Canada is set to criminalise Christianity with the introduction of an amendment to the Criminal Code that could see believers face jail time for expressing historic Christian teachings.
Bill C-367, if passed, would make it illegal to reiterate certain parts of the Bible, stripping away the “good faith” defence for what is deemed by the state as “hate speech” or “antisemitism.”
The proposed amendment aims to remove the provision that allows individuals to defend themselves by claiming they genuinely believe in and were merely expressing religious teaching already found in the Scriptures.
This means that citing religious beliefs as justification for words or actions that the state effectively regards as “heresy” will no longer be accepted as a valid defence under the law.
The bill states: “The enactment amends the Criminal Code to eliminate as a defence against wilful promotion of hatred or antisemitism the fact that a person, in good faith, expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion or a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.”
The bill has prompted outrage online with opponents expressing concerns about freedom of expression and the potential for targeted persecution of Christians in Canada.
Dr. Joseph Boot, President of the Ezra Institute, a Canada-based evangelical think-tank, said, “If ratified, Canada’s anti-Christian legal apparatus created over the last decade will overtly persecute Christians with the force of criminal law.
“Everything is already in place,” he warned. “Buckle up.”
Dr. Boot went on to explain that evangelism, preaching, counselling, statements in the workplace, on social media and in books that condemn homosexuality or transgenderism on biblical grounds could be “subject to criminal prosecution and with heavy fines or jail time.”
The legislation will also include statements deemed “antisemitic,” which Gab CEO, Andrew Torba warned means, “Christians who maintain traditional orthodox perspectives about Jews–views that have been part of our faith for 2,000 years, are the primary obstacle to the Ruling Regime.”
Torba said, “As a result, we are the most targeted and vilified group in the Western world.” This is just more evidence of that.
Bill C-367 is still under consideration in Parliament. It has passed the first reading but faces further debate.
