U.S. war against Iran puts some in awkward position due to Iranian government's persecution of Christians, Jews and, especially, Baha'is

The war between the U.S. and Iran has put some of us in an uncomfortable position. 

On the one hand, we can feel like cheering on the Iranians as we watch them stand up to the American bully. It’s like the enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the old saying goes. 

On the other hand, Iran doesn’t feel like much of a friend because of its terrible human rights record — including its treatment of religious minorities in that country such as Christians, Jews and Baha’is. 

Those abuses only seem to be increasing due to the war. The United Nations has condemned the Iranian government for how it is treating religious minorities during this time, saying it is using the war as “a smokescreen to deepen their machinery of repression and carry out crimes under international law with impunity.” 

Christians and Jews are among those targeted by the theocratic Shia Muslim regime. But it is members of the Baha’i faith who are getting the worst of it, and for the longest period of time. 

Read my latest column in the Free Press.

What are Canadian faith groups saying about Canada's increased military spending?

In response to growing threats around the world, Canada is increasing its military spending. In March, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the country had met its NATO benchmark of spending two per cent of GDP on defence, with plans to spend five per cent by 2035. 

Is this the right direction? Is the money being spent in the best way possible? And what about other forms of international engagement such as aid, diplomacy and peacemaking? 

Those were some of the questions raised by 14 faith groups in the United Kingdom in July in response to that country’s decision to also increase military spending over the next decade. 

In a joint letter with other organizations, the groups stated there is “a clear public appetite for broader discussion on how to build a more secure, resilient and peaceful world … beyond military force.” 

The UK letter got me thinking about whether Canadian faith groups are asking for a similar discussion in this country. At least three of them are. 

Read more in my column in the Free Press.

Photo above: Spencer Colby, The Canadian Press.

Vanishing Gods: A conversation with Reginald Bibby about the changing Canadian religious landscape

 

Over his 50 years of writing and researching about religion in Canada, Reg Bibby has written books with the titles Fragmented Gods (1987), Unknown Gods (1993), Restless Gods (2002), Beyond the Gods (2011), and Resilient Gods (2017). 

If Bibby was to write another book about religion in Canada today, the retired University of Lethbridge professor said he might title it: Vanishing Gods. 

“Religion in Canada has known something of a golden era,” he said. “But that era has been over since the final decades of the 20th century.” 

Bibby chronicles these changes to the religious landscape in a chapter in his new book, The Canadian Transformation: Social Trends 1975-2025. (Project Canada Books). 

Read my conversation with Reg about his book in the Free Press.

Anglican, Presbyterian and United churches gift $1.5 million to National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

 

The Anglican Church of Canada, the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the United Church of Canada have collectively donated $1.5 million to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) in Winnipeg. 

The donation, which was announced at a June 18 gifting ceremony in Winnipeg, will be used to assist in the creation of a new permanent home for the centre at the Fort Garry campus of the University of Manitoba. 

Each of the three denominations contributed $500,000, which will be put toward the $100-million cost of the new centre. 

Read my story about the gift, including the response from the NCTR, in Canadian Affairs.