Author: HV Voogd

Slavery in Canada?

Fact: The “Act Against Slavery” was passed in 1793.

Fact: The British government banned the institution of slavery in most of its colonies (including Canada) in 1833.

Fact: Canada did not become a self governing country until 1867.

Fact: Of the 4200 slaves cataloged (most of whom were not African) between the years 1672-1834 in what later became Canada, there are no Canadian citizens alive today who are responsible for them, who benefited from them, or who owe reparations to them.

Fact: American Black history ≠ Canadian Black history. Modern day American Black/White relations ≠ Modern day Canadian Black/White relations.

For many Canadians who know a black person (if they even know a black person), that black person is a first or second generation Canadian, and/or is not descended from slaves.

Slavery was a terrible and evil institution of our past in the west, but we must not hold the children responsible for the sins of their father’s fathers. Our generation has plenty of its own sins to answer for.

Notice how, in our western society, the easiest sins to avoid have become the worst sins in the eyes of the zeitgeist. Racism! is the unforgivable sin, yet it is one of the easiest sins to avoid. It’s easy to declare yourself a righteous non-racist, while committing a myriad of even worse sins unnoticed. The girl waving the BLM flag had an abortion last month.

History of Slavery

We Are All Selfish

We are all selfish, and that’s okay. You can be selfish and evil, and you can be selfish and good.

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” We think of a selfish person as one who is more interested in receiving than giving. But, when you give, how does that make you feel? Usually it makes you feel good. In fact, you will probably feel better giving than receiving. If it feels better to give than to receive, you will give more for that reason, and you will be doing it for selfish reasons.

Selfishness is neutral. You can be selfish and evil, or you can be selfish and good. It’s your choice.

When Does Creation Begin?

How free is God? I would say God is free to do anything which does not violate His own character. Therefore, if God wants to create a certain kind of universe, there is nothing to stop Him from doing so as long as it aligns with His own character, or nature. This, of course, creates problems when looking at the fall of man and the will of man.

True or False: If God did not want the fall of man to happen, and it was possible to give humans their own free will which would not necessarily lead to a fall, then there would never have been a fall since God could have, and would have, created that universe.

Does human free will necessarily lead to a fall? If you say no, then I have to ask: Then why did the fall happen? And if you answer: Because of free will, then I have to ask: Does human free will necessarily lead to a fall?

You can only say that human free will does not necessarily lead to a fall if you believe God does not know the future. However, if God knows the future, He knows if a fall will happen or not. If God does not want a fall, and He wants humans to have their own will, and He sees He can indeed create a universe where humans have free will and there is no fall, then He will create that universe. It’s the one He wants. But, we obviously do not live in that universe. Therefore, either (A) God positively wanted the fall to happen, or (B) He was forced negatively to allow the fall to happen as there was no other option since He wanted humans to have free will, and human free will would always lead to a fall.

Option A seriously calls God’s goodness into question. Why would a good God want a fall and all the evil which accompanies it? Option B calls into question God’s power and freedom. Who decided that God couldn’t create a universe in which humans had free will and never fall?

But wait, Christianity teaches that after the resurrection, after sin and death and the effects of the fall have been completely removed from existence, there will never be another fall, and humans will have free will. So, it turns out that God can indeed create a universe in which humans have free will and yet not fall.

When, exactly, does this creation begin?