Oh Canada

Just after the Olympics, the government wanted to change our national anthem. They wanted to drop "son's" and put something else in to make it gender neutral. This reminded me that our national anthem has "god" in it. When did this happen? It was changed not long ago. Somebody told me about 10 years ago. What happened to secular Canada, to the separation of church and state? Let's get together here, and get our old anthem back, without the word "god" in it. I cant sing it, I just cant. I cannot praise a fantasy. The government has no right to promote religion by referring to "god" in such a crucial national symbol as the anthem. We need to get this changed!

I'm fine with the anthem remaining as it is. There comes a time when you have to suck it up and grow up.
Bitching about the national anthem is petty. Don't attack the memory before you engage the threat. You certainly won't gain any sympathy from the hard-core proponents of secular interests. They have bigger fish to fry.
If you're interested in debating the inappropriate application of indoctrinated ideals, focus on something that truly matters, like our LAWS.

If after that we have time, then we can focus on the trivial details.

No, god was NOT always in the national anthem. I remember singing it many times the old way - hundreds of times. And they changed it. I just cant sing it anymore, because it promotes a fantasy: the idea of god. It is not trivial to me, and to others I've spoken to. The idea that religion is part of out national anthem is contrary to the separation of church and state. Yes, we need to get this law changed.
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I'm surprised that atheists would attack me for being upset that politicians changed the anthem to insert god into it. They ruined the anthem. The anthem is a basic ingredient of a country. To promote a christian agenda, they have excluded many citizens, me being one. I am excluded. This christian anthem is not my anthem. I cant sing it, and that's not fair. The anthem should be for everybody.
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We should all get together and protest to our MPs that our anthem is exclusionary, divisive, and contrary to the separation of church and state. Dont let these christians walk all over you. Stand up.
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No, god was NOT always in the national anthem

Nope it wasn't and you probably have *never* sung the song when it didn't have it. You certainly don't see the original version that didn't have God in it, in any institution in THIS country.

The original national anthem was in french and translated to english read:

Oh Canada!
Land of our forefathers,
Thy brow is wreathed with a glorious
garland of flowers.
As is thy arm ready to wield the sword,
So also is it ready to carry the cross.
Thy history is an epic
Of the most brilliant exploits.
Thy valour steeped in faith
Will protect our homes and our rights
Will protect our homes and our rights.

If you were singing any variation of the national anthem without God in it, other then that one created in the 1800s you were *not* singing the Canadian national anthem as recognized by the government of canada.

The poem by Weir didn't say God in it, but even that wasn't considered the national anthem.

But, lets get to the meat of this illogic.

I just cant sing it anymore, because it promotes a fantasy

*ALL* songs promote a fantasy. Every national anthem with any concept or ideal. Any song written by any artist is designed to promote a fantasy. Do you honestly believe that MUSIC should be chained to the melancholy interests of someone who can't even appreciate that fact? We'd be singing the hymns of calculus to meet those standards!

The idea that religion is part of out national anthem is contrary to the separation of church and state. Yes, we need to get this law changed.

Please, show me where in Canadian law it states that we shall have a seperation of church and state? We don't even HAVE states. You're confusing Canada for America.

If you want to remove the government's ability to mash these concepts together, have the 'notwithstanding clause' removed from the Charter or Rights and Freedoms that allows the government to break it through legislative powers.

I'm surprised that atheists would attack me for being upset that politicians changed the anthem to insert god into it.

By the very fact you take civil discourse to be an outright attack rather than a constructive discussion moving forward says more about you than it does anyone who would engage this way of thinking.

The government is not promoting any one religion's agenda. That would be breaking a term of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In the same way God exists for multiple groups, you can not be charged with defamation if you insult a group, rather then an individual. But that is neither here nor there.(I just thought it amusing)

Dont let these christians walk all over you. Stand up.

No Christian walks on me, but neither will I be goaded by a fundamentalist atheist with their own interests in mind.

You say it's not fair. You claim it's divisive. Yet you offer no *evidence* but to presume it matters that the word God is in the *SONG*. If you don't believe, the word might as well be Farts, Fairies or Toe Jam.

I've come to terms with the fact that this society has alot of people who are idiotic. That many people believe in things that make no sense and I can live with that. What I can not stand is when someone who believes in one of those things makes it a point to try and undermine the process of democracy.

Apparently you missed the point I was making in my original response or you would understand how trivial your tripe truly is.

We're dealing with a government that steals money from its own citizens, harbours criminals and child molesters while deporting people who are actually contributing to the well-being of this society. A government that frequently spends tax dollars on COFFEE.

A government that ever since the inception of our very charter has had the legislative power to undermine the democratic process and crush tenets of that very charter.

This society is full of yellow bellies who talk alot.
I'm personally tired of standing alone in a group of talkers too busy listening to their own farts to see the big picture.

Maybe I'm upset for no good reason.
I'm not an athiest.

I'm a democratic with libertarian influences.
I don't define my beliefs by what I don't believe. I define them by what I do.

These are the words I learned growing up in Winnipeg in the '60s:

Oh, Canada
Our home and native land
True patriot love
In all thy son's command
With glowing hearts we see thee rise
The true north strong and free
And stand on guard, oh Canada
We stand on guard for thee
Oh, Canada
Glorious and free
We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee
Oh, Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Then I left Canada in the '70s and when I came back 12 years later the words had changed. I wasn't too impressed but then I didn't think it was any sillier to ask a god to keep our land glorious and free than for 6 or 7 year old kids to proclaim they stand on guard for thee. Hey, where's my gun & my helmet?

It doesn't matter if the lyrics were different in french.
Anything prior to the anthem becoming legally the Canadian National Anthem is bollocks.

The text in that song has changed and been scrutinized for over a hundred years now, all because people can't get over the idea that a song might not be the Be-All-End-All of a nations pride. That it represents something more then being a SONG.

I really don't understand this disgusting obsession with pride.
Some Canadians piss me off. I'm proud to stand strong against the proud who stand for nothing.

Pick your battles Canada.