Faith groups find common ground
On the office wall of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada's (EFC) Centre for Faith and Public Life is a special document. It lists the names of 50 religious groups that signed the groundbreaking Declaration on Marriage on November 20, 2006. It includes Christian groups ranging from Catholic, Coptic and Orthodox to evangelical as well as the Islamic Shiite Supreme Council in Canada and the Druze Community of Montréal.
The Declaration on Marriage, issued during the political fight to save the traditional definition of marriage from being undermined by advocates for same-sex unions, is seen as watershed moment for interfaith cooperation. The common front by religious groups on this issue taught many faith groups that together they may stand, but divided they most assuredly fall.
Finding common ground has not always been easy for faith groups. While Canada's English and French colonizers largely fought for control of the New World's economic potential, Protestant-Catholic conflicts certainly presented barriers to cooperation. As Canada became more secular and religiously diverse, Christians as well as other religious groups gradually saw the need to work together to define common values and interests.
Don Hutchinson, vice-president and legal counsel for the EFC, an umbrella group for 160 evangelical denominations and ministry groups, believes closer cooperation between faith groups is a natural reflection of Canadian society.
"Decades ago, we had fewer faith groups [represented in Canada]. With more faith groups, there should be an increase in [interfaith] participation," said Hutchinson. "Most Christians support cooperation where we have common ground."
Evangelicals have found it advantageous to work with Catholics and other traditionally-minded Christians on issues such as abortion, age of sexual consent, global trafficking of humans and pornography, and on public events like national prayer days. Christians also routinely work with other religious groups on protecting religious beliefs, practices and freedoms.
But when it comes to issues involving "values"—especially as they relate to sexual orientation and sexual and reproductive freedoms—things become trickier.
Brian Stiller, who served as EFC president from 1983 to 1997, says a number of events and issues during the past three decades have forced Christians to become more active in influencing public policy:
- The January 1988 Supreme Court of Canada decision to strike down Canada's abortion law and eliminate all legal restrictions on abortion;
- The 1990 failure of Bill C-43, a proposed abortion law, in the Senate after it was passed by the House of Commons;
- Attacks on faith-based education; and
- The elimination of Sunday closings for businesses
Today, Stiller believes, "the pendulum of secularity has swung as far as it can go" and an understanding that "spirituality has a legitimate place in society" is gaining ground.
The largest group attempting to coordinate joint action among Canadian Christian groups is the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC), which represents 85 per cent of Christians in Canada and includes Catholics, mainstream Protestants, evangelicals and Orthodox Christians.
CCC general secretary Karen Hamilton notes because the CCC is a coalition of groups with their own agendas and ability to push issues not necessarily supported by all CCC members, the council works strictly on a consensus basis. While the CCC has spoken out on human trafficking, universal health care, anti-racism and poverty, it has not been able to present a united voice to politicians and the courts on abortion and same-sex marriage.
While cooperation is the ideal, most faith groups recognize theological boundaries must be respected. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), for example, issued a reflection paper in 2009, "Evaluating CCCB Involvement in Ecumenical and Interfaith Social Justice Work," which seeks to provide guidance to Catholics working with other faith groups. Critical to the bishop's ecumenical and interfaith work is doing social justice work "as found in the teaching of the Church" and identifying upfront the "considerations and challenges" involved in such work.
Many of the challenges identified are resource and capability issues. But value-laden challenges (e.g., medical ethics) can't be overlooked.
Jonas Abromaitis, CCCB's senior advisor for ecclesial and interfaith relations, says interfaith cooperation has grown substantially for Catholics over the past 50 years. "The turning point in recent Church history when Catholics began to take a more earnest approach to interfaith relations is the Second Vatican Council, which took place in the 1960s," says Abromaitis.
The council's seminal document, Nostra Aetate, remains the guiding document for Catholic involvement in ecumenical and interfaith activities.
Advocacy groups that are not faith-based but have close ties to faith perspectives such as the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) tend to steer away from having to "interpret" their faith's perspective on an issue. The CJC has refrained from providing any Jewish perspectives on issues such as same-sex marriage or abortion.
At the same time, it has looked for inter-faith partners on more general human right issues. For example, it has been a strong advocate for the inclusion of sexual orientation as a prohibited ground of discrimination in law.
Muslims, on the other hand, are looking for support from other faith groups to address such issues as "Islamaphobia" and the backlash on Muslims from the "war on terror" while building profile for Canadian Muslim leaders, says Imam Zijad Delic, national executive director of the Canadian Islamic Congress.
What is the future for faith groups cooperating in Canada? Canadian studies show religion has had little influence on politics here (unlike the United States) simply because religious identity traditionally has not influenced how we vote. In the U.S., where black churchgoers have traditionally voted Democrat while conservative white Christians have tended to vote Republican, American politicians more openly woo faith groups.
Canadian faith groups working on public issues find most Canadians think their private beliefs are more important than what is taught by any religious group. This "privatizing" of faith is noticed by political decision-makers, says John Weir, executive vice-president, Public Affairs for OEB Enterprise, a lobby firm with offices in Toronto, Ottawa and St. Catharines, Ontario.
"Political parties and governments have, over the past decade, become more and more hesitant to favour any religion over another or to have much regard for religion period as a primary stakeholder in policy making," says Weir.
Be that as it may, "We will continue to engage in order to maintain an open public square," vows EFC's Don Hutchinson.
Dear Readers:
ChristianWeek relies on your generous support. please take a minute and donate to help give voice to stories that inform, encourage and inspire.
Donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable receipt.Thank you, from Christianweek.
