Persecution in Alberta

[NorrinRadd]

Let's not do that on this thread, ok? Please?

Absolutely it's ok. I stand by what I said and was not willing to let his statements go unchallenged, but would have requested that any pursuant discussion be handled in another thread.

[mossrose]

Absolutely it's ok. I stand by what I said and was not willing to let his statements go unchallenged, but would have requested that any pursuant discussion be handled in another thread.

Thanks.

[The Melody Maker]

Another short interview with James Coates to explain some of the confusion out there...

[The Melody Maker]

The Justice Centre posted this nearly a week ago, but I'm only just now seeing it. They've given a legal warning to the provincial government...

Kenney challenged on unscientific and arbitrary violations of Charter freedoms

CALGARY: The Justice Centre has issued a legal warning letter to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney over his government’s arbitrary and unscientific treatment of houses of worship compared to restaurants and bars.

“There is a glaring difference between treatment of restaurants and bars, and treatment of houses of worship, when it comes to the permissible numbers of people, social distancing, the service of food, the requirement to record the names of Albertans who enter the building, the spacing of cars, and other important issues,” states lawyer and Justice Centre president John Carpay.

Source: https://www.jccf.ca/kenney-challenge...rter-freedoms/

By way of personal opinion, I really wish they'd stop referring to physical distancing as "social distancing." Social distancing when taken to a literal extreme means to shun or ignore, and I know that's not what they mean. Perhaps I should do just that with those who demand it.

[mossrose]

The Justice Centre posted this nearly a week ago, but I'm only just now seeing it. They've given a legal warning to the provincial government...

Good on them!

Is Kenney afraid the cars are going to get covid by being parked too close together?


Yes. I know. People get into their cars and might be right next to somebody else getting into their cars. Of course, that doesn't count at Walmart or Costco.



The whole thing stinks to high heaven.

[mossrose]

From the letter:

When Alberta’s restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars re-open, they cannot exceed 50% capacity, but there is no limit to the number of customers allowed in at one time. So, a large restaurant that seats 300 people can still serve 150 customers at a time.

In contrast, houses of worship must reduce attendance to 50 people or one third (not 50% like restaurants) of normal worship service attendance, whichever is smaller. This means that a large temple that seats 1,000 or 2,000 people must still limit its attendance to only 50 people.

“Why are churches and mosques limited to 50 people when large restaurants can host 100 or 200 people?” asks Carpay.

Under Alberta’s relaunch regulations, diners at restaurants can sit together at the same table, even if they are not from the same household. In stark contrast, worshipers from differing households are required to maintain six-foot social distancing “at all times,” unless they live in the same household.

“Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, has been saying for more than nine weeks that six-feet social distancing is as a life-saving necessity. Why is it suddenly fine for six restaurant patrons from six different families to sit side-by-side, one or two feet apart? Where is the science to support a completely different standard for churches?” continues Carpay.

Houses of worship are told they cannot provide “cooked food, open food, or beverages.” This attacks the central and long-standing Sikh tradition and practice of feeding all people, Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike, who come to the temple.

“Why is it not good enough for a Sikh temple—and other houses of worship—to adhere to the same standards that are imposed on restaurants?” asks Carpay.

Restaurants will see dozens or hundreds of unrelated strangers come and go every day, seven days a week. In contrast, most houses of worship have gatherings once per week, but are largely empty the other six days.

The Alberta government will also continue to ban communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper: “Services must not include sharing food or beverages. Services must not include any contact between congregants such as hand shaking or the sharing of communal items (e.g. communion chalice).” Restaurants serve food on plates that have been touched by at least several people and then carried through the restaurant past other patrons before being placed in front of the customer. In contrast, in Catholic churches the priest is the only person who touches the communion bread prior to its distribution directly to the communicant.

“Why is Jason Kenney preventing Catholics from receiving communion, which is the focal point of their faith, when restaurants can serve food to customers from different households who are seated together at the same table?” questions Carpay.

The Alberta Government demands that if houses of worship host “drive-in” services, “[v]ehicles should be separated by a minimum of two metres.” No such requirement is imposed at Tim Hortons drive-throughs, where staff serve hundreds of customers every day, handing food and beverages to cars that are very close to the serving windows.

“Social distancing is a crucial life-saving measure, or it is not. Why single out houses of worship with this requirement?” points out Carpay.

The Alberta Government now directs houses of worship to “keep a listing of congregants who were present for services” and “maintain an up-to-date contact list for all staff and volunteers, including names, addresses and phone numbers.”

