In its ceaseless quest for relevance, the Anglican Church of Canada has repudiated something developed in the 15th Century to justify colonising the New World.
The ACoC will undoubtedly beat its collective breast over the sins of its ancestors; after all, it’s so much easier to confess the sins of one’s forebears than to repent of one’s own sin.
What will probably be overlooked in all this is the ACoC’s current version of naked imperialism: taking parish buildings to which they are morally not entitled from congregations who voted to align themselves with another Anglican Province.
From here:
This spring the 17 members of the Primate’s Commission will start considering how to translate General Synod’s 2010 repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery into tangible action. The commission also has mandates to address the practicalities of reconciliation and the persistent injustices in Canada’s indigenous communities.
Its first meeting will likely be in Toronto, possibly in time to report to Council of General Synod in May. “The commission will make recommendations to General Synod in 2016 perhaps in the form of resolutions,” said Ginny Doctor, co-ordinator of indigenous ministries and staff support for the commission. Doctor said the commissioners seem eager and optimistic. “We didn’t have anyone say no. That means there’s a spirit.”
This brings to mind the blatant hypocrisy so evident in many of these liberal bandwagons. Your point about them being so greedy over real estate is completely valid.
I also think of people like Cher, who refused to celebrate Thanksgiving because we stole the Natives’ land. Does she own property herself? Then why doesn’t she set the example by giving it back?
Or Neil Young, who was so concerned about honouring treaties in Alberta but abandoned his handicapped son and his mother (Neil’s live-in girlfriend Carrie Snodgrass.) She had to sue for support.
Gordon Lightfoot says it best “And if time could heal the wounds , I would tear the threads away that I may bleed some”. How can there be healing if old wounds are constantly re-opened .
Well spoken David.
So long as there is money to be made, the past will be raked over again and again. BTW, what happened to that $300 million ‘healing fund’ of a lot of years ago?
Perhaps they can start by determining how many ACoC churches have been built on “stolen” land, and then give it back to the Indians. That would be leading by example. But if they are going to do is spew out rhetoric that other people and organizations have to pay than that would be hypocrisy.
May it also be applied to indigenous Israel: the Biblical Israel.
V. the Tanakh for the Divine title deed.
c.c the WCC, WARC, RCC, Orthodox, Mennonites…