Message: 9
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 21:09:41 +1000
From: "David Skelly" < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >
Subject: FWD: Persecution of the clergy has begun in Canada (from
Kristine)


Friends,
This is a serious wake-up call. Let's do something NOW before it gets
worse. The following articles and letters have to do with Canada's
clergy being required to "conform" to the demands of homosexuals
(marriage) or else face persecution. This is already happening and could become
even worse if this particular bill gets passed into their legislation.
How would you like it if you were a pastor and were required to marry
homosexuals? I would not like it. In fact, I would hate it, and I
would be on the side of those who are forced from their positions, who have
their pay taken away, or worse.

"It is very possible that your church facility, workers, or even
yourself will be forced, in the near future, to participate in activities
that violate your conscience." (Quote taken from below.)

I know what it is like to lose a job because of my faith/beliefs.
(This has happened on at least one occasion where it was clear, beyond any
doubt, that I was fired solely for my religious beliefs.) I also know
what it is like to not want to do something (a job/duty/task at work)
because it went against my conscience. Thankfully, up until now, I have
still been able to refuse to do those things and still keep my job(s).
Imagine, however, should the day come (on a large scale) when you and I
lose our jobs, forfeit our pay, or worse, because our religious
freedoms have been taken away, and we are discriminated against in free
speech. All it takes is one law, my friends, for their actions to become
legal and ours ILLEGAL.

Please pray, and, if you are able, please follow the requests toward
the last third of this email.

God bless you,
Kristine




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Persecution of the clergy has begun in Canada
Patricia King, Stacey Campbell
Apr 8, 2005


April 7, 2005
Patricia King and Stacey Campbell: "We are weeping right now - the
persecution of the clergy has begun in Canada" by Patricia King Extreme
Prophetic www.extremeprophetic.com

From the Desk of Steve Shultz:

All who have been on the ELIJAH LIST a long time know that I attempt,
whenever possible, to concentrate on the positive side of the prophetic.
Truly, the PRIMARY purpose of New Testament-era prophecy is to
"encourage, edify, and comfort."

Nevertheless, at times, such as THIS TIME NOW IN CANADA, it's time to
SOUND THE ALARM as a nation -- the Nation of Canada is nearly ready to
turn its back on God without even realizing what they are doing.

Perhaps this is one of those times when our fasting and prayer is to
say, "Father, forgive Canada for they do not know what they are doing . .
. "

Scripture gives a warning for times like this . . . and for nations
like this:

Deuteronomy 32:28-31

"For they [in this one case, Canada] are a nation void of counsel, and
there is no understanding in them. Oh that they were wise, that they
understood this, that they would consider their latter end! How should
one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their
Rock had sold them, and Jehovah had delivered them up? For their rock
[The government of Canada] is not as our Rock, [nor is it the Believers'
ROCK in Canada] even our enemies themselves being judges."

Read this urgent letter from Patricia King:


From: Patricia King
Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2005

Dear Friends,

I have just received this update from Stacey Campbell. Could you please
join us in prayer?

My heart is so burdened. The timing is so critical for Canada.

I feel a desperation in my heart like in the days of Esther -- such an
urgency to make a change . . . everyone was called to fasting in prayer
in Esther's day and the overthrow came.

Please read the attachment and send prayer alerts out to your network.

Below is a communication from the Canada Family Action Coalition that
outlines some action that we can take.

Please don't forget to read the attachment also.

I realize that many of you live outside of Canada, but the same-sex
marriage agenda will influence all nations if this goes through. THANK YOU
FOR STANDING WITH US . . .

Thanks,

Patricia King


The persecution of the clergy has begun. Urgent Communication! The
Assault on Clergy Has Begun: Supreme Court Tells PM - Parliament can not
protect clergy

April 5th, 2005

Dear Pastor:

Religious freedom in Canada is seriously compromised and the assault on
Clergy has begun. Today Bishop Fred Henry of Alberta is in the process
of being prosecuted for expressing biblical teachings to his flock. If
the government will be so bold as to prosecute a Catholic Bishop, it
may certainly place you or myself on trial. We must act now to protect
religious freedom and preserve the definition of marriage.

