Post 201--Fraser Health Bullies Force Euthanasia

Our secular culture is playing around with death more and more as if it has the authority to make life-end decisions.  Civilized people know that life is not ours to give or take. It is only barbarians who feel free to play around with life and death as if it is theirs to give or take. We've experienced this barbarian attitude for decades in connection with abortion. Long ago, it was predicted that once we're over the abortion hurdle then we'll take the next step, killing the other weak vulnerables among us, that is, the elderly and others.  Those in palliative and hospices were the natural next target. 

And, sure enough, it has come.  At first preferred, even if illegal.  Then, after some time of force and illegalities, it became legal over the dead bodies of many Christians--pardon the intended pun! And now the next step: force it on the institutions of care regardless of their values, worldview or religion. 

It has been public knowledge that the progress of the West is due to its traditional Christian worldview--along with the help of humanism, which itself is just a product of Christianity. It has also been predicted that to the extent the West forsakes its Christian tradition, to the extent it will revert back to its pagan past.  The issues of abortion and euthanasia are the direct result of this reversion process. 

The notice below is reaching you too late, I'm afraid. I saw it just now, five minutes ago. Nevertheless I pass it on so you can become more familiar, more shocked and more involved in stopping this slide into barbarianism.  It's coming; have no doubt.  It's just dressed in the impressive dress of modern science that hides the true horror it is. 

Well, read and take whatever action or join whatever organization or movement in your neck of the woods you can.  But first, read this:

From: ARPA Canada <info@arpacanada.ca>

Date: February 8, 2018 10:35:54 AM PST

To: Nancy Leguijt <jakeleguijt@shaw.ca>

Subject: Important event on Saturday

Dear BC Friends,

Fraser Health is now forcing non-denominational palliative care providers and hospices to offer euthanasia. That means that organizations devoted to caring are now being instructed to assist withsuicide. Many of our readers will be familiar with Dr. Neil Hilliard, the medical director of Fraser Health’s palliative care program, who was featured in ARPA’s palliative care documentary. In light of this decision, Dr. Hilliard has resigned from his position.

Although this decision comes from Fraser Health, the developments are not limited to the Fraser Valley. News reports indicate that at least two other regions in the province are placing similar expectations on the palliative care providers.

In light of these developments, Langley ARPA is organizing an event, to be held on Saturday. More information is in their update below. We strongly encourage you to attend and bring this event to the attention of others!

With just a couple of days to go, we are not able to advertise this broadly and need your assistance. Please email and phone your friends and family, and especially those who you know are connected to care-giving or would have an interest in this. This includes people from other churches and organizations. If you are from outside of Langley, consider organizing a van or car load and get as many folks out as possible for this important event.

---

Dear Fraser Valley ARPA members and friends,

This Saturday the Langley ARPA chapter will be hosting a number of speakers including MP Mark Warawa, MLA Mary Polack, Langley Hospice Executive Director Nancy Panchuk, and former Medical Director of the Fraser Health Palliative Care Program Dr. Neil Hilliard to discuss the sudden mandate by Fraser Health requiring all Fraser Valley Hospice to provide euthanasia as part of hospice palliative care programs.

Many Hospice medical professionals, volunteers, and donors are absolutely opposed to this directive and are pushing back. Delta Hospice Executive Director Nancy Macey recently told the Vancouver Sun, "the pressure to provide MAiD everywhere is a bullying tactic of the Dying With Dignity activists." Dr. Hilliard stated in his resignation letter that "providing euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide is not in accordance with palliative care (which) "affirms life and regards dying as a normal process...". MP Mark Warawa recently submitted a letter to the Fraser Health Board saying that "requiring hospice palliative care facilities to hasten the death of a patient through the use of assisted suicide and euthanasia directly contradicts this recognized mandate and social licence of hospice facilities, healthcare professionals and volunteers that are supported and funded by generous donors in our communities." 

Please join us on Saturday, February 10 at 8 pm for a panel discussion on the next steps in the battle to keep Hospice from becoming lethal!

