When God is Removed From the Picture

For any readers who may not be aware, Australia will soon be undertaking a postal vote to determine whether same-sex marriage will be legalised.

This post is for Christians (like myself) who oppose any change to the Marriage Act.

It's tempting to think that if we could just come up with the right argument, we can persuade those who plan to vote yes. But any argument you come up with will just be rebutted.

You can argue that children will be affected, you can cite examples of children raised by gay couples who resent their upbringing. They will just provide examples of happy, well-adjusted (and heterosexual) children who have had two mums or two dads.

You can argue that Christians and other religions will be persecuted for their faith. They will argue that the gay community has been persecuted for a long time.

You can argue that many other cultures agree that marriage is between a man and a woman. They will argue that other cultures also have polygamy and that John Howard changed the Marriage Act.

You can argue that God created marriage when he created Adam and Eve. They will argue that God doesn't exist.

That there is the key point.

Those in favour of same-sex marriage argue that marriage is a human right, that the debate is about equality. Instead of arguing, ask them questions.

What is a human right?
Why should those things be human rights?
Where do your beliefs about justice, fairness etc. come from?
Why do you believe there is a right and wrong?
Why do you think your beliefs are right and mine are wrong?

Many people will say there's no God, but are adamant that there is good and evil, right and wrong. If there is no God then we're just blobs of matter.

The most important thing for Christians to remember is that we cannot expect non-Christians to agree with God's view and purpose for marriage. They cannot see, they are spiritually blinded. I remember when I first became a Christian, a good friend admitted that she'd been frustrated for so long, because I had so many Christian friends and I couldn't see what (or who) they were all about. I just replied, "I couldn't see, I was blind."

I didn't see because of witty, clever arguments. I came to see because God opened my eyes.

By all means, keep standing up for marriage to be protected. But don't forget to pray.

Friday Funny

I thought these were appropriate with the WA State Election tomorrow:


POLITICS

A politician is a fellow who will lay down YOUR life for his country.
- Texas Guinan, 19th century American businessman

 I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians.
- Charles de Gaulle, French general and politician

We hang petty thieves and appoint the bigger thieves to public office.
- Aesop, Greek slave and fable author

When I was a boy, I was told that anyone could become PM; I'm beginning to believe it.
- Quoted in 'Clarence Darrow for the Defense' by Irving Stone

The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly', meaning 'many', and the word 'ticks', meaning 'bloodsucking parasites'.
- Unknown

Straight From the Horse's Mouth

It's the WA State Election this coming Saturday, and Duncan asked me yesterday if there's a website that lists what the parties stand for on certain issues.  There are plenty, but I find the most comprehensive way is to go to each party's individual website.  Websites that compare parties are usually quite biased and don't list ALL of the issues.

We visited a different church on Sunday and we were given 'how to vote' cards for the Australian Christians.  Personally, I dislike these things being handed out in churches where godly people have come to their own opinions and disagree on many issues.  There is no such thing as a 'Christian vote', but that's another story.  This is what was on the brochure - a Christian checklist of where the parties stand on issues concerning Christians:

Image from here

The problem with this checklist is that it's kind of vague with lots of question marks.  Also, it doesn't list ALL of the issues that Christians care about (refugees, for example).  There is also the possibility that some parties' views on some of these issues have been misrepresented.

Please research your vote, people.  Go to each party's website and hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

5 Thoughts on the Election

We are two sleeps from the circus that is the Australian federal election. Will we have yet another new Prime Minister in Saturday?

It's easy to become sceptical and disillusioned with politics. I'm not a 'political person' by any stretch of the imagination, but here are my late Thursday night ramblings:

1. There is no such thing as a 'Christian vote'. There are godly Christian politicians and voters with differing views on how to honour God in the political arena.

2. Don't waste your vote. Millions of people around the world would love an opportunity to vote. Be thankful we don't live in a one-party state, all citizens can vote, we vote privately in booths, and we don't have people with guns standing over us. You may think your vote doesn't matter, or that all politicians are donkeys, but if you do a donkey vote you're the biggest ass of all.

3. Research your vote. Check out where all of the parties stand on different issues. If you're a Christian, don't just vote for someone because they say they're a Christian without seeing how their policies line up with God's Word.

