Sadly, most of Europe has a poor historical record in defending individual rights against the state (Spain, France, Germany and Italy come particularly to mind.) So I can’t say I’m shocked – disappointed, certainly, but not shocked.
French and English-speaking Canada, however, are steeped in the theory and practice of centuries of evolving British Common Law individual rights supplemented by a charter of individual rights in its written constitution.
During COVID, as this article points out, the fundamental individual rights previously enjoyed by Canadians have been bulldozed by our authoritarian elites while the courts have winked and looked the other way and, on the sidelines, the populace has mostly cheered on the loss of their own liberties.
He now doesn’t use a mask during service, and that really helped.
One country after another is waging war on church attendance. This is not accidental. Once you take religion away, it’s easy to implant an ideological alternative in the empty space.
“Once you take religion away, it’s easy to implant an ideological alternative in the empty space.”
Yes.
Wokesters can’t have people worshiping a God that loves them as individuals and offers them, as individuals, forgiveness and redemption for their transgressions.
Can’t have people believing that “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Just so so off-narrative…
(I was very influenced by Larry Siedentop’s Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Western Liberalism when it was published a few years back.)
Some of my family members live in a diocese with a blanket prohibition on unvaccinated to enter the churches. The sad part is that the Catholic Church all by with the other Churches are fully onboard with this atrocity, going as far as being in support of compulsory vaccination. My vaccinated family members do not see anything wrong with it. I am horrified.
“a diocese with a blanket prohibition on unvaccinated to enter the churches”
I presume this could be Germany or Austria. If so, my comment above on the fragile nature of liberal democratic culture within the leading EU countries stands. But as you can see, “I am horrified” that we’re not far behind although we haven’t reached the stage yet where church officials are voluntarily acting as public health enforcers on behalf of the state.
I wonder how, or if, the Omicron hysteria will end up discrediting compulsory COVID since early data indicates that the vaccines are not very useful. I was struck by this report yesterday on Omicron cases in Denmark and the UK.
” Of [Denmark’s] Omicron patients, 75% were fully vaccinated, and 9% had received a booster shot. About 80% of the Danish population is fully vaccinated. Lillebaek said Denmark’s Omicron trends appear similar to patterns reported from Britain.”
Thinking beyond the astonishing fact that 75% were fully vaccinated, I read it to mean that the “booster shot” is not very effective either in spite of claims that are being made everywhere to the contrary – from other sources, some 20% of Danes are boostered which would mean that just under half that 20% group have come down with Omicron in order to make up the 9% number in the sample reflected above. Wow, if I’m seeing this right, that’s really, really poor performance to say the least!
Nothing makes sense anymore – vaccinated people are getting sick with Omicron because it has allegedly mutated and evades the vaccine-induced immunity, but the recommendation is to vaccinate more with the same vaccine. Does anyone still believe this garbage?
In a word -yes. Hundreds of millions of people not only believe it but cheer on the public health authoritarians who have doubled and tripled-down on their mismanagement of this file for the last two years.
Case in point – FT Weekend is today leading with the preposterous claim that “‘No evidence’ Omicron less severe than Delta, say UK researchers” — even though there is a s…-ton of well-known evidence out there to the contrary.
Cognitive dissonance explains much, cultivated fear explains more, cynical self-interest is always a driving factor, and just plain old rock-dumb stupidity rounds the number up past 100.
They believe it because it gives them free rein to indulge in an unearned sense of moral superiority, and let loose every latent bigotry that might once have been checked by common politeness.
Clarissa's Blog 
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Speaks for itself…
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/raymond-j-de-souza-o-come-all-ye-faithful-faithfully-vaccinated-that-is
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Canada is, sadly, not the only place with this craziness. In some places in the EU you also need to be vaccinated to enter churches.
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“not the only place with this craziness… EU”
Sadly, most of Europe has a poor historical record in defending individual rights against the state (Spain, France, Germany and Italy come particularly to mind.) So I can’t say I’m shocked – disappointed, certainly, but not shocked.
