NDP MP Bill Blaikie's NDP Faith and Justice Caucus Address at the NDP Convention Quebec City September 9, 2006,and the Religious Left/Centre in Canada

Hello everyone, after having gone to a joint service at MUN held by the MUNCF (MUN Christian Fellowship ; Link: http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~muncf/ ), Chi Alpha ( a Pentecoastal Christian group on campus, ; link: http://chialpha.ca/links.htm ), and the SSAF (The Salvation Army Christian group on campus) all had a joint worship service from 7:30-9/10/15/30p.m. I really got into the worship and all, and it was great to have 3 Christian groups on campus worship together this semester, instead of just separately.

The event itself consisted of the following:
1. Worship Time (songs which Chi Alpha was able to access, which were copyrighted for their use)

2. The testimony of the past President of the MUNCF on God's saving grace during his time at a Christian school in Northern Pakistain in 2002. Extremism had begun to spread in Northern Pakistan, with the events of 9/11 having occured a year earlier. Essentially, 6 terrorists charged into that school and kied 6 security guards. Yet thankly, the children (including him) were spared. Amazing how things work. The Reading was Isaiah 44, I believe

3. A Female Salvation Army Pastor, originally from Lethbridge, Alberta, spoke about how to share the faith. She read from Acts 13/14: 12-45, about the Apostle Paul's witness to a Greek City in the 1st Century. He noticed 1000's of idols there, one of which was an idol "to the God we don't know." She explained that this was a way for the Greek to avoid offending anyone who worshipped a God, of which they forgot to mention. However, Paul spoke with some people in the street about Christ. After being invited to speak to a Committee of Philosophers in Greece (correct me if i'm wrong), he told him he was there to speak of "The God they didn't know" (the God of Christianity, the resurrection,etc..) When he did so, some laughed at him, some left in disbelief, while others wanted to know more. Then he told more to those who wanted to know more.

She used to make the following points about living one's faith:
(a) We need to 'run with' whatever opportunities we given to explain the faith in a straight-forward, but respectful matter.

(b) Some people will mock us, others will leave in disbelief, but others will want to know more. When we try to explain "The Good News", we'll meet these types of people. However, there are some people who'll want to know more: those are the ones we can tell more to.

(c) In order to explain the faith to anyone, we need to have a genuine, open, and respectful relationship with people. Without strong relationships, living and explaining the faith will be next to impossible.

,etc....

After that (9/9:15/9:30p.m), myself and a few of the MUNCF and SSAF crowd went to the nearby "Tim's" to eat, chat about MUN, life, philosophical debates,etc..., lasting until 15 minutes to 11pm. Then, I got a ride home, arriving home at 11:15p.m

On a related topic, I found the Website of the NDP Member Bill Blaikie, one of the few openly-professed Christians in the NDP who believe the "Social Gospel Movement" was part of the reason the NDP was founded. (There's truth to this, seeing as the 1st Federal NDP Leader was Tommy Douglas, a former Christian-Baptist Minister in Saskatchewan). However, he's written about the topic of the Religious Left/Centre within the NDP, using insights from the book "The Left Hand of God" by Prof. Ian McKay of Queens University.

Here the following links....

1. NDP Manitoba MP (and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons) Bill Blaikie's Website:

Link: http://www.billblaikie.ca/

2. " NDP Faith and Justice Caucus Address
Notes from an address by the Hon. Bill Blaikie to the Faith and Social Justice workshop at the NDP Convention Quebec City September 9, 2006"

Link: http://www.billblaikie.ca/node/665

Personally, I felt it was important to post about this topic, seeing as the "Christian Socialism/ Social Gospel Movement", famously lead by Former Federal NDP Leader and Saskatchewan CCF Party leader Tommy Douglas has had a degree of inspiration on my political views. Among these, the "Red Toryism" tradition (which dates back to the 18th-19th Century in Canada to people such as John A. Macdonald, John Diefenbaker,etc.. in addition, to being professed to a great extent by NL Premier Danny Williams Today.) Red Toryism, according to the texts "Mindscapes: Political Ideology" and "An Introduction to Government and Politics" by Dickerson and Flanangan (standard Polsc.2000 texts for MUN Prof. Michael Temelini class, which i'm currently in), is a tradition of conservatism which combines "Burkean conservatism" ('organic conservatism', which views society as functioning like an organism: everyone has a role to play, and a certain amount of inequality is inevitable) on issues concerning the family,etc.., while remaining "neutral" on issues such as SSM, Abortion,etc.. (only a partial influence of mine). However on economic issues, Red Tories favour 'quasi-reform liberal' economic policies such as affirmative action, supporting the rights of persons with disabilities,etc.., although they still commit themselves to debt reduction, some taxcuts,etc... as necessary to be "fiscally responsible."

