did Canada's RW churches affect the election???

[bobbieinok]

(Toronto Blessing is a Pentecostal movement)

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2006/1/24/20543/5363

The "Toronto Blessing" and Monday's elections in Canada. Are They Related?

By Joan Bokaer Tue Jan 24, 2006 at 08:54:03 PM EST

As Canada's Conservative Party came into power on Monday -- marking a striking shift from four consecutive Liberal national election victories in the last thirteen years -- I am reminded of something I witnessed about three years ago at the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (TACF). As its name says, the Fellowship is located near the Toronto Airport.
I went for a purely selfish reason. I love to laugh. I was there to experience the "Toronto Blessing"

....

Then everything happened like a slow-motion movie. "This is the time we usually worship," she said. "And I know that you all are great worshippers. But something so important has come up, that we're not going to worship in our usual way today, and we're going to write letters to members of parliament instead."

At the back of the room was a long row of tables filled with letter-writing materials. Parliament was getting ready to vote on a gay marriage amendment, and they were told that this bill was unbiblical.

I watched thousands of people line up obediently to write their letters and wondered if the Conservative Party would form a coalition with the Religious Right. None of the reporting I have read on the Canadian elections have mentioned anything about political organizing through the megachurches. But then I rarely read an account of the Republican coup of 1994 -- when Republicans won majoritites in both houses of the U.S. Congress for the first time in forty years -- I rarely see this event linked to the activities of the Christian Coalition.

To be fair, the new Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, came across as a moderate conservative, studiously avoiding discussion of social issues during the campaign, but then so did Bush in 2000. I hope that our Canadian friends wake up in time to stop their Religious Right from winning a strong majority in Parliament. May the "Toronto Blessing" remain a healing force and not become the dominant political force in Canada.

[applegrove]

1. Follow the Oil Money!