General

Christian She Remains

Back in February, Dalton McGuinty challenged the Ontario legislature to “move beyond” the Lord’s Prayer that legislators recite every day they are at Queen’s Park. Today, they voted unamimously to… keep the Lord’s Prayer.

But this being Ontario, they also decided to add a bunch more prayers, nine to be exact, which will take rotating turns playing second banana to supplementing the Christian prayer. These include a Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and “Native Spiritual” prayer, thus confirming that when it comes to our native peoples, Canadians still can’t bother distinguishing one aboriginal culture from another.

Anyway, McGuinty wasn’t in the leg for the vote, and some are speculating that he was too embarrassed by the motion to be there for it. But that doesn’t make sense. If there is one thing that emerged during last fall’s election, it is that when it comes to religion in Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario, Christianity is legally and symbolically first among nominal equals.

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UPDATE: Here’s the “Native Spirituality” prayer.

NATIVE SPIRITUALITY
(Sound of Drums)

Oh great Spirit, whose voice we hear in the winds
And whose breath gives life to everyone, Hear us.
We come to you as your many children;
We are weak… we are small… we need your wisdom and your strength.’

Mother Earth hear your children; Be a Bond between the Worlds of Earth and Spirit.
Teach us the Lessons of the Four Kingdoms; To learn to Walk the Path chosen so long ago.
From the East: We seek the Lessons of Childhood;
From the South: To learn the Ways of Questioning;
From the West: To grow in Acceptance of Responsibility;
From the North: To Walk in Balance and Harmony with our Mother, the Earth.
Mother Earth, hear your children. Hold our hands as we walk our Paths;
Guide us to the Lessons we seek; bring us closer to our Creator.

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