Green and Labor Dangers

I have written previously about Green policies and the dangers they pose. This becomes even more pronounced now that they have struck a deal with Labor. Thus more than ever, a vote for one party is a vote for the other. Those concerned about the war against Christianity need to think carefully about where their votes will go in a month’s time.

In addition to its pro-abortion policies, its pro-homosexuality policies, it support of ceding national sovereignty to foreign bodies, its weak stance on illicit drugs, and so on, consider also its stance on education. In its education policies section we read this:

“Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:

61 end the current arrangement for recurrent funding to non-government schools by no later than the end of 2010.
62 implement a new model for recurrent funding to non-government schools based on the following:
-proper consideration of the resource levels of non-government schools and their financial capacity, including fees and other parent contributions;
-an appropriate measure for indexation of the funding of non-government schools  that de-couples it from spending on public schools; and
-non-government schools to be fully accountable to the parliament and therefore transparent to the public on their use of government funds and their financial situation, including all income and assets.
63 ensure that non-government schools in receipt of government funding:
-do not discriminate in hiring of staff or selection of students;
-have an admissions and expulsions policy similar to public schools including an obligation to enroll; and
-demonstrate social and community engagement and benefit by offering community access to facilities and/or a fee waiver for a percentage of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or with special needs.
64 invest the money saved from ending public subsidies to the very wealthiest private schools into a national equity funding programme for public schools.
65 support the maintenance of the total level of Commonwealth funding for private schools at 2003-04 levels (excluding that re-allocated under previous clauses), indexed for inflation.
66 end government funding for schools that operate for private profit.”

This is really a declaration of war on private education, including independent schools and Christian schools. Yet the Greens are quite proud of all this. The Greens candidate for Riverina, David Fletcher, said this: “The Greens are the only party that is pushing for an end to the unjust taxpayer funding of elite wealthy private schools”.

But it is not just “elite wealthy” schools that will be targeted here. All non-public schools will be under the pump if the Greens get their way. Certainly the concept of parental choice will be in jeopardy. As one concerned commentator writes,

“Naturally the Greens party are silent on the subject of how they’d pay for the massive cost burden caused by private school students being forced into government schools as a result of their independent school crackdown. Defenders of choice in education say that the relatively small amount of funding per student that private schools get enable multi-billion dollar savings to the public education system.

“There are nearly one million Australian students in over 1000 independent schools which employ nearly 60,000 staff (full-time equivalent). Weakening the independent school system such that even a small percentage of independent school students end up in government schools would cost many billions of dollars, experts warn.

“They are also silent about how the impact of their hiring policies could impact religious schools where it might not be appropriate to hire a fundamentalist Christian at an atheist school or vice versa. If enforced, it would almost certainly cause mayhem at Christian, Jewish and Islamic schools across Australia, with Greens party policies dictating who should be hired.”

This is just another worrying policy which the radical secular left Greens Party will foist upon the Australian people. And Labor is not far away on many of these policies. Right now Julia Gillard is seeking to place herself in the centre, appearing to be a real centrist, even a conservative.

But this is all just pre-election manoeuvring. Once in power, the Labor/Green machine will quickly implement one radical policy after another. And many of these will have a direct bearing on Christian freedoms. Make no mistake about it, the rights of believers will be slowly but surely whittled away under such a government.

It is imperative that voters have a clear understanding of where a party like the Greens stands on various issues, and not just the tree-hugging concerns that we tend to associate with green parties. They have a much bigger agenda which is militantly radical.

