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O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
Original Poem:
"O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love thou dost in us command.
We see thee rising fair, dear land,
The True North, strong and free;
And stand on guard, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
Refrain
O Canada! O Canada!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
Why do you care so much about this? I don't wanna go messing with the anthem all the time, but you know what, it would have been better if when they originally made it the anthem they left that out, it is counter to the principle of keeping religion and the state separate.
When people such as the Puritans and Anabaptists left Europe, governments oppressed and deported religious groups that conflicted with the beliefs of the state church. Separation of church and state was created to protect religious minorities from this kind of treatment. I don't feel that the word "God" infringes upon religious freedom.
I'm worried that if we start changing words, the anti-religion fanatics are going to want to take "God keep our land" out of it as well.
That's a great idea! I am going to start a petition for this. Joking, of course, but I hope "God" is busy doing other things that are more important than keeping our land glorious and free. Maybe give some folks a hand with some of this mass starvation and natural disaster stuff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIMBAM
...the whole French version of the song is exclusively about religion, ethnic nationalism, and war, just entirely politically incorrect.
Quebec gonna Quebec...
Quote:
Originally Posted by pdw
The original was "thou dost in us command" which sounds better.
I agree. Keeps the "classical" language and more historic tone of the original intact.
Hmmmm.. Ok now I'm not so sure LOL Maybe I have a memory of this bit ..form wiki...well it appears the urge for changes is not so new
In June 1990, Toronto City Council voted 12 to 7 in favour of recommending to the Canadian government that the phrase "our home and native land" be changed to "our home and cherished land" and that "in all thy sons command" be partly reverted to "in all of us command." Councillor Howard Moscoe said that the words native land were not appropriate for the many Canadians who were not native-born and that the word sons implied "that women can't feel true patriotism or love for Canada."[13] Senator Vivienne Poy similarly criticized the English lyrics of the anthem as being sexist and she introduced a bill in 2002 proposing to change the phrase "in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command."[12] In the late 2000s, the anthem's religious references (to God in English and to the Christian cross in French) were criticized by secularists.[14][15]
In the Throne Speech delivered by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on March 3, 2010, a plan to have parliament review the "original gender-neutral wording of the national anthem" was announced.[16] However, three quarters of Canadians polled after the speech objected to the proposal and,[17] two days later, the prime minister's office announced that the Cabinet had decided to leave the national anthem alone.[18]\
Hmmmm.. Ok now I'm not so sure LOL Maybe I have a memory of this bit ..form wiki...well it appears the urge for changes is not so new
In June 1990, Toronto City Council voted 12 to 7 in favour of recommending to the Canadian government that the phrase "our home and native land" be changed to "our home and cherished land" and that "in all thy sons command" be partly reverted to "in all of us command." Councillor Howard Moscoe said that the words native land were not appropriate for the many Canadians who were not native-born and that the word sons implied "that women can't feel true patriotism or love for Canada."[13] Senator Vivienne Poy similarly criticized the English lyrics of the anthem as being sexist and she introduced a bill in 2002 proposing to change the phrase "in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command."[12] In the late 2000s, the anthem's religious references (to God in English and to the Christian cross in French) were criticized by secularists.[14][15]
In the Throne Speech delivered by Governor General Michaëlle Jean on March 3, 2010, a plan to have parliament review the "original gender-neutral wording of the national anthem" was announced.[16] However, three quarters of Canadians polled after the speech objected to the proposal and,[17] two days later, the prime minister's office announced that the Cabinet had decided to leave the national anthem alone.[18]\
Blogs from the same lyric changing debate from 2010 make reference to having turned into "a stranger in my own land" after the "lyric changes in the '80s." I don't remember what those changes were only that no one knew them and people still kind of fade out at events where the anthem is sung because those of us who learned them pre 1980 aren't sure of the lines.
However, I can't seem to find a (quick) link that shows just what the changes were.
ETA: the pre 1980 lyrics apparently were:
And stand on guard, o Canada, we stand on guard for thee,
O Canada, glorious and free
We stand on guard, we stand on guard for thee
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee
After 1980
From far and wide, o Canada, we stand on guard for thee
God keep our land glorious and free
o Canada we stand on guard for thee
o Canada we stand on guard for thee
I got this off a 2009 blog but I also got a security warning from my anti-virus so I'm not posting a link.
I don't feel that the word "God" infringes upon religious freedom.
What if it said "gods"? Would that? Would you find that it infringes on your religious freedom, for the state to authorize a version that implies that the number of gods is not necessarily One? What if there were words to the effect of "God, accept the sacrifice of these virgins being cast into the volcano and stop visiting all those locusts upon us"? Would that infringe on your religious freedom?
"God keep our land glorious and free" is, in every sense of the word, a Prayer, a direct appeal for intervention to a certain deity, and it is a state-authorized prayer to a god who just happens to be the one you recognize, so, of course, it doesn't infringe on YOUR religious freedom. It is more than just "the word God", it is a sanctioned PRAYER to your god, imposing upon all Canadians a patriotic duty to pray to YOUR god, and not those gods that might be recognized by other Canadians, and excludes from the patriotic exercise all those who wish to not pray a deity at all..
Actually, in the case of O Canada (originally written in the 1800s as a patriotic hymn to French Canada for St-Jean-Baptiste Day), it's more about French Canadians across the country at that time than it is about the province of Quebec post-1960.
What if there were words to the effect of "God, accept the sacrifice of these virgins being cast into the volcano and stop visiting all those locusts upon us"?
I think it's obvious, judging by the strife and suffering in the world today, that we need to get back to sacrificing goats, virgins, small boys -- whatever it takes to appease the God in charge. It used to work before, maybe it will work again.
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lol
