Defending Your Place of Worship from Tyrannical Government

Surely, you've heard the Watchman's shofar sounding for places of worship in Canada-churches, mosques, synagogues, etc. If you've missed the threat, you can read about it here.

The threat comes from the Federal Finance Committee (PDF), Report #21 (44-1), Recommendations #429 and #430.

"Recommendation 429 - No longer provide charitable status to anti-abortion organizations."

"Recommendation 430 - Amend the Income Tax Act to provide a definition of a charity which would remove the privileged status of 'advancement of religion' as a charitable purpose.

These two recommendations are designed to eliminate the visible church in Canada…any place of worship…with 100% of your church's assets being consumed by the Revocation Tax.

This threat is also a de facto test to the Canadian Church's resolve.

As Canadians became aware of this during the past election, and polls were reversing on the Conservative Party, Conservative MPs and their leader sought to distance themselves from the offending recommendations they had not previously considered objectionable and officially lay the blame on the Liberals and NDP. Cowards! Yes, they did submit a Dissenting Opinion on several issues, but not a word about these two Recommendations!

All this is substantiated in the Public Record.

A Budget is not even required for their implementation. A 'Ways and Means' Bill may very well include one or both of these recommendations. Certainly, the Minister of Finance may include them, as they previously passed Committee endorsed by ALL parties in the House. Should these Recommendations be passed, the Revocation Tax, if invoked, would effect a transfer of all accumulated financial resources away from the Canadian Church at large, in one year's time. We still have time to mobilize an objection, and to persuade MPs of every political stripe to take a stand against these measures. But very little.

We need to be in this battle now! We must be organized and ready to mobilize. We dare not surrender our churches any longer to the wiles of a hostile and grasping Liberal government, supported-in this case-by a Conservative Party devoid of moral principles and unworthy of its name.

There are two elements of an action plan that put the local church in motion:

The first: Have your local church leadership team invite your local Member of Parliament for a meeting at your church with this threat to your Charitable Status as the intended topic of discussion. It is important that this meeting is not with just one individual representing your church. A Board meeting representing the leadership of your Church will sensitize your MP to the gravity of these recommendations. Don't wait for other churches in your area to do this! Further, ask your church leadership to propose Sectional, Presbytery, or Classis action within your Denomination. Have your local Ministerial Association work together to inform local congregations. This simple activity could stop this threat in its tracks at no cost to your church and demonstrate to your MP that your church is engaged. We must put the 'House' on notice. All Parties must understand the level of threat they have endorsed and the consequences that should reasonably be expected.

The second element is legal coordination: Here I recommend that you visit Freedoms Advocate and keep up to date through their newsletters on this matter.

Freedoms Advocate is coordinating a national response to unite and take a firm, collective stand on this pressing government issue. Their goal is to bring together churches from all denominations and independent fellowships across the nation to present a cohesive, powerful and unified front.

Backed by their legal charity and network of experienced constitutional lawyers, their plan is to:

• Develop an Open Letter to be sent to the Federal Government and released to the media.
• Create an online signatory that will accompany the Open Letter to the government.
• Create a film/documentary in support of the Open Letter to be shown to congregations.

While there is no guarantee that these finance committee recommendations will ever be enacted, they represent yet another attempt to diminish and potentially eliminate religious freedom in Canada. We have an opportunity to stand up and come together to protect religious freedoms for everyone. This response also provides an opportunity for the collective church to share for whom we carry out the good deeds of the church and the impact the church has had in a nation that has drifted far from its roots.

We must act! Inaction will leave us in a state aptly described by President of Quebec Life Coalition, Georges Buscemi: "Pro-life charities know that at any moment a revenue-agency audit or minister's decree could cut off their livelihood simply because of their beliefs. This sword of Damocles causes self-censorship and uncertainty: some religious groups may temper their teachings or avoid pro-life activities just to avoid political retribution. In this way, the threat of removing charitable status is already achieving what open debate could not-silencing moral advocacy through financial coercion."

With sound minds, we remain vigilant, informed, and prepared to act. We identify our allies and strengthen their hand to act, while including them in our actions to protect the values we all hold dear.

Join with me in building and strengthening the only political party that continues to effectively advocate on issues of primary concern to our Nation: Life. Family. Freedom. Join CHP Canada today.