As mentioned, I have documented all this elsewhere. In one recent article for example I have simply listed their policies and goals as stated on their own website: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2010/02/15/thinking-about-the-greens/

In this election, perhaps more than at any other time, who wins the August Federal election will make a huge difference to the nation’s future, as well as to its Christian population. We dare not go into this election unaware of what is being proposed, and what major social engineering may take place if the parties of the left gain power.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

http://greens.org.au/policies/care-for-people/education
http://www.vexnews.com/news/10199/greens-declare-war-on-private-schools-greens-party-to-strip-private-schools-of-cash-while-imposing-federal-control-on-staff-hiring-expulsions-and-school-facilities/

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43 Replies to “Green and Labor Dangers”

  1. All the more reason to not vote Green. I’ve felt let down and disappointed by the major parties at times, and I only wish there was an alternative. Senator Brown was interviewed the other day about voting reform. He remarked how in his view, it was unjust that it was possible for a certain minor party Senator from Victoria to be elected with 1 per cent of the vote, and yet hold the balance of power in the Senate. He’s not perfect, but I think that having him in that position is preferable to the Greens.
    Ross McPhee

  2. It amazes me how many Christians are content to remain wilfully ignorant of the policies of those they vote for. Perhaps with our long Christian heritage this is understandable, but nowadays it is a serious sin of omission for a Christian to cast his vote in ignorance when the majority of candidates favour baby killing, the atheist indoctrination of our children, the slow destruction of the church and the eradication of all vestiges Christianity from the public square.

    As politically informed Christians we need to work on informing our Christian brethren of the dangers they face and the responsibility they have.

    To Ross: In terms of voting there are several good alternatives to the major parties. I for one, will be running in the Victorian elections as a candidate for the Christian Democratic Party in November. And remember that in Australia we are blessed with a transferable voting system whereby a first preference vote for a minor party can NEVER be a wasted vote. Use this privilege and vote first for Christians to represent you.

    Mansel Rogerson

  3. It’s way past time that people in Oz learnt how our preferential electoral system works. A 1 vote for a minor party (CDP?) is NOT a wasted vote. If your preferred minor party candidate is not elected then your vote passes on at FULL value to your 2nd choice … and so on. Bill is so right about how Christians should view the left of politics, particularly the Greens and Labor.

    Please, people of God, look at the CDP this time and see what they stand for. They are not a 1 policy party. They have a published policy statement covering all of the necessary areas of government.

    These links are a good place to start …
    http://www.cdpnational.org.au/wa/?page_id=124
    http://www.cdpnational.org.au/wa/?page_id=9
    http://www.cdpnational.org.au/wa/?p=247

    PS other than being a passionate Christian I have no affiliation with the CDP. Here endeth the lesson 🙂

    Kev Downes

  4. Those policies are written by people with their head in the sand – it’s long been known that private education gets better results and costs less to the taxpayer. But outcomes don’t matter to people with a feelgood ideology they are blindly following. I wish they would keep their ultimately selfish guilt-reduction ideas to themselves. Because it isn’t really about securing the future for all of us, I think it’s about them not feeling good about themselves.

    Dunno what the Greens have as their slogan, but here’s a few that could be considered.

    “We know how you should live better than you.”
    “Freedom? Pffft. Why would you need that?”
    “Stop breathing, sorry, polluting.”
    “You’ll learn to live without power eventually – and love the charm of it!”
    “How unfair on others it is to be rewarded for hard work.”
    “Save the Whales & Trees, Kill the Unborn.”
    “Compassionately tolerating diversity of exactly 0.001%”
    “You’ve had your ingestment quota this week, stop crying.”
    “What do you mean we have to pay back money owed? Talk about greed!”
    “Come in, your front door is always open to us.”
    “Grandad, thanks for signing, we bring you, ‘dignity'”
    “History? Let us fix those books for you.”
    “Truth. We call it ‘hatred’ and ‘bigotry’ so you’ll shut up about it.”
    “Replacing so-called corporate ‘tyranny’ you can ignore, with real government tyranny you can’t hide from.”
    “Killing = Reproduction. Makes perfect sense to us.”
    “The poor! The disadvantaged! Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.”
    “Carbon dioxide. EEEEVVVVIIIIIIILLLLLLLL.”

