THE
P RTAL
February 2016
Page 20
A personal view from Australia
Church negativity
erodes Australia
A personal plea from Fr James Grant for
a more positive message from Australia
Australian Churches
have undoubtedly had a lot to say to the Australian community over
the last 20 years. Unfortunately, the message is almost certainly not what you might have expected from
organisations claiming centrality for a person called Jesus for all our lives. Banners strung from Cathedrals
demanding freedom for David Hicks (an Australian jailed for fighting with the Taliban) or changes to refugee
policy, are often backed up by statements from those in Church leadership positions slamming various
policies of Australian government on an endless array of issues.
Refugee policy is described as “inhuman and
demeaning”, reductions in overseas aid as “a
devastating blow to the global poor and breach of
trust with the Australian Public”, detention centres are
“measures of intentional cruelty”. A Prime Minister’s
“trustworthiness” is regularly called into question,
western missionary activity is “very aggressive and
lacking in cultural sensitivities”, the collapse of
Christianity in the West is “a good thing”. Even mum
and dad shareholders are encouraged to divest shares
which are “deeply embedded in damaging corporate
behaviour”.
and a group identity that provides