Where:  Credo Christian High school, 21846 52 Ave, Langley, BC

When:  Saturday, February 10 at 8:00 p.m. in the Gymnasium

Hosted by:  Langley ARPA Chapter

For more background information on the current situation, please check the following links:

• http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/delta-hospice-rebels-against-fraser-healths-mandate-to-provide-medical-assistance-in-dying
• https://www.langleyadvance.com/news/langleys-conservative-mp-says-hospice-shouldnt-have-to-provide-assisted-suicide/
• ending-suffering-the-palliative-alternative-part-7

Post 179--Faith vs Reason?

Trying to catch up a bit after the long absence. So, another gem for you to ponder today, this time mostly my own.

Today’s subject is hardly new for me or, for that matter, for you. You’ve read similar stuff in earlier posts on this blog, but I return to the subject for two related reasons. One is that secular folks seem never to understand the point I am making today. Even secular friends with whom I’ve had long and deep discussions on this particular issue never seem to comprehend. I’ve been wondering whether this is simply because they cannot or because simply refuse to admit. The second and related reason for returning to the subject is that, because of what seems intransigence on the part of seculars, it has become one of my favourite subjects. I love to challenge seculars on this score, because their view on the subject is the dominant one in our secular society. Our whole society is run on basis of it. That is to say, our whole society is run on basis of a myth!

The subject?  The old saw of REASON VS RELIGION.  Now, you may not be philosophically inclined and kind of crinch at the sound of this topic. But, you know, whether you’re philosophical or not, your life is lived according to the stand you take on this subject. Your stand may be held subconsciously; you may not be aware of it, but it shapes your life.  And the fact that it most likely is subconscious, that makes it worse. In fact, it means you don’t know what you’re doing or why.

John Krakauer published a book back in 2004 by the title of Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. It’s a book about violence within the Mormon community.  He used this story as a demonstration of his conviction about reason vs religion. In his Prologue he wrote:

Although the far territory of the extreme can exert an intoxicating pull on susceptible individuals of all bents, extremism seems to be especially prevalent among those include by temperament or upbringing towards religious pursuits.  Faith is the very antithesis of reason, injudiciousness a crucial component of spiritual devotion.  And when religious fanaticism supplants ratiocination, all bets are suddenly off. Anything can happen. Absolutely anything. Common sense is no match for the peace of God—as the actions of Dan Lafferty vividly attest.

There you have it: “Faith is the very antithesis of reason,” while “injudiciousness” is “a crucial component of spiritual devotion.” Well, I am a man of faith and of spiritual devotion, but none the people here in Vancouver’s West End who know me and have observed me have ever accused me of injudiciousness or of being unreasonable—except two.  And this West End, in case you don’t know area, is thoroughly secular in its culture and mentality. Secularism is the very air we breathe here.

Now I don’t know anything about Krakauer’s life, but I suspect he is pretty ignorant about the role of religion, that he has never spent much time with religious people or in religious institutions. He has never read serious religious books or listened to lectures, including dialogical ones.  If he has religious neighbours or colleagues, he avoids talking about it and, perhaps, avoids them altogether.

But, you know what the real and even more tragic problem is? It is that Krakauer does not even know himself!  He, like seculars in general, thinks that he is a person of reason and not of faith—but that is the grand myth of secularism. Who has ever proven that the philosophy that puts reason at the top is true?  Has been proven?  No one. That itself is a matter of pure faith.  A person living by reason is one living by faith in reason, believes as much and as fervently as the overtly religious person.  And indeed, with the fanaticism of secular believers in reason, all bets can indeed be off, such as the killing of the most vulnerable of all humans, namely babies. That’s the ultimate of extremes and of cruelty. Society’s having become accustomed to it does not make it less extreme or cruel.  And if extreme behavior is the product of religion, well Krakauer has just condemned his own faith in reason.

 I’ll try to get back to Krakauer and similar people over the next few days. In the meantime, ponder where you fit in this faith vs reason thing.

Well, stick that in your pipe and smoke it.   

Post 135--Muslim Reaction to US Election

       

Today, I welcome a special guest for the occasion.  Many Christians have problems with the secular establishment of both Canada and the USA, even though that establishment includes many Christians, including both our Canadian Prime Minister and the American President.  In my opinion, though I appreciate some of their decisions, I am dumbstruck at some others. In both countries the secular establishment is slowly putting the screws on religious liberty. However, no time today to deal with that in detail.

