In her new book, award-winning journalist Marci McDonald draws back the
curtain on the mysterious world of the right-wing Christian nationalist
movement in Canada and its many ties to the Conservative government of
Stephen Harper.
To most Canadians, the politics of the United States -- where
fundamentalist Christians wield tremendous power and culture wars split
the country -- seem too foreign to ever happen here. But The
Armageddon Factor shows that the Canadian Christian right --
infuriated by the legalization of same-sex marriage and the increasing
secularization of society -- has been steadily and stealthily building
organizations, alliances and contacts that have put them close to the
levers of power and put the government of Canada in their debt.
Determined to outlaw homosexuality and abortion, and to restore Canada
to what they see as its divinely determined destiny to be a nation ruled
by Christian laws and precepts, this group of true believers has moved
the country far closer to the American mix of politics and religion than
most Canadians would ever believe.
McDonald's book explores how a web of evangelical far-right Christians
have built think-tanks and foundations that play a prominent role in
determining policy for the Conservative government of Canada. She shows
how Biblical belief has allowed Christians to put dozens of MPs in
office and to build a power base across the country, across cultures and
even across religions.
"What drives that growing Christian nationalist movement is its
adherents' conviction that the end times foretold in the book of
Revelation are at hand," writes McDonald. "Braced for an impending
apocalypse, they feel impelled to ensure that Canada assumes a unique,
scripturally ordained role in the final days before the Second Coming --
and little else."
The Armageddon Factor shows how the religious right's influence on
the Harper government has led to hugely important but little-known
changes in everything from foreign policy and the makeup of the courts
to funding for scientific research and social welfare programs like
daycare. And the book also shows that the religious influence is here to
stay, regardless of which party ends up in government.
For those who thought the religious right in Canada was confined to
rural areas and the west, this book is an eye-opener, outlining to what
extent the corridors of power in Ottawa are now populated by true
believers. For anyone who assumed that the American religious right
stopped at the border, The Armageddon Factor explains how US money
and evangelists have infiltrated Canadian politics.
This book should be essential reading for Canadians of every religious
belief or political stripe. Indeed, The Armageddon Factor should
persuade every Canadian that, with the growth of such a movement, the
future direction of the country is at stake.
