In today’s
blog, I want to turn the tables on a favourite anti-Christian argument. After
all, isn’t it time the anti-religion brigade had a taste of their own
‘medicine’?
How many
times have we, as Christians, been challenged as to how same-sex marriage will
hurt us? (Lots of ways, actually, but that’s not my point today.) How many
times have we been told that profanity, sexual promiscuity and blasphemy are OK
on TV because “if you don’t like it, you don’t have to watch it”? How many
times have we been accused of trying to stuff our religion down people’s
throats?
Well I
happen to believe that Christianity should be a privileged faith in Australia.
As Cory Bernardi so eloquently points out, the freedoms and riches that we
enjoy in this country have come about through the Christian heritage that has
always (until now) undergirded our sense of who we are.
Christian
churches, rather than mosques or temples, have always dotted our towns and
regional areas. We celebrate Christmas and Easter, not Ramadan or Hanukka. The
Bible, not the Quran, has been our moral compass. Our Parliament still
acknowledges God as does our Constitution.
So what are
they so afraid of? What terrible things do they think will happen to their
children if they are taught about Jesus and Christianity for half an hour each
week? Do they imagine that Christians will formally gag anyone who dares
disagree with their beliefs? Well that’s what they continually try to do to us,
so maybe they’re frightened that, if Christians actually were allowed to speak
up, that we might reverse our own Golden Rule and do to them what they have
been doing to us!
I sometimes wonder
how a truly Christian society would handle social problems like pornography,
drug abuse and sexual promiscuity. I think we would have to discern between
victims and perpetrators. We would have to show compassion on the former and
prosecute the latter. For instance, we would not lock gays and lesbians in
prison but our laws would prevent them from proselytizing, especially among
children and teenagers. We would not forbid Buddhists or Muslims from
practising their religion but we would not allow them to impose their culture
on us, eg by bringing in aspects of Sharia law. We would respect all
law-abiding, peace-loving people but we would expect the same respect in
return, eg there would be laws prohibiting blasphemy against Jesus or God.
A truly
Christian society would actually be a wonderful society, with a rich but fair
culture, and the Church in Australia still has the opportunity to demonstrate
that – in our own ranks to begin with.
I’ll tell
you why people are afraid of Christians having any power in our nation. They
don’t want their freedom to sin to be curtailed in any way. They are willing to
tolerate other religions coming in if it means that Christianity is locked away
in a box, preferably a coffin-shaped one. They want Australia’s social conscience
to be forever silenced, so they can be free to do whatever they want, whenever
they want. In biblical terms, they want to cast off all restraint (Proverbs
29:18).
Our goal as
Christians, living as a Christian subculture, is not to “shove our religion”
down anyone’s throat, but to demonstrate the benefits of a culture based on
righteousness. This is the all-important challenge of the times in which we
live.