Strohschein: A startling paradigm shift
- Details
- Published on Thursday, July 3, 2014
By: Neil Strohschein
When it came to celebrating Canada Day, I was admittedly somewhat of a recluse. I didn’t go around Neepawa dressed in red and white. No Canadian flag was attached to the window of my car. I didn’t attend the speeches and entertainment at the park. That’s not who I am— and it never has been.
I spent most of the day at home reflecting on what it means to be a Canadian and thanking God for giving me and my family the privilege of being born in this country and enjoying the benefits it gives its citizens.
I grew up on a farm in central Alberta. In my career, I have lived and worked in BC. I have attended meetings and conferences in Saskatchewan and Ontario and since 1996, I have lived and worked in Manitoba.
For me, moving from one province to another has been like moving to different worlds. Each province has unique challenges and deals with them in “ways that work for the people of that province.” We build our roads differently, fund health insurance differently, tax income and property differently. We have different values, different priorities and somewhat different political philosophies. But we are all proud Canadians.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that we are happy with some of the things that are happening in this country.
In the past 20-30 years, our country has had to address some critical economic, social and political issues.
The choices our leaders made reflect a major paradigm shift in our country. This shift in thinking will impact every segment of Canadian society; but its greatest sting may be felt by organized religion. Let me explain.
Fifty years ago, Canadians looked to the church for guidance when addressing issues like divorce, abortion, same-sex marriage, etc. All levels of society considered these to be issues of morality, and the church was considered to be the authority on issues of morality. Fifty years ago, when the church spoke, people listened.
But the church has rarely spoken with one voice on moral issues. Some groups wanted their views on these issues (views they considered to be based on Scripture) to be rigidly applied. Others took a more liberal approach. So governments were called upon to find common ground and make laws based on their findings.
That is where the paradigm shift began. Our political leaders made it clear that they had no intention of passing laws that favored one religion over another. So they had to find another standard on which to base the laws that they put forward—a standard that would be accepted by Canadians of all religious and political persuasions.
Enter the Constitution Act of 1982 and its Charter of Rights and Freedoms. With its passing, the paradigm shift was complete. Moral codes, especially those advocated by the church, became irrelevant. All lifestyle issues became human rights issues and governments were encouraged (often ordered) by the courts to change the laws to ensure that individual rights and freedoms were protected. Our laws on abortion, divorce and same sex marriage are a direct result of this paradigm shift and don’t expect them to change any time soon.
But as people of faith, we must never lose hope. We are not alone. We live in God’s world. God at work in us and in the lives of all who live on this planet. Paradigm shifts mean nothing to him. The still small voice of his spirit calls people to turn from evil and do what is right.
For true and lasting change to happen, people must hear and obey that call.