Church attendance across Canada has been declining for years. Yes, there are new churches being built, some quite large. Many more are being torn down, or re-purposed. I suspect the majority of the people in our country have never set foot in a church. Nowadays, most weddings and funerals do not take place in a … Continue reading What makes a church attractive?
Canada
Will Harriet Tubman appear on the Canadian $100 bill?
Earlier this year, the Bank of Canada asked the public for suggestions for a woman to appear on the $100 bill. The woman selected must nor be fictional, must have died at least 25 years ago and must have played a significant role in Canadian history. Harriet Tubman was one of the names proposed. You … Continue reading Will Harriet Tubman appear on the Canadian $100 bill?
Elections
All is quiet on the election front where I live – Canada had a federal election last fall and Saskatchewan had a provincial election just a moth ago. But the media that I read are full of angst and bewilderment about the upcoming presidential elections in the USA and France (this fall in the USA, … Continue reading Elections
God Save the Queen
It was Wednesday morning, February 6, 1952. I was nine years old and in Grade Five. When I got up that morning, the radio was playing solemn, stately, orchestral music. That was all we could get on any radio station. The eight o'clock news told us why – King George VI had died and his … Continue reading God Save the Queen
Who let these people in?
There is a fine Christian lady doctor of our acquaintance who believes Canada is letting in way too many people from Asia and Africa. She is originally from South Africa, but left when black people were allowed to form the government. She fears for Canada's future. She's wrong of course. The native people of Canada … Continue reading Who let these people in?
Does the U.S. Postal Service know where Canada is?
Years ago, when I worked for Canada Post in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, I was instructed that the regulations of the Universal Postal Union required that mail to another country had to be sent to that country by the most direct route possible. Thus, if we received mail addressed to Boston we were not to send … Continue reading Does the U.S. Postal Service know where Canada is?
Freedom of religion
From the time that mankind began to form separate nation states it was the custom of each to have its own gods and for each to believe that their gods were superior to the gods of other nations. Thus, if any individual or family in a nation would choose to worship another god, that was … Continue reading Freedom of religion
The sad state of publishing
Doesn't everybody have a dream about writing a fantastic book that will be bought by a major publisher, where an editor will be assigned to fine tine the manuscript, a publicist will be assigned to promote the book, and everyone will live happily ever after? Forget about it. It's not going to happen. The publishing … Continue reading The sad state of publishing
Touche pas à nos cornichons!
[Leave our pickles alone!] Alas, but it's too late. Authentic dill pickles are no longer made in Canada. My mother used to grow rows of cucumbers in her garden, plus a short row of dill. She would pick and wash the cucumbers and layer them in an earthenware crock with a few sprigs of dill … Continue reading Touche pas à nos cornichons!
Peace in time of war
There are four main religious groups in Lebanon: Maronite Christians, descended from the old Syriac church and united with the Roman Catholic Church, yet maintaining some of the old ways, including a married priesthood; Shiite Muslims; Sunni Muslims and Greek Orthodox. A power sharing agreement was worked out after the Second World War that worked … Continue reading Peace in time of war
Flatlander Faith 