In January, Bishop Fred Henry wrote a letter to his parishioners
stating, "Since homosexuality, adultery, prostitution, and pornography
undermine the foundations of the family, the basis of society, then the State
must use its coercive power to . . . curtail them in the interests of
the common good." Two individuals filed complaints and now the Alberta
Human Rights Commission is investigating the Bishop. The Bishop believes
this is an attempt to "shut the churches out of this important debate
on redefining marriage."

This threat of prosecution is taking place before the Government
redefines marriage and makes Bill C-38 law. All law schools teach the
biblical principle that "the law is a teacher." If Bill C-38 becomes law it
will teach our society to further disallow biblical teaching on morality.
In addition, the new law will produce a generation of children
inundated with teachings on same-sex relations. A plethora of same-sex marriage
text books such as "Mom and Mum are getting Married" are already
printed and being taught. It only goes to reason that prosecutions will
increase exponentially if Bill C-38 is passed.

The proposed law places Clergy and people of faith at great risk and
offers no real protection. Bill C-38 puts forward a guise of protection
for Clergy; however, the Supreme Court has already ruled that the
Federal Parliament cannot implement any protection. On December 9th, 2004,
the Supreme Court of Canada advised Prime Minister Martin that protecting
Clergy from being forced to marry same-sex couples is "ultra vires
parliament," beyond parliament's jurisdiction. The Prime Minister knows
that the proposed protection is not worth the paper it is written on.

In addition, the proposed legislation provides no protection for
religious facilities, church workers, congregation members, or any other
Canadians from being forced to participate in same-sex marriage ceremonies.
Several examples, such as the Knights of Columbus in B.C.; Printer Scot
Brockie in Toronto; Marriage Commissioners in B.C., Saskatchewan,
Manitoba and Newfoundland, and several others, prove the lack of religious
freedom for your congregation members. It is very possible that your
church facility, workers, or even yourself will be forced, in the near
future, to participate in activities that violate your conscience.

It is our obligation to take a stand against this assault on religious
freedom. Some believe it is hopeless; however, we know that "if God be
for us who can be against us"? The vote on Bill C-38 is very close and
your efforts could make the difference. I would like to ask you to do
three things:

1. Pray. The great preacher J. Sidlow Baxter once said, "Men may spurn
our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our
persons, but they are helpless against our prayers."

2. Teach. We must educate our parishioners to be good citizens and
participate in democracy. On average, just 50 committed workers help elect
Members of Parliament. Are there fifty righteous among us? If so, then
Canada will be healed. People also need to be taught biblical
principles to defend marriage -- we encourage you to do so.

3. Take Action. Canada needs to hear from her spiritual leaders. In
fact, one ethnic community leader recently asked Defend Marriage Coalition
representatives, "Where is the Caucasian Church on this issue?" It was
an interesting perspective coming from ethnic leaders -- the
expectation is that the Church should provide leadership.

The attached document has been produced by The Defend Marriage
Coalition and provides suggestions for specific and meaningful actions that the
spiritual leaders of Canada can take. As we know, "faith without works
is dead . . . " and, in this instance, our work is desperately needed
towards turning the moral tide in Canada.

I urge you to stand with CFAC and The Defend Marriage Coalition to
protect marriage for our children and generations to come. We have the
responsibility and are obligated to not allow the cornerstone of
civilization, the pillar of society, and the foundation of the Church to be
redefined. We have the opportunity, the power, and a responsibility to lead.

Dr. Charles McVety, President
Canada Family Action Coalition

Endorsed by: Wesley and Stacey Campbell, Be a Hero; Ron and Patricia
King, Extreme Prophetic; Steve and Derene Shultz, THE ELIJAH LIST

Please forward this for prayer to all you can . . . both INSIDE and
OUTSIDE of Canada . . . we simply must STAND with Believers in Canada for
morality and religious freedom.

