HispanicBusiness

TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 02/11/13 -- In response to the surge of controversy surrounding Crossroads Christian Communications' receipt of hundreds of thousands in government aid, the Centre for Inquiry (CFI), Canada's largest secular and skeptic organization, calls on the Government of Canada to cease all funding of organizations with an openly discriminatory code of ethics.

Crossroads Canada is an evangelical ministry that describes homosexuality as a "perversion" and a "sin" on their public website. "Crossroad's anti-homosexuality stance is open discrimination." said CFI Canada's National Director, Michael Payton. "It is outrageous that an organization received this level of government funding while its main purpose is evangelism."

Payton says he is deeply concerned about the double standard which is set between secular and religious charities. "When most secular charities receive government funding, there are miles of red tape that they have to put up with; it amazes me that a religious group would receive so much funding while having practices which contravene the Charter of Rights and Freedoms."

"It certainly points to a double standard," Payton continued, "If a charity receives government funding, the government should ensure that the programming is directed to positive societal change, not to promoting a discriminatory religious ideology."



Contacts:
Centre for Inquiry
Michael Payton
(647) 244-5483
mpayton@cficanada.ca