Quote:
|
Originally Posted by rsl12
Correct me if I'm wrong.
In Jamaica, the Governor General is a ceremonial position with absolutely no power. I assume it's the same in Canada. Technically the governor general represents the reigning monarch in England. As you may know, the reining monarch in England has little power over England itself these days, much less power over commonwealth countries like Canada and Jamaica.
A monarchy, by definition, is a country ruled by a monarch. In most countries (including England, I think) the monarch and his/her family are supposedly distinguished by God for the special purpose of ruling a country.
Since the foundations of royalty are religious, the Governor General I think has a certain obligation to follow form. Though the offense of not swearing on a bible is not as egregious as if a Bishop were to refuse such an oath, the nature of the offense is similar.
|
So are you suggesting that the GG can only hold the position if they are a Christian?
While the Queen of England is both the Head of State as well as the Commander in Cheif of the Military and Head of the Church of England, I do not believe it is a prerequiste that her representative be of any given religion. The GG is a purely secular position.
It should also be noted that while the position of the GG is largely symbolic the position does have some powers that under the rule of law do hold weight. However, if the GG were to exercise those powers in a way that was deemed overt (i.e. disolving Parliament before being asked to by the government) all hell would break loose and I suspect there would be a strong movement for the sessation of the position.