    The fact that there are many people considering responding to their disillusionment with the major parties by voting for a far more extreme version of Labor is testimony to three things:

    1. Their ignorance, due to:
    2. The bias in the media.
    3. The publicity machine of the Greens.

    How I wish people would wake up. You do not want to live under these people, believe me.

    Feel free to add your own to the list above…

    Mark Rabich

  5. I’ve met a couple of Greens candidates. The problem is that when you talk to them they seem so benign and idealistic, yet as a whole their policies are evil. Is that overstating things?
    Ross McPhee

  6. Thanks Ross

    Yes I know some as well. Many can well be nice guys, well-intentioned, and wanting to do good. But that is not the only basis on which we must judge such matters. The truth is, many social engineers and social utopians have been well-intentioned. Even the Nazis thought their policies were for the good (at least for the Germanic peoples). And Stalin was said to be quite a charming fellow.

    To fend off any unwarranted criticism here, I am not saying that the Greens are one and the same with Marxists and Nazis. I am simply pointing out that many visions of utopia on earth can end up being hell on earth, especially when they run counter to the biblical blueprint, and seek to implement secular humanist versions of the ideal society.

    The long story of man’s attempt to create paradise on earth has been a tragic and bloody story, and we really need to learn the lessons of history here.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  7. Ross,

    I’d say yeah. There policies are evil, although I think to a large degree the “idealism” is a sham and they know exactly what they are doing.

    Like all tyrants they think they know how people should live and are more than happy to force their “good ideas” on you at gunpoint should you decide they are mistaken.

    Jason Rennie

  8. Thanks Jason

    You are quite right that in addition to ‘nice guy’ idealists, there would also be people who are in fact pushing evil agendas. Evil people do actually exist in the world. Many of the coercive utopians are deep down malicious, regardless of all the nice sounding spin they put on things. Peter Singer would be a great case in point (and recall that he ran as an Australian Green’s candidate for the Senate back in 1996).

    As to why people vote for these guys, again, a mix of reasons. Some would also be idealistic and well-meaning. Some are simply deceived and/or have not bothered to really dig into their nefarious policies. Others simply share the evil agenda (eg. pro-abortion, etc).

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  9. Dear Bill,

    Thank you for your informative and biblically based posts. It is like a breath of fresh air to come to this site and read what you and many others have said.

    I am personally overwhelmed at the dysfunction of the Body of Christ here in Australia when it comes to voting.

    We are encouraged to share each other’s burdens by caring for each other.

    1 Corinthians 12:25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

    But instead of sharing the burdens of our brothers and sisters in Christ, who are candidates, by voting for them, we instead vote for secular folk and then later on get upset for them acting in the way they said they would when we voted for them.

    So when members of the Body of Christ vote for the Green’s or for Labor or for the Liberals, we are unfortunately voting for abortion on demand etc. And in a way we ‘get what we preach’.

    Come with me in an imaginary voting situation, where Jesus has all His followers in an electorate gathered at the voting booth.

    Jesus says ” Friends, I want 45% of you to vote for the Liberal candidate. I want 45% of you to vote for the Labor candidate. I want 10% of you to vote for the candidate who follows Me.”

    Would Jesus say that? No! But even with the Holy Spirit to guide us, still we haven’t got a clue of who to vote for.

    If Jesus is the head of the body,

    Col 1:18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

    then surely we should be working in unity with our voting.

    I don’t understand the Christian electorate at all Bill. To me it just doesn’t make sense.

    Let’s pray for the Body of Christ as a single Body in Australia to get our voting act together. And let’s all of course pray for the secular candidates, that the Holy Spirit will convict them of sin and bring them to repentance for the Glory of God.

    Paul Copeland

    PS. Voting in Australia is very, very different from voting in America in one important aspect; a person of voting age in Australia must vote. So, when a late term abortion is performed in Australia, we the Body of Christ, must unfortunately, so I believe, take responsibility for what happens as that is what the vast majority of us have voted for. Terribly, terribly sad.

