A note from Kevin: This was sent to me by Ethel Thayer, who is helping to take on the churches for their crimes and unaccountability. Please circulate it, especially to media and politicians.

 

       Canadians for the Separation

                 of Church and State

 

 

Only 15% of Canadians are active, church-going Christians, according to a 2001 survey. And yet Christianity is still established as the "official" religion of Canada, and as such enjoys a protected status as an effective state religion; as a result, Canadians of all other beliefs are forced to financially support Christian churches to the tune of $15 billion each year, through the charitable, tax free status of these bodies. This is a travesty of justice, and democracy.

This favoured, privileged status of Christian churches is further evident in how effectively the churches are above the law of the land, and are legally unaccountable for their actions, as has been demonstrated in recent years by the refusal of Canadian courts to prosecute the Catholic, Anglican and United Church of Canada for their murder of more than 50,000 children in their "Indian Residential Schools". As the last remaining vestige of feudalism in our country, the Christian churches have evaded any liability for the criminal acts of their officers and employees, and as such constitute a real and ongoing danger to the people of our land.

The Christian churches are also actively defrauding the people and government of Canada, by violating the terms of their charitable tax-free status: the churches do not commit all of their revenue to charitable purposes, as they are required to under the federal Income Tax Act, and actually provide fewer and fewer services and charity to the needy each year.

 

 

A recent survey (2004) showed that less than 1% of Catholic churches, and barely 5% of Protestant churches in Canada, operate regular charitable services to the poor, whereas these same churches spend tens of millions of dollars annually on corporate investments, legal and public relations expenses, and other non-charitable activities.  In short, the churches operate like any other corporation, yet with all the privileges of a public charity: greed under the guise of religion.

The government of Canada is enabling this corruption and criminal fraud by protecting and financially subsidizing the churches, to the detriment of the rule of law and democracy, and all its citizens. This injustice must end.

It is time historically for Canada to shed its colonial legacy and establish a truly secular and humane society, where no religion can enjoy special, protected status, and thereby hold undue power and influence, and evade responsibility for its acts. Religious belief should be an entirely personal matter, not legislated or protected by the law; and government must be above all parochial influences and not affiliated with any church or religion.

 It is in this spirit and for the aim of a true and final separation of church and state in Canada that we offer the following seven point program to the people of Canada and their government.

1. Tax the Churches.(a)