The Canadian Military Deems God Offensive
Is it time for the United States to consider building a wall at the northern border?
Canada has a new rule for its military chaplains: discuss spirituality—just don't invoke the name of God while doing it.
Under the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) new chaplain requirements—they likely can't sing the national anthem or even quote the Canadian constitution.
Canada's constitution and national anthem both reference God, but chaplains in the armed forces are now prohibited from using the name of God at any public or semi-public gathering. Will the government eliminate singing the traditional song, God Save the King, upon a visit from King Charles?
Canada's anthem proclaims, "God keep our land glorious and free!" Its Constitution Act, 1982, declares "Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law."
The CAF claims this new directive doesn't limit chaplains but "privileges them to fulfill their broader mission: providing meaningful support to a diverse military community."
Military chaplains must "maintain religious and spiritual neutrality at CAF activities within their area of responsibility." While they can discuss God at individual non-mandatory church services, the Creator of the universe isn't welcome at public events such as graduations, change of command ceremonies, or remembrance days for fallen soldiers.
The Canadian military claims "spirituality" must be neutral. It's permissible to "reflect upon lessons learned, beliefs, values, and experiences to inspire gratitude, remembrance, hope, and integrity." Just don't dare mention God. The CAF declares that "one can be spiritual or engage in spiritual reflection without being religious." An atheist must have written the directive because most Christians would disagree with that statement.
The core word here, "spiritual," cannot be ignored. For Christians, "spirit" refers to the Holy Spirit, who is God. The two cannot be separated.
The False Idea of Spiritual Neutrality
The CAF claims they want to be neutral, but there's nothing neutral about excluding God. Now they're favoring atheism, secularism, and humanism over other theist religions. The new directive disrespects over half of the Canadian military who profess to be Christian and panders to other non-theistic religions such as humanism.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) has called on the government to change course. They want the CAF to adopt a "principled accommodation of the diverse beliefs of Canadians, including those who believe in God."
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement condemning the new policy. One of their chaplains, Bishop Scott McCaig, points out that the directive requires chaplains to give public spiritual reflections without invoking God. McCaig says, "for a great many people, chaplains and members alike, one cannot separate 'meaning, purpose, and spiritual well being' from God."
While Christian persecution in Canada is certainly not on par with nations like Nigeria and China, the subtle but persistent changes can't be ignored. It's clear faith is being pushed out of public life.
In early 2026, the Canadian parliament passed a law that strengthens prosecutions of so-called hate crimes and removes long-standing protections for expressing religious beliefs. The law prohibits the willful promotion of hatred against a protected group and defines hate as an emotion "of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation." A protected group includes homosexuals.
Leviticus 20:13 says, "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable." A previous version of the legislation included a good faith religious belief defense. The final bill removed that language, alarming many faith communities.
Could a Canadian be charged with a hate crime for simply reading Leviticus out loud in public since it calls homosexuality detestable? The EFC raised concerns about the elimination of the religious deference clause and said they will "monitor the effects of Bill C-9 and will continue to advocate for freedom of religion and belief."
These developments, taken together, reveal a troubling pattern. When chaplains are barred from naming God in public ceremonies and legislators strip away religious-conscience protections in the same season, the message to Canada's faith communities is clear: sincerely held beliefs are not welcome in the public square. Canadians of faith should pay close attention to how these policies unfold in practice, and make their voices heard while there's still room to shape the outcomes.
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