THE SECULARIZATION OF QUEBEC
By Father John Walsh

The secularization of Quebec comes about, not in stages, but in waves.  Some are tidal waves and others are the gentle waves at our feet as we make our way to shore.  Each carries varying degrees of importance but together they form a confluence of change that has deeply marked Quebec.  The all-present Catholic Church was washed away when its history was judged as written in the sand and a people with a new-found freedom accepted the full wave of secularization to replace its …

BRIDGING THE SECULAR DIVIDE: RELIGION AND PUBLIC DISCOURSE
By Father John Walsh

In one week McGill University will host a two day Seminar on the topic: Bridging the secular divide: Religion and Canadian Public Discourse. The first work of importance is to understand the public discourse, not an easy task in itself. Then there is the required hermeneutics of what is said, and then, whether or not Canadians accept or reject that which has been presented in the interpretation of what was said in public. Political pundits, spin doctors, new reporters and …

BETRAYAL OF THE SOCIAL CONTRACT IS PROHIBITED IN ISLAM
By Imam Dr. Ziyad Delic

In the last two weeks I have heard and read what is being said about Islam and its rulings regarding the engagement of Muslims in Canadian society.  There are those who have gone a bit too far and questioned the identity, integration, citizenship, belonging, and loyalty of Canadian Muslims.  I have extensively researched these topics and written about each of them.
Islam teaches and a growing number of prominent scholars and imams have officially recognized the fundamental value for …

ACCOUNTABILITY – A FORGOTTEN VIRTUE – THE CHARBONNEAU COMMISSION
By Father John Walsh

In our Western culture accountability is what is expected of someone, when that someone is made accountable for her or his actions and its consequences.  We have examples everywhere.  The last couple of months the members of the Charbonneau Commission in Quebec have called witness after witness to be accountable and to affirm or deny that there is or isn’t collusion and corruption in the way contracts are offered and in the alleged scheme of making contributions to a …

AN IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS PARADIGM SHIFT
By Father John Walsh

A paradigm is the mental image of the way things are as we see them.  It comes from our background and our experiences.  We see the world as we are.  We project unto the outside world the paradigm or image we have of the world and our paradigm has certain shibboleths or assumptions on which it is built and that is what we project on the outside world.  We think that that is the way it is.  The reality is that we are …