  10. Ah, that famous quote [paraphased] – ‘evil triumphs as good [Christian] people do nought’.

    There is a sombre, desperate and tragic letter from Afghanistan Christians asking for help as that nation State wants to kill all Christians – publicly.

    Help from Western Christians? – we cannot even gain access to the corridors of power [try immigration]in our democracy, let alone rule.

    The desperate 25 year struggle by Fred and Elaine Nile [CDP] is monumental in the absence of support from the Church and its people. We are cowards hiding behind the lies of the media and abuse of politicians and minorities.

    We do not even have a national leader or voice in the public arena after two hundred and twenty two years of ‘evangelism’. So much for the theology of ‘serving and praying for our leaders’ and being busy on the business plan.

    Where are the national Christian leaders that can lead a nation of believers out of servitude? Where are the David’s who say “who is this .. he should taunt the armies of the living God”?

    Who among us is asking Holy Spirit of Christ Jesus for the battle plan? Who among us is willing to pay the price that people like the Niles have had, and are having, to pay?

    Ray Robinson

  11. Thanks Ray

    Yes Fred and Elaine have been heroes and towers of strength for decades now. And they have often struggled with very little Christian support. Sadly, they have often had lots of Christian criticism and mudslinging instead. Pray for them. And I believe Elaine is in hospital right now so especially keep her in your prayers as well.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  12. Bill there is an impediment amongst believers which screws their rational when it comes to politics. Many see it as part of this world’s system and it is wrong to become involved or even to be concerned about what goes on around them. Unfortunately this skewed thinking plays into the hands of those who are trying to rid the world of anything related to the God of the Bible. The Church’s indifference only encourages the ungodly to take over. Our Christian way of life that we have been brought up in and that has cost much in blood and suffering, is being gravely threatened. The Christian must be active in stopping the degeneration around us. Christians must stand up and be heard.

    Our inaction has let them march God out of our schools, kill our unborn, take our freedoms and turn reason into unreason, white into black, rights into wrongs and wrongs into rights, and now the Greens are at the door with even more vile policies!

    I read recently that those at an international conference for homosexuality (could have been at the UN) were overjoyed at the rapid progress of homosexual rights throughout the world. It was not the struggle they anticipated but was more like a tsunami of support. Rather like knocking the first domino over and see the collapse of any resistance. Look at the powerful presentation by Four Corners last night.

    If the Church (and that’s all those who hold Christ dearly) is to be Jesus to the world we need to let our light shine and our salt savour the earth. Jesus’ voice was heard clearly and unwaveringly yet with love and compassion. So must our voices be heard. One of the most powerful weapons used against the Church by the judiciary today is our doctrinal disunity. Can we ever be heard as one voice?

    Keith Lewis

  13. How about a Family Friendly Environmentally Responsible Party? Um.. call it… “Clean Greens” for example.

    We all know the “Greens” hijacked the environmental agenda to gain seats in order to implement twisted social engineering programs. No news there.

    Why not start a “Clean Green” party – (free of social manipulation agendas, and with a straight old clean-living label).

    At worst it would at least be a counterweight to the Green’s leftist imbalance (and Labor preferential vote feeder). I’m sure plenty of environmentally-concerned voters are uneasy with the dark side of the Greens… at least one would hope…

    But it would only work if there are enough “intelligent” people left in the population. Increasingly, we are only fighting the education/media machine and their pre-programmed sheeple (schoolkids who become voters).

