REALity – Volume XXXIV Issue No.8 August 2015
On Friday, June 5, at REAL Women’s AGM, we were privileged to have as our speaker, a real Christian gentleman, a man dedicated to his family and community, to his authentic faith, and to standing for the truth of the Gospel, despite the consequences. In the case of Damian Goddard, those consequences have been sacrificial: the loss of his job, as well as broken personal relationships—former colleagues, friends and even family members. Under the circumstances, one might have expected to hear a talk full of grievances, reproaches and anger. However, this was not the case. Damian’s mature and humble faith, as well as his willingness to shoulder unexpected burdens, with the goal of serving the truth of the Gospel, came shining through. Simply put, Damian’s authentic Christian witness and testimony were inspirational.
Damian had a fairly conventional childhood: he grew up in Scarborough, one of seven children “in a strong Catholic family”. He was “a good kid”, who honoured God and worked hard. After 20 years of a successful career in both radio and television sports broadcasting, he was one of the leading anchors on Rogers Sportsnet. During that time, from his mid twenties on, he was an observant and prayerful Christian: he’d even forego dinner with the guys in order to go to mass! “God has been good to me”: Damian attributes his career successes and those of being a dedicated husband and father of two to the guidance of a loving—and exacting—God. So, until May, 2011, he “thought that true suffering was being a fan of the Maple Leafs”! Then, what he thought was a routine Tweet changed his life forever.
Todd Reynolds, a sports agent and friend of Damian’s, was being cruelly mocked for his support of traditional marriage. Such hatred and intolerance really bothered Damian, who took a principled stand to be with his friend by issuing the following Twitter post: “I completely and whole-heartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage.” (By the way, this was President Obama’s stand at the time.)
As a result, Damian was fired by Rogers on the spot after 13 years of loyal service. He also endured the “Gestapo tactics”, including death threats, of the “tolerant” folks who disagreed with him. Damian filed a case with the Human Rights Commission (HRC), claiming that his firing was a case of religious discrimination. In 2013, the HRC threw out his case, claiming there was no link between “the complainant’s religion and the termination of his employment contract”. (Right.) Since that time, Damian has laboured to rebuild his career, which he pursues from a studio he’s built in his basement. His mission is summed up in the motto at his website: “Standing for freedom. Standing for faith.” www.damiangoddard.com
Damian knows that Christians are in a time of increasing persecution: “Our culture is more and more hostile to what we believe to be true.” And while he altogether understands and abhors the unjust hatred and vitriol of our enemies, he believes that both the Church and individual Christians “have failed miserably” at being faithful to our calling. He believes that such groups as secularists and those who unthinkingly follow the Zeitgeist hold more strongly to their beliefs than we do to ours. So, what are we called to do?
Damian believes that something big—and not good—is brewing in the world. He believes that a day of reckoning is fast approaching. In that context, he referenced Pope Paul VI’s document, “Gaudium et Spes“ (Joy and Hope) of December, 1965. Since that strong and optimistic message, Damian believes that there has been a steady and determined dismantling of the faith. “The Devil attacks us where we are most vulnerable.” We must understand that Satan is real: one of his strongest weapons is people’s belief that he doesn’t exist. Damian firmly believes that “we need to be faithful no matter what”, even though, from bitter experience, he understands that that often means painful sacrifice. As the Gospel tells us, we must love Christ more than security and even family. Damian believes that we must “go deeper” into our faith in order “to find ways to embolden people”. He understands that we may even be called to martyrdom: “Christ-like suffering is a seed”.
Damian Goddard is an inspiring example of a Christian willing to live in obedience to the truth of the Gospel and suffer for it. By his faithful witness, he is also a shining example of how to live authentically in the love and joy of Christ in the midst of hardship and pain.