Here is the CLERGY BRIEFING I received today . . .


Steve Shultz
THE ELIJAH LIST
www.elijahlist.com
BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS
www.BreakingChristianNews.com




CLERGY BRIEFING April 5th, 2005

Stand with Bishop Fredrick Henry for Religious Freedom, Marriage, and
Canada

The most recent salvo fired at the heart of religious freedom in Canada
came with last week's formal announcement that Roman Catholic Bishop,
Fredrick Henry of Calgary, Alberta, is being investigated on a Human
Rights complaint for speaking out in a congregational letter on the
subject of human sexuality and same-sex marriage. This development is
extremely grave in nature because it is directed at one of Canada's leading
clerics within Canada's largest religious organization.

If Bishop Fred Henry is not free to speak to his own congregation on
the subject -- biblical and Church teaching on same sex marriage -- then
who is? The answer is that no one is safe unless one is willing to
abdicate their right and responsibility to speak the truth, even if done in
love. More importantly, things are only going to get much worse unless
we, as Canada's faith leaders, determine now to take decisive and
collective action.

The notion that "same-sex legislation" won't directly impact Churches
and religious leaders is dangerously naive. The track-record of those
who seek to silence the Judeo-Christian ethic in public discussion is
clear -- consider the following:



The Record: Since "same-sex marriage" has been forced upon Canadians by
way of 1illegitimate, 2lower court rulings, we have seen the following
examples of attack against people of faith:

. Dozens of marriage commissionaires, both clergy and non-clergy, in
several Canadian Provinces have been fired for refusing to perform
same-sex marriage unions. (Religious leaders should seek to protect the
conscience rights of nonreligious Canadians as much as their own rights as
religious people, otherwise their efforts to protect our own freedoms
can be interpreted as self-serving.)

. Military and prison chaplains, who work under Federal jurisdiction,
have been directed to perform same-sex marriages or resign. This policy
has the effect of ghettoizing conservative religious leaders by forcing
them out of public service. Military and prison chaplaincies in Canada
would thus be dominated by left-leaning religious leaders (those who
support same-sex marriage).

. The Knights of Columbus in BC are being sued for refusing to allow
their facility to be used by a homosexual couple in celebration of their
same-sex marriage. Facilities owned by religious organizations are thus
not exempt from attack.

. A private citizen, 3Dr. Chris Kempling of British Columbia, has been
suspended from his job for three months, without pay, for writing a
letter to the editor opposing Bill C-38.

. A Catholic Bishop is now facing 4prosecution by a Human Rights
Tribunal (funded with Federal tax dollars) for expressing his Church's
position on the same-sex marriage issue


The Action Plan: We must take meaningful and decisive action -- for the
sake of our future.

. Publicly support the Bishop in his right to speak out, both privately
(within his congregation) and publicly, on the issue of marriage and
biblical morality surrounding sexuality.

- Issue a local "media release" or, even better, issue a "joint
statement" of the faith leaders within your community, or denomination, or
ministerial in support for Bishop Fred Henry.

- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in support of
Bishop Henry.

- Call on the government, both provincially and federally, to address
the real issue of religious persecution and intolerance in Canada.
Freedom of Conscience and Religion are not just words in the Charter -- they
are fundamental freedoms and the "higher law" to which all institutions
and laws in Canada must adhere.


. Join with us to defeat the anti-marriage Bill (C-38). A second
reading vote will likely take place on or shortly after April 19th. This Bill
must be defeated, preferably at second reading.

- Bill C-38 is an anti-marriage Bill; it is an attack against
5religion, against 6marriage, and against the social stability of Canada.

- 7Religious rights protections in Bill C-38 are meaningless and
dangerously misleading. Remember, this is the same federal government that is
forcing certain Cabinet ministers who believe in traditional marriage
to vote against their consciences or be fired. This government has also
issued a directive to force military chaplains to perform same-sex
marriages.


