Rod Taylor – Leader of the Christian Heritage Party CHP Communiqué Vol 22, Issue 37, Sept 15, 2015
And So It Begins…
Since becoming a Christian in 1976, I have understood that persecution of Christians would one day come to Canada. The Bible warns believers that “…all who would live godly will suffer persecution”. Jesus told his disciples, “If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you”. The Book of Revelation refers to those who will be and have been beheaded for their faith in Jesus. Through the centuries, followers of Christ have sometimes enjoyed periods of calm and have also endured periods of turmoil. Those who name the name of Jesus have had seasons of public acceptance where their beliefs have been the commonly shared beliefs of their fellow citizens. They have also had seasons of distress, where they have been maligned, imprisoned and often put to death. As believers, we are taught to boldly declare our faith and to trust in the Lord’s care for us, no matter what the circumstance, because, unlike those who adhere to the religion of Atheism, we have a sure hope of eternal life.
What does this have to do with politics in 2015? After all, the CHP is a political party, not an evangelistic association. It has to do with how we face the turmoil around us and how we respond to those who would like to silence our voice. We live in troubled times. Across the waters, our brothers and sisters are facing persecution of the worst kind. Men and women are being tortured and beheaded, little children are being brutally killed and women are being raped. This senseless violence is forcing thousands, probably millions, to leave their homes and seek refuge from the storm. This is not a new phenomenon. Over the millennia of human “civilization”, ravaging armies have swept through the countryside and across borders, killing, enslaving, raping and pillaging. In the last century alone, Communism (an Atheistic worldview) conquered much of the world, subjugating and killing millions by starvation, violence and demands that the peoples under their power submit to their ideology. Cadres of chanting party members became unmerciful and pitiless.
In Germany, during the 1930s, Hitler rose to power and a nation was forced to submit to his godless philosophy. Rather than rejecting this madness, a vast segment of the population became his deadly enforcers and brought the World into its Second World War. Why did the good citizens in Germany not stand up against the dictator, a pitiful, self-absorbed and formerly insignificant troublemaker? Because of fear! They allowed themselves to be silenced and their families and their nation paid the price. Once he gained control of the press and the government, his unyielding military machine carried the nation inexorably to a horrific destruction.
Here in this nation, many still hope that religious persecution is far off. They pretend that the things that happened in Germany, Russia and China cannot happen here. Persecution begins in small ways but carries big consequences. Like the fires now raging through California (which began with a small spark, a candle, a cigarette), the challenges to our freedom to speak, to worship and to raise our children according to our beliefs have begun to break forth in Canada and the US, formerly bastions of democracy and personal liberty.
Some Christians feel that it’s not our responsibility to challenge the forces of evil that now threaten our nation. They say—from the security of their heretofore peaceful homes and their heretofore peaceful churches—that God’s people need not confront evil but only to preach the gospel. What they don’t realize is that their freedom to preach the gospel is already being taken away. Oh sure, if you keep your head down and keep your speech politically correct, you may consider you have freedom. But if you speak up on the issues of the day, you’ll find the doors are being shut, the blinds are being drawn and the freedoms you thought you had, are history.
In the US, we saw recently County Clerk Kim Davis jailed for refusing to violate her conscience and refusing to participate in pandering to perversion. I was shocked that she was actually jailed, a measure of the hostility felt by those who reject a Christian point of view. In Canada, just last week, we saw Jesse Rau, a Calgary City bus driver, being fired for publicly expressing his unwillingness to drive the rainbow-painted “Pride” bus. The media has twisted this story and the timeline of what happened needs to be straightened out. The reason he was fired was not for refusing to drive the bus (that never happened) but for publicly declaring that God is opposed to homosexual behaviour. More and more companies and government departments (not the least of which is the public school system) are being made complicit in the promotion of perversion. Those who stand in the way are ridiculed, maligned and—if they won’t submit to the New Order—punished.
There is more to the story of the “Pride” bus. Jesse is not the only person whose sense of morality is being violated. Every Calgarian waiting for a scheduled bus may find him or herself forced to decide: Am I willing to ride on this symbol of defilement? What if I have an appointment and that bus is my only choice?
The world has forgotten Sodom and Gomorrah but we must not forget. This is no fairy tail; this is historical truth. But let me tell you: Sodom and Gomorrah did not become such wicked cities overnight. They got there little by little. A court decision here. A media broadcast there. A little compromise, a little complacency. By the time judgment fell, God could not find ten righteous men in the whole community.
Those in the pro-family, pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-freedom movement know and understand that the goalposts have shifted. The boundaries of acceptable behaviour have been distorted. Men now call evil good and good evil. We who know better must speak up in defence of God’s standards. One thing you can do today is to encourage those who are on the front lines, people like Jesse Rau, a young husband and father who is now out of work. He took his stand for all of us and our children. You can also write the City of Calgary and ask them to reinstate Jesse and repaint the bus. Calgarians should not be forced to support the homosexual agenda.
The CHP stands in support of traditional marriage between one man and one woman and we stand opposed to the destructive tide of perversion sweeping our land and confusing our children. We will not sit idly by while our nation is destroyed. If you’re not already a member, join us today.