French and English-speaking Canada, however, are steeped in the theory and practice of centuries of evolving British Common Law individual rights supplemented by a charter of individual rights in its written constitution.
During COVID, as this article points out, the fundamental individual rights previously enjoyed by Canadians have been bulldozed by our authoritarian elites while the courts have winked and looked the other way and, on the sidelines, the populace has mostly cheered on the loss of their own liberties.
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Our priest was horrified by the idea when some parishioners suggested it.
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“Our priest was horrified…”
Good man.
Do I remember correctly that there were some health issues? Hope this has been resolved.
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He now doesn’t use a mask during service, and that really helped.
One country after another is waging war on church attendance. This is not accidental. Once you take religion away, it’s easy to implant an ideological alternative in the empty space.
LikeLike
“Once you take religion away, it’s easy to implant an ideological alternative in the empty space.”
Yes.
Wokesters can’t have people worshiping a God that loves them as individuals and offers them, as individuals, forgiveness and redemption for their transgressions.
Can’t have people believing that “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Just so so off-narrative…
(I was very influenced by Larry Siedentop’s Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Western Liberalism when it was published a few years back.)
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674979888
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This sounds like a book I really need to read. Thank you for the recommendation!
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Some of my family members live in a diocese with a blanket prohibition on unvaccinated to enter the churches. The sad part is that the Catholic Church all by with the other Churches are fully onboard with this atrocity, going as far as being in support of compulsory vaccination. My vaccinated family members do not see anything wrong with it. I am horrified.
LikeLike
“a diocese with a blanket prohibition on unvaccinated to enter the churches”
I presume this could be Germany or Austria. If so, my comment above on the fragile nature of liberal democratic culture within the leading EU countries stands. But as you can see, “I am horrified” that we’re not far behind although we haven’t reached the stage yet where church officials are voluntarily acting as public health enforcers on behalf of the state.
I wonder how, or if, the Omicron hysteria will end up discrediting compulsory COVID since early data indicates that the vaccines are not very useful. I was struck by this report yesterday on Omicron cases in Denmark and the UK.
” Of [Denmark’s] Omicron patients, 75% were fully vaccinated, and 9% had received a booster shot. About 80% of the Danish population is fully vaccinated. Lillebaek said Denmark’s Omicron trends appear similar to patterns reported from Britain.”
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/12/omicron-boosts-covid-19-surges-denmark-uk
Thinking beyond the astonishing fact that 75% were fully vaccinated, I read it to mean that the “booster shot” is not very effective either in spite of claims that are being made everywhere to the contrary – from other sources, some 20% of Danes are boostered which would mean that just under half that 20% group have come down with Omicron in order to make up the 9% number in the sample reflected above. Wow, if I’m seeing this right, that’s really, really poor performance to say the least!
LikeLike
Nothing makes sense anymore – vaccinated people are getting sick with Omicron because it has allegedly mutated and evades the vaccine-induced immunity, but the recommendation is to vaccinate more with the same vaccine. Does anyone still believe this garbage?
LikeLike
“Does anyone still believe this garbage?”
In a word -yes. Hundreds of millions of people not only believe it but cheer on the public health authoritarians who have doubled and tripled-down on their mismanagement of this file for the last two years.
Case in point – FT Weekend is today leading with the preposterous claim that “‘No evidence’ Omicron less severe than Delta, say UK researchers” — even though there is a s…-ton of well-known evidence out there to the contrary.
https://www.ft.com/content/020534b3-5a54-4517-9fd1-167a5db50786
Cognitive dissonance explains much, cultivated fear explains more, cynical self-interest is always a driving factor, and just plain old rock-dumb stupidity rounds the number up past 100.
LikeLike
They believe it because it gives them free rein to indulge in an unearned sense of moral superiority, and let loose every latent bigotry that might once have been checked by common politeness.
LikeLike
“indulge in an unearned sense of moral superiority”
“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men…”
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