    Might be too late already. Worth a try though…

    But is is never too late to reach Christians. Help them to actually believe what they believe. Trust that Bible! .. Might even get some of them saved! 😉

    Tim Lovett

  14. Bill
    I’ve just been referrred to your site from a Christian friend and am already appreciating what I’m reading. I’ve been a Christian for 45 years and if its taught me one thing it is this – the evolution of Christianity has caused many to take a totally pacifist view of life and society to the point where we have taken on much of our western culture and become comfortable. Alan Redpath in his commentary on Corinthians wrote “the problem with Corinth was that there was too much of the world in the church and not enough of the church in the world”. Christians need to become radical and outspoken and take a much stronger active role. Christ was compassionate and loving but he also called a spade a spade.
    Kym Steele

  15. Bill,

    On another note, I noticed that you were published in the Australian today! (the one that you noted was rejected by the Age in recent weeks I think). Excellent, I’m surprised but glad that your article defending heterosexual marriage (and rejecting homosexual marriage) was published in such a mainstream paper. Doubtless it will infuriate some sectors, but how good that it was published!

    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/heterosexual-marriage-is-societys-bedrock/story-e6frg6zo-1225894778178

    Blessings, Isaac Overton, ACT

  16. I attend a fairly conventional Baptist Church, and it amazes me to think that approximately 50% of the people sitting all around me will vote Labour (with preferences=Greens), or maybe some even actually voting Greens, at the next election.

    That’s not to say that the current Opposition are all that wonderful. It’s just that the policies of the Labor Party & especially the Greens must surely prevent any believer in the Lord Jesus Christ from voting for them. I would say anyway.

    Phil Manley

  17. It shows that we still in some cases, while still not perfect have a free media in this country.
    Carl Strehlow

  18. Yes Carl about 5% of the MSM could be classed as unbiased. Just see how much CDP and Family First get into the mainstream reporting in the next 4 weeks unless it’s something that is going to put them in poor light. You can count on the new sex party to get more coverage then the two parties mentioned above. It’s already attacking the church calling for a Royal Commission into sex abuse in the church.
    Keith Lewis

  19. Good point to bring up to stir the pot Bill, here’s why I’ve found some people to vote for the Greens:
    1) They believe the balance of power is necessary to keep it all honest and therefore vote for the Greens to balance up the major parties. They were not voting on any policies that the Greens held at all, only the balance of power. I must add that these people are not christians, and Christians must not vote on this basis, they must vote on morality and Judeo Christian values. We dont stand up for Jesus all year and then dump Him at the poles.

    2) Some believe they hold the face of conservation and nature. This is completely incorrect if anyone wants to dive right in, what you’ll find is a radical agenda to put the creation above the created.

    3) Some people (non christians) have some things they hold above anything else, ie: radical animal welfare views, addiction to marijuanna and heroin (free injecting rooms and cannabis legalization), homosexuality, the right to save a whale and terminate a baby, and much more.

    Now for the crunch, you cannot be a Greens sympathizer or helper, a Labor sympathizer or helper and a Christian and i will happily take anyone on in a public debate of this issue!!

    Also, i want to go on the record as saying that any Minister who doesn’t teach and instruct their flock regarding these things, or at the least bring in a Minister who specializes in these things is failing their position, failing their flock, failing our Christian heritage, failing the next innocent life thats terminated without a voice, is gutless and weak and owned by by the god of this world.

    I personally, will not be amongst that group as i will be speaking to all the congregations that the Lord has me in charge of to ensure that Labour is second last on the ballot paper and the Greens are at last position.

    Apologies to the genuinely ignorant if I’ve offended, but now that you have the knowledge of what you should be doing, how about you forget spending energy against my comment and direct it at a sermon that TEACHES your flock how to vote! we are only 5 odd weeks away, together we can make a difference!!! be courageous, you teach them, they don’t teach you!

    Dorian Ballard

  20. I am gravely concerned by the present threat to our nation. It seems I’ll be forced to vote for, or choose, the lesser of two evils and its not enough of a”lesser” to give me any peace of mind. May God protect this “Great Southland of the Holy Spirit”.
    Anna Cook

  21. @Carl

    We may have a relatively free media in a strict legal sense, but the bulk of the evidence is that it is not “free and fearless” but in fact biased (often subtly, sometimes overtly) in the direction of leftist politics.