Many Muslims are having similar problems. So, today I welcome Abdul Malik Mujahid, who sends out emails under the name Sound Vision. This is what he circulated today:

Assalamu Alaikum (Peace to you)

Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, whom we love so much, would get all sorts of questions. One day, while sitting in the wilderness, someone asked him about trust in God: “Should I trust in God and not tie my camel?” 

The camel was the primary mode of transportation at the time in Arabia. If you lost your camel, you’d lost one of your key assets. And if you were traveling far in the desert, losing your camel could mean death.  

The Prophet’s answer: Tie your camel, then put your trust in God.

That principle does many things for us. 

As Muslims, we have been become political footballs, first in Europe, then in Canada, and now in America. We are the number one victims of ISIS, as well as war and terror. Yet, we are blamed for causing terrorism. 

We had two choices in this election: Someone who hit us where it hurt us the most. Then there was the other presidential candidate who swung right back, defending Muslims and the diversity of this country. 

For many of us Muslims, who spent millions of dollars and votes supporting Hillary Clinton, we tied the camel - I guess. 

Now is the time to trust God. He controls the world. We do not. He sees the whole picture and truly knows the best for everyone. We love Him, we trust Him. He is the Creator of us all. He created you and I, as well as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. He strategizes and He is the best strategizer (Quran 8:30).

Houston Rockets NBA star Hakeem Olajuwon illustrated this beautifully. He had always been a good basketball player, and was always a Muslim. However, when he truly embraced his faith in a mosque in Houston in the 1990s, he transformed. 

He would still lose games, but he ultimately led the Rockets to victory. And this is what he told me about trusting God (Tawakkul). 

"Before I started practicing my faith, I used to completely rely on myself,” he said. “When I had done my best, I would be extremely frustrated if I didn't win. It would irritate and anger me. And that was causing me to be bad to others by fighting and swearing.

"But when I started practicing my faith, I learned that results are not my property. I started doing my best but then I left success and failure to my Creator. Now I was not irritated by failure and was not over-inflated by success. That caused me to calm down and improve my behavior towards others on my team and we became a team."

So trust God. Don’t despair (Quran 39:53), and don’t give up. That is not Sabr (patience). Sabr is to do your utmost and endure whatever it takes to achieve that goal. 

I have a personal goal. And I would like you to be my partner in achieving that goal. To liberate America from fear, hate, and anger, which were there before Trump, and may not end with this election cycle. 

We must engage with America to end the cycle of war, terror, and hate, which has caused us to lose trillions, kill millions, and dehumanize each other, despite all of us being God’s creation, Who created us from the same man and woman (49:13).

Seek help with Sabr (patience) and Salat (prayer). That increases trust in God. Open your hearts and minds for your neighbor, white, blacks, and all shades in between. 

And pray that God opens the hearts of our neighbors toward us. 

It is time for reflection as well. It will take many Sajdas (prostrations to God) and many Duas to achieve balanced, thoughtful conclusions. But for now, I will say this: American Muslims are achievers. They achieve what they set their mind to. We wanted to build mosques and we have doubled the number of mosques since 9/11; we wanted to build Muslim schools and we have tripled the number of Muslim schools since 9/11; following the beautiful example of the Prophet, we have responded to disasters in America and abroad by rushing to help, thus multiplying our relief organizations. 

But what we have not done is devote resources to take America forward. We have not invested even one percent or .01 percent in what we have invested in mosques, schools, and relief organizations. 

So for now, I would just say, let’s do a personal audit: An audit of our personal time and money. What percentage are you committing to your empowerment to take this country forward? That is the camel that still needs to be tied before we expect God to do miracles for us. 

Peace

Though there are significant core differences between our two religions, we also have many similarities that we need to capitalize on. Much of what Abdul writes today resonates with me. I similarly feel that Christians spend way too much time, money and effort on “religious” matters when they should instead be religiously engaged in society by contributing to its welfare, to the common good. But religiously, not secularly. With the Spirit of God in their hearts not only but also in their minds, in how they create images of a just society according to the insights of their religion.

So, thank you Abdul. Perhaps we ought to sit down together and see how far we can work on this together.