. Meet with your MP to inform her/him that the present anti-religious
climate in Canada has convinced you that religious freedoms are under
real threat and that you consider Bill C-38 a further attack against
freedom, faith, community and family -- Bill C-38 must be defeated (not
amended)

- Ask them firmly to vote against Bill C-38.

- Ask them to support legislation that will specifically define
marriage as between one man and one woman -- the use of the notwithstanding
clause is not necessary.

- If they agree with you, let them know how much you appreciate their
stand and also that you will let others know of their position.

- If they disagree with you, tell them that you are very disappointed
and will be informing others of their position.


. Be willing to take some public criticism. Realize that speaking for
marriage is not a matter of popularity but of leadership. No matter how
much compassion and wisdom you apply in speaking publicly on this
issue, you will get criticized.

At the same time, remember that 66% of Canadians support traditional
marriage. Most of those 66% don't go to church regularly -- they are
looking for leadership to represent them on this issue. I'm sure you'll
agree, the future of Canada, the kind of civilization we pass down to
future generations of our own children, makes our small sacrifice today
worthwhile.



The Good News: Now is not the time to pull back or back down -- we can
win.

. At present, 95 Conservative MPs, as many as 38 Liberal MPs, 8 Block
MPs, 2 independent MPs, and 1 NDP MP has indicated publicly that they
will vote against Bill C-38. There are about 30 MPs who are genuinely
undecided or have not indicated how they will vote.

. We only need to persuade about 10 more MPs to vote against Bill C-38
in order to kill the Bill. We need to apply every persuasive pressure
possible on Paul Martin and his Liberal government to withdraw this
egregious Bill.



Stay Informed: Stay up to date on this issue. For the next few weeks,
make www.defendmarraige.ca your home page.

. Sign up for updates.

. Take advantage of the information and opportunities for involvement
offered.

. Find out where particular MP(s) stand on the marriage issue and how
they plan to vote.

. Continue to pray.



1 The Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not make reference to 'same
sex marriage' or even 'sexual orientation' and yet these rights are
being recognized at the expense of "freedom of religion and conscience,"
freedoms that are specifically included in the Charter. These judges
purposefully ignore freedoms specifically spelled out in the Charter in
favor of rights that are not in the constitution. It is also of great
importance to remember that most of these judges that have been appointed
by liberal minded Prime Ministers for their political leanings and/or
ideological positions on the issues that they are now 'ruling' on. Thus
the integrity of the courts and the potential good of the Charter itself
is are being undermined by the abuse of the powers given the Prime
Minster, in appointing judges.

2 The Supreme Court of Canada has never ruled to require same sex
marriage as some suggest. The Court did, however, hand responsibility back
to Parliament to decide the matter -- which is why there is a
Parliamentary vote now taking place on the issue of marriage.

3 In a decision handed down on April 4th, 2005, Quesnel School District
Superintendent Ed. Napier suspended school counselor Dr. Chris Kempling
for three months without pay for a letter to the editor printed in the
local news paper. The letter is posted for reference on
www.defendmarriage.ca .

4 See www.defendmarriage.ca or www.lifesitenews.ca for details of
Bishop Henry's statements.

5 Every major world religion agrees on the definition of marriage being
between one man and one woman.

6 Only two nations in the world have legislated same sex marriage, and
the consequence in both instances is a dramatic drop in the numbers of
people bothering to get married (see www.defendmarriage.ca ).

7 It is important to note that the reference to protect religious
freedoms within Bill C-38 an attempt to mislead ordinary Canadians.
According to a directive from the Supreme Court of Canada, the federal
government has no legal authority to provide any religion rights protection for
persons authorized to solemnize marriages. It is a matter of Provincial
jurisdiction and several Provinces have already forced people to
solemnize same sex unions or be fired from their position as commissionaires
and chaplains.

by Patricia King
Extreme Prophetic
www.extremeprophetic.com