This Week in Religion 2018-02-12
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Canadian Atheist
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/02/12
“The head of the regional Catholic Church is taking issue with a condition in the Canada Summer Jobs Grant (CSJG) program that requires applications to attest support for reproductive rights, which includes the right to access safe and legal abortion.
As a result, Bishop Ronald Fabbro says the diocese won’t apply for the grant money and he’s urging other religious groups to do the same. The boycott also applies to Catholic parishes that run summer camps and other programs that employ students.
“I believe that we need to take a stand against the position of the government of Canada and say that we will not be bullied into even the appearance of collusion on this issue. While others may take an alternative path, we can make a powerful statement by saying ‘no’ to the conditions as set down by the government,” Fabbro wrote Tuesday, in an open letter to 118 parishes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of London.”
Source: https://globalnews.ca/news/4010765/london-bishop-urges-boycott-of-canada-summer-jobs-program/.
“The Diocese of London said it will “not be bullied” even into appearing to accept the federal government’s so-called “values clause” in applications for the Canada Summer Jobs program.
In a statement Bishop Ronald Peter Fabbro said the Diocese of London needs to “take a stand” on the controversial issue.
“We will not be bullied into even the appearance of collusion on this issue,” wrote Fabbro. “We can make a powerful statement by saying ‘No’ to the conditions as set down by the government.””
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/london-diocese-federal-summer-jobs-program-1.4522693.
“The tears started almost as Jolly Bimbachi stepped off the airport escalator and into the waiting embrace of her 18-year-old daughter.
“You smell like Syria,” said Rayenne Annous with a laugh, burying her face into her mother’s chest. “So relieved.”
After months apart, Bimbachi, 41, is back with one of her children following an unsuccessful attempt to bring her other two back to Canada.
The Chatham, Ont., woman says she travelled to Lebanon on Nov. 18 to find Omar Ahmad, 8, and Abdal-Geniy Ahmad, 7, after her ex-husband, Ali Ahmad, failed to return the children to Canada following a 2015 visit.”
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bimbachi-moore-returns-home-1.4525957.
“A sea change in the religious landscape of Canada is underway. Led by millennials, Canada is increasingly moving towards a secular culture. “Spiritual but not religious” has become our new normal.
A 2015 Angus Reid poll found 39 per cent of Canadians identify as “spiritual but not religious.” Another 27 per cent identify as “neither religious nor spiritual;” 24 per cent as “religious and spiritual;” and 10 per cent as “religious but not spiritual.”
What sparked this dramatic change in beliefs and self-identification? And what does it mean for the future of Canadian society?”
Source: http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/millennials-abandon-hope-for-religion-but-revere-human-rights.
“Each week Dr. Yusra Ahmad, a psychiatrist and clinical lecturer at University of Toronto, meets six to eight women with a range of mental health disorders at a mosque in the city’s west end. She leads them through a program that combines mindful meditation with concrete skills to manage negative thoughts and regulate emotions.
However, this is not your typical mindfulness therapy. Each session began with prayers from the Qur’an and incorporates teachings from Islamic scholars.
She also uses imagery familiar to the women. For example, when leading a session on mindful eating, instead of using the example of a raisin, as she does with other audiences, she focuses on a date. The reason: Dates have an important role in Muslim traditions, enabling the women to relate to meditation techniques on a more personal level.”
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