jabbed. That’s why the government, following CDC’s instruction, is telling people to mask up again in the US with the rise of the delta variant. To protect the vulnerable is to speak up for them, to fight for their God-given rights. Among which is the right to assemble, to work and to worship. It means to stand with them and give support in whatever ways we can. That may mean supporting their business instead of Amazon so that they can put food on the table. It may also mean gathering with them or inviting them into your house to provide community and moral support. It means sacrifice on our end, making sure that people are being cared for. With different provinces opening up, some people believe that we are at the end of this health crisis, and they are excited that we get to emerge. However, some, like myself, are skeptical that this is the end and are bracing ourselves for another round of lockdowns. This skepticism isn’t unfounded. The US had been enjoying a long stretch of freedom in different states. They had done away with their masks. Yesterday, that changed. The mask order was reversed, and now they are being told to wear them again - even the vaccinated. To reverse an order is an easy thing to do when the government believes that they have the power to enforce what happens in our homes and church and think that they are doing what is morally right and good. Brace yourself. This is not the end. Facebook and Instagram are interesting social media platforms. You get to see a lot about what people value as you scroll through the news feed. Many times what people admire the most is themselves and what they have contributed to society.
I scroll daily through these platforms—way more than I should. I have a family that needs my attention, but my attention is often placed in social media land. It’s a struggle that many of us know and need to overcome. Yet, there are things that pop out that help me engage with current events. As I scroll through these platforms, I have seen countless times people bringing attention to themselves regarding their medical status. Many update their profile picture telling everyone they’ve been jabbed twice. I seem to see a couple each week. And each time, it leaves me with questions. So many questions! For those who are guilty of doing this, I have a few questions for you:
I’m sure that these are questions that go through your mind before you post them. You simply wouldn’t go along with the crowd, right? I’d love to hear your feedback on why you have chosen to let the world know your medical status. From my vantage point, these acts appear to fall into what would be called virtue signaling. The term is relatively new and has only been around since the early 2000s. It is “the sharing of one’s point of view on a social or political issue, often on social media, in order to garner praise or acknowledgement of one’s righteousness from others who share that point of view, or to passively rebuke those who do not”. Does the Bible have anything to say about virtue signaling? The incredible thing about God’s Word is that it does indeed deal with all moral issues of life. As you read it, you find that the consistent theme of scripture is that our good deeds are to be done discreetly and never with the intention of drawing attention to ourselves. Here are two clear verses that teach this: Proverbs 27:2 – “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips” Matthew 6:1 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” So what should we do as Christians? We must check our motives before we post anything on social media. No matter how loving we think an action is, we move from love to virtue signaling when we do it with the motive to be acknowledged or congratulated for our conduct. So avoid posting such content. Let others praise you for what you have done, not your own mouth (or keyboard!). Sometimes standing up for what you know to be true comes with sacrifice. That's my story over the past couple of months as I stood on the conviction that church is essential and that the biblical pattern shown to us is in-person gatherings. Faithfulness to God must come first, despite how difficult the governing authorities attempt to make it.
As you may have noticed, I've been silent for a while on my blog. That's not because there aren't current events that need to be tackled from a Christian worldview; instead, it's because there have been some big life changes that have distracted me from engaging. One of those big changes is that I have stepped down from formal pastoral ministry for a season and moved across the country! When I began to take a stand in regards to opening the church and speaking into our nation's current events, I knew that there was a risk involved. It should come as no surprise that there is always a risk when it comes to being faithful. It's what Jesus promised. The only question is whether we will trust and obey Jesus regardless of the cost. Having resigned and packed up all our belongings, we made our way out east. Part of the reason for this decision is to be close to family and like-minded people. If you can see what is happening in the country with the addition of segregated lines in the Vancouver and Toronto Airports (which have now been reversed), as well as Trudeau's announcement regarding the government's deal with Pfizer to purchase booster shots, it's clear that things are not going back to normal. We are now living in a different Canada, one I don't recognize anymore. This is the time for people to be united, and thus we have made our way across the country. Moving across the country reveals how divided and chaotic Canada has become because of the governing authorities' response to the virus. When it comes to driving from one province to another, there are no issues…until you hit the Atlantic Bubble. In New Brunswick, you need to stop at the border for them to check your registration number. It felt like we were entering a closed country. If you don't have the jab, you aren't welcomed to stay in the province for the day. Instead, you must either quarantine depending on your vaccine status upon arrival or drive-thru to your designation and then isolate for the number of days requested by the authorities. Everyone without the jab is treated as if they have the plague automatically since they have crossed the invisible border. As we travelled to our new home, we experienced different types of people. There were the aggressive sanitizers. They were the ones who would stand in your way and force you to sanitize your hands before moving further into the store. Have they read how different sanitizers have been recalled for health reasons? There were also the cautious avoiders. They were the ones that would walk around people more than six feet apart wearing a mask for extra caution. There was also a hotel manager that made a dome around his office for additional protection. Some people sure are worried about this overblown crisis. Just do the math and you will discover that something a'int adding up. Along our journey, there were some wonderful highlights. One hotel in Winnipeg gave our daughter a free teddy bear and offered us free slushies. One hotel manager in Red Rock, Ontario, helped us by giving us a room after spending 14 hours on the road and being unsuccessful in finding a hotel for the night in numerous places. It was a cozy old fashioned hotel with charm and history. In Nipigon, we did some sightseeing, and in White River, we posed in front of Winnie the pooh statue with Thea. In Rivere-du-loop, Quebec, we saw a beautiful sunset out our hotel window overlooking the Saint Lawerence. Now that I've arrived in Nova Scotia, life for my family is going to look different. I won't be pastoring or preaching for a season, but I will be continuing with my blog. I will be engaging with the current events in this province and tackling them from a Christian worldview. I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to send me any news articles that you think we need to look at and understand from a Christian perspective. |
AuthorHello! I'm glad you found my blog. My name is David Hanson, and I am a concerned Christian who desires for the church of North America to become aware and begin to think biblically of what is happening around them in society. It's time for the church to awake and speak into the current events of the day. We alone have the truth to navigate life effectively. That truth is the Word of God. Archives
May 2022
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