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BC Humanist Association poised to sue the City of Parksville over prayer (www.cheknews.ca)

submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/19670880

“The 2015 decision by the Supreme Court in Saguenay, (QC), prohibits municipal councils from including prayer in their meetings and in the last two inaugural meetings, in 2018 and 2022, Parksville has included prayers, overtly religious prayers, in their inaugural meetings and that’s a violation of the constitution,” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, the research coordinator with the BC Humanist Association.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (5 children)

If you watch municipal or provincial news conferences it’s fairly common to hear a First Nation blessing at its start, like a recent one in front of Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Tuesday.

“The increase in Indigenous content is a good sign. It shows that municipalities are stepping up and, at least symbolically, embracing reconciliation and this is also a category of action that falls outside the Supreme Court ruling in Saguenay,” said Phelps Bondaroff.

Honest question: isn't having the First Nation blessing violating the same constitution that the prayer is? Obviously the prayer is an obvious violation, but replacing it doesn't seem to be the answer as far as I can tell.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

First Nations blessing is a bit of a gray area because they are not necessarily performed as a religious practice. Instead of a prayer, it’s interpreted (by those present) more like a First Nations representative formally acknowledging that the decisions about to be made are made with their participation.

It’s a cultural complexity that elders are often also seen as religious leaders and they’ll often speak in religious terms, but their blessing is foremost under the guise of a representative - not a cleric.

As for a regular Christian prayer… its sole purpose is a ritual for those in that religion.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Ah thanks, this makes a lot more sense!

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