    The net result of university journalism courses has been to turn out “little cookies” – journalists all cut out from the same mould, and all infected with socialist ideas.

    So press ownership is no longer a relevant argument – the self-censorship and bias on the level of reporters and sub-editors is sufficient to negate any particular stance of an owner such as the much-maligned Mr Murdoch, or the senior executives and business managers of a News Ltd group.

    John Angelico

  22. Anna your vote for the Christian Democratic Party or Family First will not be lost or perhaps look for an independent who puts the Greens last on the how to vote card.
    I heard a retired Bishop being interviewed after she was seen trying to talk to Julia Gillard who was on her campaign trail. The Bishop said Julia was lovely and her being an atheist did was not a concern and she would give her her vote. She also sang the praises of the Greens. With such examples of so called Christian leadership one has to wonder.
    Keith Lewis

  23. Hi John and Keith,

    I was trying being sarcastic in my previous comment about free media, I should have made that more clear. I just wrote comment as I was surprised that Bill got his editorial published in The Australian. In fact I avoid looking at our Australian papers and our news as it is so biased.

    I do listen to conservative American talk radio. So I know how bad it is over there too. Aside from conservative talk radio, a few websites, occasionally FOX news and The Washington Times as opposed to The Washington Post, there is nothing else. There is one good example of a story they won’t talk about that I could use and post some links; but I will wait until Bill writes another article on free speech. It is amazing what the MSM ignores and doesn’t get talked about, never mind how much the MSM hates Christianity. Or it feels that way anyway.

    Carl Strehlow

  24. Thanks Carl and we thought that we were trying to help someone see straight hah ha. I’m looking forward to reading your comments on free speech in the MSM when Bill is writing on that subject. By then he may be sharing in the Apostle Paul’s experience writing it from a goal cell the way things are going. Seriously though Bill the Church at large needs ministry like yours to sound the trumpet of God’s word in these trying times and we commit His strength to work through you by the Holy Spirit.
    Keith Lewis

  25. Keith, I heard that retired Bishop too. She was from the Uniting Church. No surprises there!

    Ewan McDonald, Victoria.

  26. Janet Albrechtsen has a good piece on Gillard and her deceit in presenting as a conservative.

    “Early on, it was all relative. Compared with former prime minister Kevin Rudd, the feisty and funny Gillard was a breath of fresh air. While we were all trying to get a grip on who was this robotic Rudd, what did he stand for and why was he so uncomfortable in his own skin, the deputy PM seemed real. Even better, early on in the Rudd government, Gillard was saying and doing some sensible things about an issue dear to any conservative’s heart…Since then, the deputy who knifed a poll-driven PM is playing careful poll-driven politics. No big policy changes. No grand plans. Nothing risky. Just enough to suggest she’s safe: no 36 million population targets, no to gay marriage, yes to community consensus-based climate change policy, yes to strong border and offshore processing of asylum-seekers. Like Howard’s battlers and Rudd’s working-class families, Gillard is courting the same inherently conservative “hardworking” Australians who will determine her fate…With that carefully crafted accent and her recent connecting open markets with jobs and growth, she sounds like Bob Hawke. Yet, her fingerprints as Rudd’s deputy expose a more ambitiously centralist vision in keeping with her youthful dalliance with socialism.”

    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/mea-culpa-time-not-so-fast/story-fn59niix-1225894776539

    I tend to think the likes of Alan Jones were too quick to give her a warm reception.