“Stores, restaurants, pubs, cafes, and bars do not have to inform the Alberta government about who their patrons are, let alone ask patrons for their addresses and phone numbers. Why should houses of worship be any different?” asks Carpay.

“Only in a police state is the government interested in tracking and recording the activities and movements of citizens,” the lawyer notes.

Restaurants in Calgary and Brooks can also open today, but churches have to wait another 2 weeks or so before they can hold services with more than 15 people.

[The Melody Maker]

Kenney misrepresents the Constitution & Bible in the same speech

During a live-streamed question-and-answer session on May 19, Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney spent nearly ten minutes vilifying Christian pastors who disobey his orders. He claimed that the pastors were spreaders of disease, and were jeopardizing their neighbour’s health. Without citing any specific scripture, Mr. Kenney claimed that assembling for worship contrary to his lockdowns is a “reckless disregard” of a “biblical mandate.”

Pastors James Coates, Art Pawlowski and Tim Stephens have all spent time in jail.

In his diatribe against these and other pastors, Mr. Kenney invoked the rule of law as the principle by which all citizens are governed. The premier explained the rule of law this way: laws apply to everyone and the health orders are laws, so everyone must obey health orders.

Unfortunately, the premier’s description of the rule of law is incomplete and misleading.

In a constitutional monarchy such as Canada, the rule of law rests first and foremost on the premise that there is an ultimate law which governs society and which protects citizens by constraining government power: the Constitution. Laws that are inconsistent with the Constitution are of no force or effect. The rule of law requires politicians and governments to obey the Constitution.

Source: https://www.jccf.ca/kenney-misrepres...e-same-speech/


How dare he.

[rogue06]

How dare he.

We haven't heard from Greta in awhile now.

[mikewhitney]

Wow. this sounds like the Revelation 20:7-10 build up. We especially see this via the accusations that churches are superspreaders of this evasive virus. The deception level has risen to heights unknown. However, the extent of negative view of Christianity has not risen to extent that might be expected for Revelation 20. So, I can't really say we are there ... but we have a taste of how there will look.

This situation would not be a run-for-the-hills notification. The passage does not describe any action by Christians. Mainly, Revelations shows that at some point God brings judgment and removal of the bad actors. So, Christians then would be aware of what God has done.

[The Melody Maker]

Some good news for a change.

AHS drops contempt of court proceedings against Pastor Tim Stephens

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is pleased to announce that the Alberta Health Services (AHS) Contempt of Court Application against Calgary pastor Tim Stephens, of Calgary’s Fairview Baptist Church, has been abandoned by AHS and will not be going to a hearing.

Lawyers for the Justice Centre, Leighton B.U. Grey Q.C. and James S. M. Kitchen, brought an Application to Strike the Contempt Application after discovering that AHS never served Pastor Stephens with the court order he was accused of having violated, a requirement under the order. Faced with this undeniable evidence, AHS has conceded that continued prosecution and attempts to have Pastor Stephens found in contempt of court are hopeless. This drops the case against Pastor Stephens completely.

Source: https://www.jccf.ca/ahs-drops-contem...-tim-stephens/

[NorrinRadd]

Some good news for a change.



Source: https://www.jccf.ca/ahs-drops-contem...-tim-stephens/

Good news indeed, but basically a technicality.

[NorrinRadd]

Meanwhile, persecution of Mennonites continues.

A Christian congregation in Ontario, Canada, has been charged with violating lockdown rules by holding several outdoor services with more than 10 people after police locked them out of their church building.

...

No cases of COVID-19 have been traced to the house of worship.

...

“It is important that people retain the right to choose for themselves whether a situation presents a danger to their health,” [Pastor] Hildebrandt told The Christian Post. “We offer drive-in, online, in-person services to accommodate all those seeking for spiritual fellowship.”

Hildebrandt said he and his church “acknowledge Christ as our king and do not recognize the authority of the state as it pertains to the services and functions of the church as prescribed by the Word of God.”

“When the state commands what God forbids or forbids what God commands, we will obey God rather than men,” Hildebrandt continued. “The supremacy of God is written into our Constitution, and we acknowledge that his sovereignty supersedes that of earthly government.”

...

[Aylmer Police Chief Hovart] said he has no sympathy for those at the Church of God who say the strict provincial lockdowns are an attack on their religious liberty.

