A man of science, or a child of God. Can a person be both? Perhaps, but apparently not if you're a doctor. The salty issue has been raised by a Christian doctor from Barrie Ont. who refuses to prescribe the birth control pill or the sex-enhancement drug Viagra to unmarried patients because he believes it would promote immoral activity. Dr. Stephen Dawson, [...]
The Court of Appeal of Ontario has upheld Section 43 of the Criminal Code, which allows parents and teachers to use reasonable force to correct and discipline children in their charge. "No country in the world has criminalized all forms of physical punishment of children by parents, which is what accepting the appellant's position would entail," the court ruled unanimously. And in [...]
On the front cover of the February Catholic World Report is a photograph of a man's face with the question in large red letters above it: "Is he being framed?" Below the question is an explanation: "America's most energetic pro-life activists see the legal system tilted against them, and worry that the FBI has found a scapegoat for an abortionist's murder." Phillip [...]
The biblical adage, "spare the rod, spoil the child" is still permissible advice for parents in Ontario – for now. In a 3-0 ruling in mid-January, the Ontario Court of Appeal decided that parents, guardians, and teachers can use reasonable force to correct a child's behaviour, and not be charged with physical assault. Writing for his two colleagues, Mr. Justice David McCombs [...]
It was Seneca who once claimed "there is no great genius without some touch of madness," yet if the charges are true, it is hard to say what the ancient philosopher would make of Blair Evans, a 51-year-old nuclear physicist who was arrested in January for making and possessing child pornography involving children as young as six months old. Police seized CDs, [...]
The corruption of youth under guise of women's health Notice: This article contains some references to sexuality and sexual activities that may not be appropriate for young or sensitive readers. Please use discretion in deciding whether to read it. The conference room where Nafis Sadik, former executive director of the notorious United Nations Fund for Population Activities, was speaking was only about [...]
A particularly horrific home invasion in Montreal on Dec. 28 involved one of the victims, the 89-year-old homeowner, being tied up and tortured by having boiling water thrown on him when he told the predators there was no money in the apartment. Hey, is it just me, or is the level of brutality in such crimes ratcheting up at an alarming rate [...]
I pen these words sitting in a hospital room, with my daughter Natalie lying just a few feet away from me. The preceding week has been one full of mixed emotions. Happiness and joy for the celebrations connected with Jesus' birthday, and then the dawn of the real millennium, and concern over the health of our precious daughter. This was to be [...]
A first-ever Hispanic family conference in Toronto is said to be heralding a greater awareness of, and participation in, family and life issues among Canada's Hispanic community. Jornada de la Familia (A Day of the Family), held at St. Augustine of Canterbury Catholic Church in North York Nov. 23-25, attracted some 100 people to hear several presenters, including keynote speaker Father Miguel [...]
In the fall of 2000, Michael Arsenault donated $400 worth of brand new religious books and videos to the library from the small religious bookstore he operates. He, and his wife Colleen, make frequent use of the public library in Pictou, N.S. "We have benefitted from the library, so we wanted to put something back into the system. We also knew that [...]
Brian Rushfeldt, the executive director of the Canada Family Action Coalition, must have a sense of how William F. Buckley Jr. felt when he launched his National Review magazine in the 1950s to "stand athwart history yelling ‘stop.'" At a time when sex is being marketed to young teenagers through television programs such as The Jerry Springer Show and Buffy the Vampire [...]
Campaign Life Coalition has just released a video, "It Takes a Little Spirit: A Contemporary Look at Abortion in Canada." Produced at the request of the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic school board to provide a tool to educate young people regarding abortion and prepare them to attend the annual March for Life in Ottawa each May, the video is aimed at high school students [...]
Feb. 14 marks the celebration of Valentine's Day, a day which has become synonymous with love. That word, love, is much over-used in a world that often seems to have an inadequate supply of such a quality. Over-used and misunderstood, or not properly understood because our conception of it is too limited. Love is bandied about in a rather meaningless way for [...]
The chaplain general's office has issued a directive to Canadian Armed Forces Christian chaplains to purge all specifically Christian references from prayers and invocations at general ceremonies and functions, although they are still permitted to mention Christ at "voluntary" Christian worship services in chapel, in the field or onboard ship. The rationale for this edict is of course the great Canadian political [...]
The Promise Keepers men's ministry movement is alive and well, as almost 4,000 men from southern Ontario and parts of northern New York state attended Hamilton's Copps Coliseum this past fall for a two-day Draw the Line men's conference. A cast of speakers including media personality Michael Coren, former Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player and Hall of Fame inductee Mike Gartner, as [...]