For most of my life, I thought I was "a Liberal." But looking back, I realized that from early life to Grade 6/7, my views we more liberal. However, post-9/11, my views shifted more towards that of "Red Toryism". However when I became a Christian ("for real") in the summer of Grade 9, I made a shift in Grade 10 to favour "The Religious Right/The New Right" a little more, seeing as there is a lack of a political party to represent "The Religious Left/Centre" these days. However part-way in Grade 11, Jim Wallis' (an American Christian Theologian and Social Activist) "God's Politics: How the Left doesn't get it and the Right gets it Wrong" lead me to question the agenda of "The Religious Right/ The New Right". As result of this book, the movie "Prairie Giant" (about Tommy Douglas' political life as leader of the CCF in Saskatchewan, the 1st Socialist Government leader in North America, and as leader of the Federal NDP), I shifted to adopt a modified version of "The Religious Left/Centre" view, which incorporated soft NL Nationalism, and Red Toryism as well.

Despite this, I was in favour of the Federal Liberal Party of Canada, but in favour of NL PC Premier Danny Williams when he got in in 2003 (despite disagreeing with some of his stances), although I made the mistake of sympathesizing with the US "Religious Right/ The New Right" under US President George W. Bush from 2000-2004/05, mostly due to lack of understanding of US Politics. But after reading "God's Politics", I yearned to see "The Religious Left/Centre" ally with "The Moral Centre" (of which Jim Wallis wrote of) in the US formed an alliance, changing the ways of the US Democrats and Republicians, hoping a new political party in the US would emergy on these principles. As of 2004/05 onward, I went from a GWB sympathesizer to a Bush criticizer. As for Canadian Politics, the revealing of "The Sponsorship Scandal" in 2004 (under the Federal Liberals), lead me to question the Federal Party, which I had identified with for years. As a result, I began to dislike all three federal political parties.

Yet, I was glad under The-Then-Leader of the Opposition Stephen Harper and Loyola Hearn convinced Former PM Paul Martin to sign and pass the 2005 Atlantic Accord with NL Premier DW. As of the 2006 Election Campaign, my allegiances shifted to the Federal NDP, although I wanted the Federal CPC to win a minority government, to do the following: 1. punish the Federal LPC for the Sponsorship Scandal, and make them reflect on 13/15 years of Federal Political Domination, 2. that the NDP would at least double (or triple) their seat count (it was 9 in 2000, 18/19 in 2004, but only went up to 35/36 in 2006), and 3. have a minority Parliament prevent PMSH from pushing his neoconservative ideology into the Government of Canada without any checks or balances.

So ya, in January 2006-December 2006, I viewed the Federal NDP as my first option, but the Federal CPC as my second choice (since I was disillusioned with the Federal LPC). I was glad to see some changes being made, even though I believed Harper failed on climate change/global warming, and other issues. But when Stephanie Dion won out the Federal LPC Leadership, I felt myself putting the Federal LPC as my first choice, while the Federal CPC/NDP were tied for second. Consequently, after following Garth Turner's blog from October/November 2006 onward, I came to like Stephanie Dion initially, leading to my membership in the Federal LPC in January 2007, although it only lasted for 3 days (it took 1-3 weeks for the Federal LPC to process my membership). However, i'd e-mailed the NLFP (Newfoundland and Labrador First Party), asking why the website hadn't been updated (as of January 2007) since January/February 2006 (the same time as the NLFP got provincially registered to have NLFP Leader (then also President) run out in the Placentia-St.Mary's by-election).

If you want more on how I came to join the NLFP, see my first entry on the blog I author "The Official NLFP Blog" (Link: http://www.nlfirstpartyblog.blogspot.com)

So ya, the rest is history: I choose to join the NLFP, because it incorporated my views better than the Federal Liberals, taking my "Red Toryism", "Religious Left/Centre", and NL Nationalistic beliefs with me in mid-January 2007. In March 2007, I was put on the Federal Registration Committee, being named "Director of Youth Organizations" within the NLFP also, a position I still hold to this day. Although the position of Executive-Youth was also absorbed into my current position, in addition to Student Rep. on the Executive Council (EC) of the NLFP (Newfoundland and Labrador First Party).

Anyways, i'm still enjoying my position in the NLFP, trying to change things from the inside, establish a Youth Wing of the NLFP at MUN,etc... In the meantime, i'm trying to get into Social Work this March coming (March 2008), and will writing my MUN SWAT (Social Work Admissions Test) in late March- early April 2008. Hopefully, i'll be into the MUN Scwrk. faculty by June 2008 (this is no guarantee, seeing as 50% or less of applicants can get in, due to heavy competition for limited spaces, and the need for high, well-rounded credentials).

I do apologize for rambling, but I just wanted to inform everybody of why I think the way I do politically. In conclusion, my political views have changed dramatically since my early years of hearing my parents talk about politics to 9/11 to post-9/11 to Federal LPC involvement to NLFP involvement. I see myself as both a 'political idealist' (see above: I have ideals, although I try to make them compatible with my Christian Faith), although I also have an element of 'political realism' (If I believe something politically that I later learn is outdated, wrong, and/or useless, i'll discard it for something that is more in touch with reality. This is a big reason why I like the NLFP: I can simply aim to advocate for what puts NL First, rather than simply an abstract political ideology).

Anyways, questions and comments anyone?!