“I absolutely do not [have sympathy],” said Hovart. “There are certain things that governments take a position on for the betterment of the community and the safety of the community and, in actual fact, they are not prohibited from having service, so it’s not a total shutdown of religious services. These are restrictions in terms of the number of people (for in-person service) based on expert opinion during this pandemic. They are allowed to do a drive-in service where they can worship and pray … so I’m not sympathetic at all toward their cause. It’s more defiance than anything else.”

[mossrose]

Meanwhile, persecution of Mennonites continues.

A Christian congregation in Ontario, Canada, has been charged with violating lockdown rules by holding several outdoor services with more than 10 people after police locked them out of their church building.

...

No cases of COVID-19 have been traced to the house of worship.

...

“It is important that people retain the right to choose for themselves whether a situation presents a danger to their health,” [Pastor] Hildebrandt told The Christian Post. “We offer drive-in, online, in-person services to accommodate all those seeking for spiritual fellowship.”

Hildebrandt said he and his church “acknowledge Christ as our king and do not recognize the authority of the state as it pertains to the services and functions of the church as prescribed by the Word of God.”

“When the state commands what God forbids or forbids what God commands, we will obey God rather than men,” Hildebrandt continued. “The supremacy of God is written into our Constitution, and we acknowledge that his sovereignty supersedes that of earthly government.”

...

[Aylmer Police Chief Hovart] said he has no sympathy for those at the Church of God who say the strict provincial lockdowns are an attack on their religious liberty.

“I absolutely do not [have sympathy],” said Hovart. “There are certain things that governments take a position on for the betterment of the community and the safety of the community and, in actual fact, they are not prohibited from having service, so it’s not a total shutdown of religious services. These are restrictions in terms of the number of people (for in-person service) based on expert opinion during this pandemic. They are allowed to do a drive-in service where they can worship and pray … so I’m not sympathetic at all toward their cause. It’s more defiance than anything else.”

If I recall, that was one of the first churches in the country facing this persecution.

[rogue06]

I don't think this has been posted. A piece in Newsweek from earlier this month about Artur Pawlowski, who Wikipedia calls a "street preacher," and his appearance on Laura Ingraham's show.

Source: Canadian Pastor Arrested Over COVID Rules Offers a Warning to U.S. After What Happened to Him

rtur Pawlowski, a Polish-Canadian pastor from Alberta, Canada who was arrested last weekend for allegedly organizing a church service that ignored COVID social distancing rules and mask mandates, warned the U.S. to watch out after what happened to him.

In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham that aired on Friday, Pawlowski said that Canada "has no rights whatsoever."

"What we have right now is some kind of a hybrid between fascism and communism medical tyranny," he told Ingraham.

Prior to his arrest, according to Calgary police, Alberta Health Services had received a "Court of Queen's Bench Order that applies to gatherings including protests, demonstrations and rallies. This order imposes new restrictions on organizers of protests and demonstrations requiring compliance with public health orders including masking, physical distancing and attendance limits."

"I spent three days in jail for my crime of opening the church in a free and democratic society," Pawlowski said.

Pawlowski compared Canada to the communist states he escaped from: "I came to Canada only because Canada was offering me freedom, and here we are again, a repetition of history. And I decided I'm going to stand up and fight."

His arrest last weekend was not Pawlowski's first encounter with Canadian law enforcement on the matter. A video in April showed Pawlowski condemning local police as they demanded parishioners leave Passover celebrations over their rebuke of COVID-19 regulations.

"I don't care what you have to say, out!" Pawlowski can be heard saying in the clip. "Out of this property, you Nazis. Out! Gestapo is not allowed here. Do not come back, you Nazi psychopaths. Unbelievable sick, evil people. Intimidating people in the church during the Passover. You Gestapo Nazi communist fascists!"

And again, in a video captured of his arrest last weekend, Pawlowski can be heard shouting, "You Gestapo psychopaths!" at the police as they held him on his knees and dragged him to the police car.

Law enforcement released a statement on May 8 reiterating their support for "faith-based gatherings" across the country, as well as the right to protest. "However, as we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic, we all must comply with public health orders in order to ensure everyone's safety and well-being," Calgary Police noted.

Ingraham asked for Pawlowski's reaction to the police statement, to which he responded: "It's a sham."

Pawlowski condemned Canada's fear of people "bringing forth the truth," and warned that the U.S. government would start "deplatforming Christians" in America next.

"My message to you is, watch what's happening here because it's coming your way unless you rise up and stand up and fight."

Newsweek reached out to Pawlowski's church, the Cave of Adullam, for comment.


Source

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[rogue06]

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