Canadian Courts Approve Suspension of Teacher who Criticized Homosexuality in Letter to Editor

Lifesite has an update of that Canadian teacher who suffered a suspended liscence for witnessing to the truth in an editorial. The Supreme Court of British Columbia upheld the suspension.

He wrote the editorial as a private citizen, not a teacher. Nonetheless, the British Columbia College of Teachers temporarily suspended his liscence for "writing ellegedly discriminatory letters to the editor of a local publication." His own union refused to support him. So far, every court has backed the BCCT.

I would be in his position if I lived in Canada. I once wrote a letter to the editor of the journal news in which I upheld the Catholic Churches teaching on the immorality of homosexual activity. Thanks to the first ammendment, I'm free to offer such opinions. Canada lacks a formal, written declaration of one's right to such freedom of expression.

What's troubling about this case is that the Canadian Court refuses to distinguish the treatment of homosexuals from the treatment of homesexual activity:

Mr. Horgan explains that the most distressing aspect of the ruling is that “the court seemed to have a very difficult time distinguishing between the sin and the sinner”. In other words”, he expanded, “Mr. Kempling was commenting quite broadly on the potential and actual problems of homosexual conduct, and the court seemed to admonish Mr. Kempling without drawing any distinction between what I presume Mr. Kempling would understand as the distinction between a person’s conduct and their inherent human dignity.” This failure or inability to distinguish between the two essentially forbids any intelligent or non-discriminatory input into what is a current and vital social debate.

“The timing is instructive for folks who have concerns about the impact of Bill C-38, generally,” said Horgan. “It’s virtually impossible to allow government passage of this type of legislation and not expect serious, serious problems in the area of conscience and religious rights. You cannot engage in the affirmation of homosexual marriage without it creating a whole level of future difficulties when it comes time for public discussion of such issues, with or without the church context.”

Indeed, without such a legally recognized decision, any public acclaimation of traditional Christian teaching will land the Claimant on the wrong side of a courtroom. Pro-gay rights groups have already attempted to bring Catholic Bishops before human rights tribunals in Canada.

The Reasonable people of Canada have clearly spoken. It's hazardous to your health to be a Fool.