Canada's Godly Heritage

"He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." Psalm 72:8

One hundred and thirty-five years ago tomorrow the Dominion of Canada came into existence. The term dominion is most interesting. It means "sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controling; a self-governing nation." As the fathers of confederation met in 1867, a name for this new nation needed to be chosen. It was suggested to call our country, "The Kingdom of Canada," but this did not seem suitable. Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley, Premier of New Brunswick, proposed "Dominion of Canada." His idea came as he had been reading Psalm 72:8, "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea..."

From the very beginning, God Almighty was understood to be our ruler supreme; the one who would keep our land glorious and free. Even the preamble of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which was passed in 1981, states, "Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law..."

Today, there are those who want to remove God from his rightful place as God over us. They want to have a secular society. Secularism is indifferent to, or completely rejects, God and religion in public life. It teaches that life without God is normal. Others promote pluralism which teaches that there are many true beliefs and that all religions have validity. They state that we "cannot impose Christian beliefs upon society." In effect, pluralists give validity to every religion except for Biblical Christianity.

Let us not be swayed by these atheistic philosophies. Remember God's promise to us: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD." (Psalm 33:12) Only as long as God has dominion over us will be be a land that is "glorious and free."