Quebec and the Foolishness of the Cross

 

     Beneath the cross of Jesus
        I fain would take my stand:
    the shadow of a mighty rock
        within a weary land,
    a home within the wilderness,
        a rest upon the way,
    from the burning of the noontide heat
        and the burden of the day.

 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
 but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  
For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

I Corinthians 1:18-19

A new governing party has taken the reins in the province of Quebec with a resounding majority. It seems that there is a lot of "out with the old and in with the new" going on these days, around the world. The new party is the Coalition Avenir Quebec which sounds somewhat better than the acronym CAQ -- who wants to be CAQ! 

While CAQ is supposedly committed to secularism in government, it seems to be engaging in some rather convoluted "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" reasoning. 

 A majority of Quebecers tell pollsters they want civil servants not to wear religious symbols. The CAQ promised them while in opposition, and on the campaign trail. Leader François Legault promised to use the notwithstanding clause to remove yarmulkes, turbans, hijabs and (presumably) crosses from certain classes of civil servants. But what about the Christian cross as a symbol in public places? A crucifix is displayed prominently in the National Assembly, so will it be removed?

Nope. Legault says the crucifix hanging in the Assembly is a historical symbol, not a religious one, even though it represents the Christian values of the province's two colonial ancestors. This sounds like a lot of racist caqa to me.





Salvador Dali

What could be a more powerful Christian symbol than a cross? Well, perhaps an actual crucifix, on which we see the suffering Christ. It moves us to the heart of the gospel and the sacrificial power of God's love. It is the defining image of a particular religion. Perhaps the premier and his cabinet need to engage in some earnest bible study.

Who knows, in these turbulent times of "othering" minorities whether this will simply be accepted or whether people will recognize the hypocrisy at work here. I hope that the folk who elected Legault's government in what is already the most secular province in the country will at least raise their eyebrows. 

Thoughts?