    Damien Spillane

  27. Yes Ewan. It’s as sure as the law of gravity. If we are divided they will conquer. Sure glad we have the book of Revelations which tells us that God wins in the end, despite our own failings.
    Keith Lewis

  28. Keith, when we’ve had a candidate, I’ve voted CDP. Also hand out our literature at polling post and letter drop locally. We did have a candidate at the last federal election and also several at the state elections but this isn’t always so. That’s why we need more Christians to join the party especially our youth.
    I’ve proposed inviting all candidates for the coming election to address our congregation in the hall, not the church, offering their reasons why we, as Christian citizens, should vote for them. They would have advance notice of the questions we’d want answered. We’d want to know their voting stance on any future legislation that would affect our freedom to live the gospel in our daily lives and professions. There would be no heckling or harassment of speakers. They would not be asked to defend their views, just to state them honestly. I only wanted to invite CDP but my Priest explained that the church cannot directly seek to favour a political party so we plan to invite all candidates. Having invited all, we are not showing bias and hopefully the right people will attend and the outcome will be a significant increase in the CDP vote {or other suitable candidate} Anyone out there who is interested, please pray that I can get this going in time as I’m also busy with anti-euthanasia letters to MLC’s at present among other things {please pray for the outcome there too!}
    Anna Cook

  29. “It’s [the new sex party] already attacking the church calling for a Royal Commission into sex abuse in the church.”

    Is Keith Lewis saying the church is calling for the Royal Commission or the “new sex Party” is calling for the Royal Commission?

    David Williams

  30. The older I get the less politically naive I become. I look back on how I voted as a first time voter, and slap my hand on my forehead. In March 1993, having turned 18 the previous August, in the first federal election I voted in, I voted for the Australian Democrats in the Senate. What was I thinking?
    Ross McPhee

  31. Bill,

    I was hoping you would do commentary on The Greens.

    I notice on their website they have a policy for WOMEN but not for MEN. Now that reeks of DISCRIMINATION to me!!!

    Jane Petridge

  32. Keith, I’m in Canning — current rep Don Randall — Support and suggestions for this project would be welcome. I have my priest’s permission to go ahead and also to try to involve other Christian groups. I don’t want to waste time as there isn’t much but neither do I want to involve those who might be counter productive {I’m trying to be charitable here} I’d welcome your prayers particularly.
    Anna Cook

  33. Anna, have you asked your priest to explain why “the church cannot directly seek to favour a political party”? What if there were a Satanist Party (we already have a “Sex Party”), would the church have to give their candidates a fair hearing? What about a God is Dead Party? It seems to me that this idea of giving all parties an equal hearing is in effect saying that all parties are morally equivalent and Christians can legitimately support any of them.

    Ewan McDonald, Victoria.

  34. Ewan you make a valid point. There are some groups that should never get a hearing and indeed those you name never would, they condemn themselves.
    Others are more subtle and we already know from election outcomes that Christians can be deceived by their manner of appropriating and distorting certain issues – such as stewardship of the earth. I believe that an opportunity to hear what they say on issues of concern to us, could be of value in revealing what some may prefer to conceal.
    I think the task of our Pastors is to help us to know and follow Jesus. Not an easy remit in today’s world and one which needs our cooperation for success. The degree of success influences discernment which in turn influences decisions. To that extent they have a responsibility for us before God. If better discernment can be fostered by what I propose I see that as worthwhile. It would aim to achieve a good outcome without intruding on freedom of conscience. Isn’t that what our Heavenly Father does? He reveals the truth to us and then lets us choose. He lets us make wrong choices.
    Anna Cook

  35. Hi Bill

    Do you allow reprinting of this work? I was hoping to include the work in full (with due acknowledgement) in our school newsletter as vital information for our parents.
    Is this legal and appropriate?

    Thanks
    Geoff Peet

  36. You forgot to mention number 28 for education:

    28. home schooling options for parents to educate their children if they meet requirements to provide a balanced education, core educational outcomes and social interaction with peers.

    Where presently our right to home educate is protected they would make it conditional upon their ideas of what education should look like being utilised, which based on their policies would I believe look very different to mine especially in the area of morality.

    Where at present I am free to provide the education I belive is best for my children I would now have to conform to their idea no longer a Christ authored education but a secular humanist one.

    H Ayers Findlay

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