4. Gay marriage and abortion are important issues, but they are not the only issues that matter.

5. We cannot make Australia a 'Christian nation'. Only the gospel can save, not by electing Christian politicians. But Christians have a role in our democracy by speaking God's truth to a nation that has largely turned its back on Him and does what is right in its own eyes. Christians have as much right to voice opinions in politics as any other group.

Islam in our Backyard

I thought this would be a very timely book review considering the current political climate.

I first read this book while I was at uni due to having a Muslim flatmate in student housing and there being a considerable number of Muslim students on campus.  If you want to get past the media scaremongering and the ignorance of many Christians and read a fairly simple overview of what Muslims actually believe, this is the book for you.  One only has to log into Facebook to read a number of supposed quotes from the Qur'an being 'shared' by Christians.  It made me think....there are plenty of people who misquote the Bible and we, as Christians, encourage them to read it properly, in context.  Shouldn't we do the same with the Qur'an instead of spouting off?

The book is part novel, part non-fiction, and that's where I think it falls down a bit.  I found the whole conversation with the fictitious neighbour a tad cheesy.  I would have much rather just read a book on Islam, explaining the history, the beliefs, the sects etc.  The best bit from the fictitious story was towards the end when he encourages his neighbour to consider the big questions of truth and the impact of pluralism.

I guess there are always going to be people who will refuse to read a book on Islam written by a Christian, using the excuse, "Oh, he's just going to make Muslims look bad."  But isn't a book on Islam written by a Muslim just going to paint Islam favourably?  If you're interested in how much truth there is to Islam being a religion of violent extremists, I would definitely read this book.

You can order this book from the Matthias Media Australian online store here.
Or the US store here.

Quote of the Day

Australians go to the polls on Saturday.  We could have a new Prime Minister by the evening.

I wrote about my political position here almost five years ago and it hasn't changed.

Voting is an enormous privilege, even if it seems like a hassle at the time.  Many people around the world only dream of such freedom.

I thought this quote sums it up:

And I felt lucky.  Because we have a choice, and I think that we vote, not to get the best party in, but to keep the worst party out.
- Jacob Coote in the book Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta (page 29)

5 Things Margaret Thatcher Taught Me About Leadership

While Duncan and I were in Esperance, we went to the local cinema a couple of times.  The first movie we saw was The Iron Lady.  It certainly was a well-deserved Oscar for Meryl Streep.  She was virtually unrecognisable as former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.

I was a little kid in the 80s so I didn't really know much about her, and can only go on what the movie portrays.  But there were several things this movie taught me about leadership...in any vocation:

1.  Sometimes the most unlikely people make the best leaders.

2.  Often leadership involves doing the best thing for the people as a whole, not individuals.

3.  Leaders (good or bad) will always experience some sort of opposition - either from their own people or outside.

4.  Leadership often involves taking a stand...and sticking to it.

5.  That stand may well be the leader's defining moment...both as a leader and a person.

Convicted

Last week, Duncan and I went to his boss's house for Bible study.  While we were waiting for the other group members to arrive, we sat down with Duncan's boss and his wife who were watching At Home With Julia.

For the benefit of international readers and those who have not heard of the show (though it's hard not to if you live in Australia), At Home With Julia is a spoof of the life of current Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and her partner, Tim Mathieson.  The show also features a number of well known Australian political figures.

I thoroughly enjoyed the five minutes I did get to watch.  While Julia Gillard's mannerisms are exaggerated, it was still quite funny.  Not laugh out loud funny, but amusing all the same.  I made plans to watch the next episode.

But when Bible study finished that night, I felt somewhat differently.  Our Bible study group has been using a series called The Truth Project which explores foundational Christian beliefs, but in a really unique way.  Last week we looked at God's relation to governments - that while they have the potential to do much evil, they have been instituted as God's representatives and we are to honour them.  The presenter quoted Romans 13:1-7 and it was then I felt convicted that I shouldn't watch At Home With Julia anymore.  When Duncan and I got home that night, I told him that I felt convicted and challenged based on what we had been learning, and he said, "Yeah I was thinking the same."

You see, that while Julia Gillard may have some amusing quirks and she is not the leader that I voted for, I still need to honour her.  She makes many decisions that I don't agree with, but she has been placed in her role by God.  She may find the show about herself to be absolutely hilarious, I don't know, but I think for me to watch it would be disrespectful.  We Aussies live in a culture that loves to poke fun at anyone important.  We kind of expect it, but that doesn't always make it right.  If I was an important leader, I'm not sure I would want a show like that made about me.  The ladies at tennis were talking about it yesterday and one said she was surprised the ABC even let it go to air.

