WWJC?

The visit of the nation's church leaders to the halls of Parliament a couple of weeks ago wasn't so much a celebration of faith as it was a deep and abiding concern over poverty. Even with their impressive efforts to stay non-partisan one couldn't help but get the clear sense of worry at the present government's failure to tackle national poverty in any serious manner. In fact, the two well-researched reports released recently by both the Senate and the House received enough of a desultory response from the Harper government that the faith leaders despaired of any significant federal action at all taking place.All of this leaves Conservatives members in an awkward place. As mentioned previously in these posts, a large cohort of the governing party lays claim to being Christian, devoutly so. More than a few have mentioned to me that faith now finally has a place back in government. They hold to their religious tenets sincerely and can frequently be seen around the Hill feting various religious personalities. Yet at the same time, these very same faith leaders have quietly expressed their concern over the bullying tactics of the government and of the moral scandals that have recently descended on Ottawa. But now that they have added the failure to deal seriously with poverty to that list, those of Christian persuasion in the Harper government are in a bind between honouring their faith and enjoying the perks of power.It's budget time in the nation's capital and after having accumulated a deficit of over $50 billion in just two years and a rapidly growing national debt, the government is looking to making some significant cuts to reign in spending. Presumably those of the Christian faith would seek to undertake such cuts in the spirit of their Founder. And so, with a play on the famous religious phrase, "What Would Jesus Do?" (WWJD), let's ask ourselves "What Would Jesus Cut?" (WWJC).It seems apparent that deficit reduction will hardly come from the wealthiest people in the land. And the reality that the $6 billion in corporate tax cuts will only profit the top 10% of firms seems to constitute a kind of ethical slap in the face to Christ's own mandate that the poor and dispossessed should be the most direct beneficiaries of our spiritual compassion. In fact, in Canada, the poorer you are the more vulnerable you are becoming. In looking over the religious and political establishments of his time, Jesus put forward a challenge for the ages, just as Muhammad, Buddha, Moses, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, and Mandela championed in their own time: the clear test of any good society is how it treats it most defenceless of citizens. There really is no large amount of room to debate this, in Christian terms at least, for the Bible affirms repeatedly that Christ placed the preference in sincere faith towards those who are struggling in poverty. Religious experts continue to confirm this to be so.I wonder if my Conservative friends of the Christian persuasion would even have the courage to approach Christ, if he were in the Commons, and state: "The best way to help the poor is to keep helping the rich." I doubt it, and yet such an outlook is at the epi-centre of their party's economic policy. Jesus didn't just feed the poor, he advocated repeatedly for them in a system that continued to move money upward. But the present government has been busy severing its relationship with those NGOs and civil society groups that maintain the ethical rights of the poor, women, victims of war, and the human rights of all. Now it is in the troubling process of placing distance between itself and the religious leaders of the day - a troubling portend for a party filled with people of faith.Obviously a blog post like this isn't for everyone; people are free to follow their own internal compasses. Some will claim that faith has no part in politics. Trouble is, it does form a key part of character and is therefore unavoidable. But for those of the Christian order there is an ethic that is meant to be compelling and followed. It is time for the faithful in every political party to bring their faith in line with their desire for power and influence. That especially holds true for government members who actually possess that privilege. I watch across the aisle as even MPs who are church leaders heckle and affirm their political partisanship over their religious responsibilities. It's troubling. While I believe they have the right convictions on such matters, what they lack is the courage of those convictions, as sometimes we all do.The House and the Senate have spoken, chronicling the great collective sin of a nation refusing to deal with the growing poverty of its people, especially in the aboriginal world. The government maintains it is doing enough, leaving its own members of faith hoisted on their own petard. The budget is coming out this week. What would Jesus cut? If government members wish to be true to their faith, the time to speak up is now.