Most people in the world do not enjoy the freedoms we do in Canada. Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms sets out the “fundamental freedoms” we enjoy: freedom of conscience and religion; freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; freedom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of association.
These freedoms are not absolute and they sometimes conflict with each other.
Courts regularly have to decide which freedom will take precedence in this or that case. But in the main, there are few restrictions.
Hate speech is an obvious one that is a criminal offence, for instance. Defamation of a person’s character is another restriction on free speech.
There are also obligations that go along with these rights. Publishers in Canada, for instance, have to be reasonably accommodating to advertisers.
In April’s Record, we published an advertisement that was a reprint of a public letter by an American Roman Catholic cardinal essentially about abortion. The ad was paid for by an individual (who happens to be Presbyterian, although that is not a relevant factor).
Once magazine publishers decide to accept advertising, they are legally bound to publish ads so long as they are not contrary to the magazine’s advertising policies, which themselves cannot be arbitrary. Right of access and freedom of speech are both protected in Canada.
The Presbyterian Record does not accept ads it believes would conflict with core Presbyterian doctrine and practice. We also do not carry advertising for tobacco, alcohol, adult content or anything military, other than chaplaincy ads.
Despite the obvious cultural and denominational differences in the ad, we found nothing that conflicted with core Presbyterian teaching. (See the PCC’s Social Action Handbook, available on Presbyterian.ca.) Having made that determination we were obliged to accommodate and publish the ad.
Some readers asked me if just anyone can pay for an ad to express their point of view. The answer is that so long as the ad doesn’t violate Canadian law (isn’t hateful, doesn’t defame someone) and is within the bounds of the Record’s stated policy, the answer is yes.
Right of access and freedom of speech laws in Canada are designed to permit just that. For example, it is not uncommon to see full-page advertisements in newspapers taken out by interest groups in order to publicize their position on an issue. The Presbyterian Record is governed by the same laws, notwithstanding the restrictions of our own policy as outlined.
Since we accept advertising (which provides almost a quarter of our annual operating revenue), the content of those ads can’t be entirely decided by the publisher—and I’m sure readers wouldn’t want that.
So what about editorial content?
We are publishing a series modestly called Theology 101 because it raises some basic faith questions.
One of the authors is a retired professor of Postmodernism, Rev. Dr. Joseph McLelland. Dr. McLelland is professor emeritus of both McGill and Presbyterian College and a past moderator of General Assembly. In short, he is a distinguished teaching elder of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
The strength of Dr. McLelland’s article is in forcing us to rethink some of our easily held assumptions—some which were more easily held before we welcomed the vast array of cultures that have joined our country in the past 20 to 30 years. You may agree or disagree with his conclusions, but we encourage readers to stick with the series to the end.
We are hoping for great discussion, thoughtful exchanges and dynamic debate. A robust faith wants—in fact needs—to be continually challenged to reframe itself to address the time and place in which it finds itself proclaiming the Good News.
So bring on the discussion and bring on the learning. We’ll all be better for it.
Or as Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls advocates in our cover story this month: to really read the Bible we have to look at it from myriad points of view. That variety makes all the difference.