I think Aussies can learn a lot from our overseas friends.  When I lived in Perth I met many international students who were shocked that we mock our leaders and refer to them by their first names.  I think we can still have a sense of humour, but learn from our overseas friends about showing respect - NOT like those countries who have a big picture of their dictator in the middle of the city or make it a crime to criticise the government at all.  Despite what we may think, Julia Gillard is not on the same level as us.  She is our leader whether we like it or not.

But the whole point is not about honouring Julia Gillard - it's about honouring God.

Some people may be able to watch this show in good conscience.  I cannot.

Picture is from http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2011/07/18/1226096/912405-at-home-with-julia.jpg

Get On Your Soapbox #19

It seems like it's the Australian thing to have a whinge about our government...

But did you know that governments are established by God?

They were established for our good, to maintain order, to prevent anarchy, to administer justice, to govern wisely.  Yes, there are bad governments, no doubt about it, but as much as I might not like Julia Gillard, I do not think things are as bad in Australia as the whingers make out.  We should be grateful we don't live in Zimbabwe, Libya, or Syria.  We should get down on our knees and thank God we weren't born in Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia or Italy under Mussolini.

So, when Christians think they are above the law, it really gets my blood boiling!

Our ultimate allegiance is to God.  If the government asks us to do something which disobeys how God wants us to live (like trying to stop Christians telling the gospel), then we need to obey God first and foremost.  But I personally know too many Christians who take that as a licence to disobey the laws of the land and decide which ones they should reinterpret.

A couple of weeks ago, it was Census night here in Australia.  Once in five years our government asks us to fill out a basic form.  ONCE in FIVE years.  That's not a massive inconvenience.  You're not being asked to disobey God.  How hard is it to fill in a ruddy form PROPERLY?!?  I get so sick of hearing about Christians generally being idiots by writing that they speak 'Crap' in the Language section or ticking the wrong gender.  I'm sick of people saying, "Oh, but the information never gets used for anything anyway."  Really?  I know people who have worked for the Australian Bureau of Statistics.  I have worked at Curtin Uni and taught students how to access and use the Census data for their assignments.  You'd be surprised at the range of courses that need statistics for assignments.  So the government may not use the information for what we would like, but they are asking us to do a simple thing.  Do it!

Don't get me started on Christians who think it's ok to speed or drink drive.  I was the designated driver once while out dancing with a group of Christian friends.  I was horrified that they kept trying to pressure me to drink!  They must have been completely insane!  I never have more than one drink when I'm out now (going out is rare now that I live in the country).  I've been in the situation before where the designated driver started drinking and fortunately I'd had nothing to drink so I could drive us home.  If not, we would have been screwed!

Then there are the revhead morons who think it's their right to reinterpret the road rules.  Apparently it's ok to speed because everyone else drives too slow. Hmmm.  Apparently they have such brilliant driving skills, I should trust them even though they are going 20km over the speed limit.  Apparently it's ok to read a book while driving on the freeway if it's the Bible you're reading (no joke).  Then there are the Christian girls who think Christian guys being tools in utes on the road are like....so cool.  I roll my eyes.

No, burning CDs illegally is NOT ok.  You are stealing from an artist who has a right to an income.  I can imagine how it would feel if my book was published and someone scanned it and put it on the net for free download.  I've slaved away for years on that book!  No, it is not ok to make a copy for a family member who does not live with you.  A lot of copyright rules state that you can make another copy for yourself (i.e. one for your house and one for your car), but you may NOT make a copy for another person.  I had one person try to justify illegally burning CDs because they reckoned they are too expensive and they have a right to cheap music.  Really?  I didn't know CDs were a necessity.

Our government is far from perfect, but they have been established by God.  We are called to honour our government whether it be by obeying traffic laws or filling in a form.  And we should not submit out of fear of the consequences for disobedience, but submit joyfully out of conscience and our love for God.  For there is nothing like Christians living as though they are above the law that brings dishonour to God's name.  So, yes the next time you merrily do 10km over the speed limit and Mr Speed Camera lets you know about it, remember he is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

Bible Verse of the Day

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.  Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.  For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.  Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.  For he is God’s servant to do you good.  But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing.  He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.  Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.  This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.  Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.
Romans 13:1-7

The Pendulum: A God of Justice and of Mercy

There have been many thoughts circulating in my head since Osama Bin Laden was killed eight days ago.  Mostly these thoughts have centred around the response on Facebook with about ten of my Facebook 'friends' posting a now revealed to be fake quote by Martin Luther King Jr.

