As conscientious Canadians, we must respond to the very real threat to the continued existence of the CBC and our democracy coming from members within the Harper Conservative Party. We must use words to protect the voice of the CBC from being silenced. It is truly our strongest partner in the public domain advocating for the common good and the way of life we defend, not only as Canadians but even more so as Christians.
We must speak out loud and clear, and directly to those Conservative Party members who are calling for the defunding and dismantling of the CBC and to Stephen Harper whom we hold responsible for this wilful injustice as leader of the Conservative Party now in power. Our response is called active non-violent resistance and we must act now.
Let us wake up to the insightful words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu: “Without God, we cannot (but) Without us, God will not.”
In our hearts, we know that real prayer is compassionate action in support of suffering and marginalized people in an increasingly controlled and exploited society. Does this not mean that we as Christians should not at least advocate for, vote for and support the unique, enlightened and Isn’t that what Jesus, as well as Gandhi and other committed non-violent resistors, would have us do in the ongoing struggle for distributive justice in our world today? They died standing up to and speaking up to empire. And they succeeded in making an amazing difference in our understanding of what it means to be human and treat others humanely today.
As followers of Jesus of Nazareth, we have chiefly been called by him to be active participants in non-violent resistance to empire in the here and now. How can we as Christians “do unto others as we would have them do unto us” if the voices of the marginalized, oppressed and suffering people cannot be heard? I personally give thanks everyday for what I hear on CBC Radio, our advocate par excellence for social justice in today’s world.
Let us hope our faith leaders will follow our active secular humanists and encourage us, as Christians, to speak up for our partner in serious jeopardy with a much stronger voice and with a vote for restored funding of the CBC (see www.friends.ca).
Heather Joy Brinkman
Stoney Creek, Ont.