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Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-10-24, Page 5OPINION cumenical councils" add confusion to Christianity says Barney Dear Editor, Elsa Haydon, in her article in a recent Signal -Star, opined: "Certainly the Pope had some kind words forthose other faiths, sometimes as an afterthought, but the pro- mised and expected ecumenical message of true universality never flowered..." ; and also: "...observations and reactions of bystanders have their legitimate places in our multi -faith society." Observing what happened at other "ecumenical" endeavors might supply the reason for the lack of "flowering " on this occasion. The First Ecumenical Council took place at Nicea. It was called by the Emperor Con- stantine (who was not baptized until he was on his deathbed), because he wanted to use the rapidly expanding Christian religion, with its great potentialities, to strengthen the Roman Empire. When Constantine selected and brought together the 118 bishops it was pure power politics, religious concerns taking very much of a back seat. Even charismatic bishops can have no doubt about that, for not only did the Emperor preside over the Coun- cil, he also proclaimed that his will was ec- clesiastical law. The senior pastors ac- cepted him as "Universal Bishop" even though he was unbaptized, and they let him take part in votes on Church dogma as a secular prince. Ecclesiastical and earthly interests entered into an astonishing sym- biosis even at that early stage. Constantine was completely ignorant of Jesus' teaching. He was a follower of the solar cult of Mithras (ancient Iranian God of light), who was portrayed on coins as the '.'invincible sun" and worshipped until far into the Christian era. When Constantine gave his name to the old Greek commercial city of Byzantium and made Constantinople (330) the capital of the Roman Empire, he had a mighty col- umn erected for the ceremonial opening of the metropolis with the Emperor and the in- vincible sun on the top of it, forgetting all about Christian humility. Clouds of incense L TT n.- -u RS floated in the air, and candlelit processions made their tortuous way through the city streets in his honor. What were the ecclesiastical- cum - political decisions that this pasha had a hand in? Until Nicea, the doctrine that God and Christ were not identical, but only similar, held good. Constantine forced the Council to proclaim that God the Father and Jesus were of the same essence. This absolutely vital amendment became Church dogma by official decree. THAT is how Jesus became identical with God. With this as a founda- tion, the bishops unanimousjy,.•passed the "Nicene Creed", Non -Christian Constantine did the Church another enormous service. Until that time, the place where Jesus was buried remained unknown. Then, in the year of grace 326, the Roman Emperor, led by "divine in- spiration", discovered the grave of Jesus, who had just become consubstantial with God. (In 330 Constantine had the Church of the Holy Sepulchre built) This is the image of the Emperor and Pon- tifex who stage-managed the first Ecumenical Council, and, when the council was over, told the Christian communities in a circular letter that the agreement of the 118 bishops was the "Decision of God." In- cidentally, Constantine the Great was canonized by the Armenian, Greek, and Russian Churches. Four more "Ecumenical Councils" followed, none of which were convened by any pope, but each one of which, has added more and more confusion to "Christianity". Canadians should be happy that the "ecumenical message" did not "flower". Sincerely yours, C.F. Barney No second chance on French immersion Dear editor, I was impressed by the results of the re- cent Gallup poll on the attitude of Canadian parents to french .language education. The poll indicates that the majority of parents want their schools to offer bilingualism as a realistic option. The main concern of parents is understandably economic; the trend towards bilingual employment in both the public and private sectors is bound to inten- sify. Unfortunately, bilingualism is not popular with some ratepayers in this area. Resistance to early french immersion may delay or even prevent local boards from making it available. What will happen to the children now entering the Huron County school system if early french immersion is not offered? One thing is certain. The bilingualism op- tion is increasingly popular across the coun- try. Most of the school systems that now of- fer it have seen a dramatic increase in enrolment. This and the Gallup poll sug- gest that a significant part of the next generation will be functionally bilingual. This will almost certainly mean some kind of financial advantage in an. economy that may be as tight and competitive as anything Suspect turns out tobe... • from page 1 received hundreds of tips on sightings and did not act on the report from Goderich. Chief King said the press was invc _ ed in the matter beca use police wanted to locate the vehicle described by the Goderich clerks. "We enlisted the aid of the public and tried to get their co-operation to clear the matter. That is just what happened." Chief King commended the ladies who reported the sighting for having the presence of mind to recall the description of Howe and to follow through on the matter. He said he hoped the incident would not discourage others from coming forward. we know. As the parent of a child 'already in kindergarten, I am frankly concerned. Ear- ly french immersion is the only practical way to ensure bilingualism, but children cannot enter it beyond Grade 1. I have already heard of one family that went out- side the county to get french immersion before time ran out. If the local school boards choose not to offer language immer- sion in the next school year, many local parents will have to make a similar deci- sion. This situation should not exist. Local school boards should have a responsibility to offer bilingualism. I can't deny the ob- vious financial pressures on rural school boards; if we were discussing an extra- curricular activity or a piece of playground equipment, the "purse strings" argument might make sense. We aren't. Language education is as fundamental as math or history. Immersion is the language educa- tion that actually teaches a useful skill. Please support french immersion in Huron County now. A bunch of great little people won't get a second chance. Gregory Pillon CIVIC CORNER Huron County Council will meet Thursday, November 1, at 10:00 a.m., in the council chambers, Huron County Court House, Goderich. Goderich Town Council will meet Monday October 29, at 7:30 p.m, in the council chambers. The Business Improvment Area Board of Managment will meet Thursday, October 25, at 12 noon, at the town hall. LET'S SEE YOt 1)O I -T . OlTI)OORS' If you're NEW IN TOWN and don't know which way to turn, call the 94ravare, V LTD. hostess at 524-7165 or 524-2544 XV ATTENTION BOATERS SNUG HARBOUR MUNICIPAL MARINA GODERICH Has set the 1965 Dockage Rates Weekly-Under16' - $30.00, 19' - 24' $35.00, 25' - 30' - $30.00, Over 30' $73.00. Monthly - $3.00 per foot - No minimum charge. Season runs April 13th to October 13th. All services are Included in any of the above FREE y Showers, pump -out, garbage disposal, barbecues, etc. PHONE 524-8344 for more Information 1\ U\ \ \\ \\\\\\\ \ \\\ \\ GODERICH SIGNALATAR, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 74,1984 --PAGE 5 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1984 A new standard is raised in Stratford. Now Avon Motor Company joins the Renault/AMC/Jeep network across Canada to bring excellent sales, service and parts to Stratford. With factory trained mechanics. Factory approved ports. And all the know-how and special equipment to properly service the whole line-up of Renault, Jeep and AMC vehicles. Avon Motor Company (Stratford) Ltd. 570 Huron Street Stratford 271-7528 New at... hair connection phone 524-4677 1384 The Square Goderich. t pinw Standar(' Trutitl open 6 days a week. 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