By Rick Hiebert. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission
Nicole Eaton, the Conservative senator, is annoyed at the United Church’s politicking,
On As It Happens a few weeks ago, she said that the church’s social gospel stance was basically politics in disguise, which she saw as “pretty strange”.
A Montreal Gazette columnist took her to task a few days ago. And the moderator of the United Church has offered a reply in the National Post.
I would say that whatever your political leanings, churches wind up becoming political to some extent, either directly or indirectly. Indirectly, by deciding not to be open to doing something when something politically “immoral”–in their view–is staring them i the face.
Does Nicole Eaton mean what she says? If so, one would expect her to also start talking about Faytene Grasseschi and My Canada, say. After all, Faytene has worked to persuade MPs to pass legislation–Roxanne’s Law comes to mind. [Sorry, the example came to mind. 
]
If church work helpful to your side is okay, then contrary work by the “other side” should be okay to try as well, even if you don’t agree with it.
But then it’s not “pretty strange” that Eaton would have a blind spot. And you know what happens when the blind leads the blind.
Like many others, including people in her own Party, the Senator probably believes that the church should stay out of politics ONLY when their comments and opinions are at variance with those of the Conservative Party of Canada.
No doubt she thinks them ‘wonderful’ and ‘wise’ when the serve to support current Government policy or serve to detract from any opposition viewpoints.
Does anyone really think that Canadian federal politicians are anything but self serving????
The UCC gets much more press than Faytene does. I hit Google News for her and got one reference. Meanwhile UCC proposals to divest from Israel were front and center when I Google News’ed them with over 100 references.
Senator, why not have the courage to say, shut down the churches that disagree with you?
I guess the shoe is on the other foot now.