Local

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Amen to that, say readers

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 10/28/2012 3:53 PM | Comments: 0

READERS responded with religious fervor after incoming Winnipeg Police Chief Devon Clunis made some comments about prayer.

Related Items

Don’t worry chief, only the wackjobs don’t understand the "action" part.

— Dean Koshelanyk

It’s kind of sad that he had to come out and clarify what he said the other day. You’d think his history as a WPS Chaplain would have been taken into account, as well with who he was being interviewed for. I think people jumped a little too quickly to judge.

— Northlands

The media needs to quit spinning bad news and twisting stories. Give the new chief a chance.

If he speaks to a religious group, there is no controversy. He seems focused and well meaning so far.

— Dirty Ernie

Chief, everything you say is going to be taken out of context or manipulated so that a percentage of the people can "blame" someone.

Don’t worry so much and don’t defend what you had to say, it really is a small minority who didn’t understand what you said. It just gave that group something to complain about other than garbage pick up.

— gottawonder

What would people expect a former chaplain to say to a Christian magazine?

— John Q. Public

Does this person not understand that religion and difference in the way people exercise their faith has been justification for the majority of conflict throughout human history? Religion and faith have no place in public service. Way to divide a community City of Winnipeg. Way to go.

— bill1459

I think it’s very admirable that Chief Clunis isn’t afraid to stand up for what he believes in. It’s embarrassing that the media would throw his interview out of context and mislead the public about his plans to deal with crime. It’s even more embarrassing that the public would react so negatively to his interview. Nobody is forcing religion on anyone. What is everyone so afraid of... that prayer may actually work?

— jothamk

When don’t people take things out of context?

Most people only hear what they want to hear.

I agree with him and hope he’ll be a great police chief.

— Winnipeg_What?

All I can say is I’m expecting results now that he has God on his side.

— Crafty Fox

It still sounds to me like Clunis is using his office to promote his religion. If he wants to exhort people to pray, there is a time for this. That time is not when he is speaking as our Chief of Police.

— JustWondering

He needn’t apologize for anything. If he was an aboriginal performing a First Nations ritual, the press/media would be all over him with admiration. Fact is, profess Christian faith and you will be vilified.

— ICE MAN

Devon Clunis is a man of integrity, and one whose faith has helped to define who he is. I have met him a few times, and have been enormously impressed by his actions and demeanor. Our city needs him. Those who criticize his comments are either not reading them in their whole context, or are simply looking to discredit him for personal reasons totally not related to his statements. Prayers don’t hurt anyone and might help if those who do pray are moved to positive action. Its a shame that one can’t say that hope and a prayer can make a difference without it being a politically incorrect statement and offensive to some.

— Wren

Clunis is naive if he doesn’t recognize the evil that has been done in the name of religion.

Proselytizing and "Food for Bibles" is only the worst of the Christian habits and has been a tool of western colonization for hundreds of years, to subjugate "the natives" with magical tales.

Best to avoid the negative connotations and play it cool on the religion if you ask me. You don’t need organized religion to be a good person.

— goldenbob

Factual inaccuracy? Something missing? Help improve our journalism.

Know about news? Share your story suggestions, photos and video.

Spelling error? Punctuation problem? Send us an email if you’ve found a typo.

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.