To be honest this kind of annoyed me.  Not because so many people were posting the same thing (although my news feed was very boring that day) or that they were jumping on a bandwagon without checking its credibility (though that too was annoying).  I understood the sentiment behind it, and I do agree, but I thought these actions were ill-timed.

I wonder how many of those people, who were so quick to condemn the Americans for celebrating, have lost a loved one as a result of terrorist activities?  Or stood by and watched someone who murdered their loved one get a very lenient sentence?  No, I'm guessing many of those people have no idea what it feels like.  I'm guessing many of them have never been victims of heinous crimes, been persecuted and stood by helplessly as justice did not prevail.

Personally I thought the wild celebrations in the US were over the top.  I'm not disagreeing with many of the Facebookers there.  What I am saying is that if we were in the shoes of people who had lost family and friends on September 11 2001, we might feel differently.  We might actually feel glad that the world has one less evil and dangerous person in it.  Many people feel a sense of relief and even gladness when paedophiles or serial killers are sentenced justly.  We shouldn't be so quick to judge. 

I'm still really not sure how to feel about Bin Laden's death.  I don't think his death will signal the end of terrorism.  I certainly don't think the US is perfect, and I don't like the way the Australian government is so quick to jump into bed with them (although I guess having large borders and a small population makes us vulnerable).  I still wonder why the US took ten years to find Bin Laden.  How many civilians have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq because of their 'War on Terror'?  I certainly don't think the US is any more a Christian nation than Australia is.  Part of me is glad Bin Laden is dead, but part of me grieves that he was so evil in the first place and that anyone (either him or his victims) had to die.  I don't want to celebrate the death of one person, yet I also believe that God is a God of justice.  (That doesn't mean I think the US killing Bin Laden is an act of God's justice - that's something we will never know).

This whole scenario got me thinking about a sermon series on Revelation Duncan and I listened to a couple of years ago.  That's why I chose yesterday's Bible verse.  Here we have God's people crying out to Him for justice - people who have been persecuted for their faith.  I know this is not the same as terrorism and the Bin Laden situation, but it does raise questions about why we get so uncomfortable about God being a God of justice, but have no problems with Him being a God of mercy.  A couple of years ago in Bible study, we read Psalm 139 where David asks God to bring judgement on his enemies:
If only you would slay the wicked, O God!  Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!  They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.  Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you?  I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. (Psalm 139:19-22)
I do feel uncomfortable by David's strong words, particularly the word 'hate'.  But David is not asking God to smite these people for his own sake - these people are not just rising up against David, they are against God.

Many people say we are not to judge others, and that is true - God is the judge.  But there is a difference between passing a sentence on them, and calling a spade a spade.  We are all sinners, but that does not mean it is wrong to acknowledge that Bin Laden was an evil man.

Does God love Osama Bin Laden?  Yes, the same as He loves Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin, Mugabe and many other cruel dictators.  Ezekiel 18:23 says: "Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord.  Rather am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"  God was not gloating when Osama Bin Laden was killed.  Proverbs 24:17 says: "Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble."  We have been given the difficult commandment to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44).  God does not get His jollies out of condemning people - He'd much rather they repent, turn from their sin and follow Him.  But He is a God of justice.  He sees people's pain.  He is angered by sin.  He will one day call everyone, including you and me, to account.

I have a problem with signs like this:

Source: http://www.convictcreations.com/culture/images/osama.jpg

Not because it isn't true - but because it is inappropriate.  Yes Jesus loves Osama (as inconceivable as that might be), but tact is needed and this does not take into account the hurt and suffering people have endured.  It just ends up dividing people and causing more pain.

We celebrate God being a God of mercy, and rightly so.  We rejoice that Saul of Tarsus, who once persecuted Christians, was saved and transformed by God into the apostle Paul who took the gospel to what is now modern day Europe.  We marvel that God can change hearts and lives - no matter what the person has done.  I am glad He had mercy on me.

But we should see the cross as not only an act of mercy, but of justice.  God did not overlook sin when He let the guilty go free - Jesus, the innocent one, stood in our place.  Our earthly justice systems may fail us, but God is just and we should be glad this is so.  He sees the tears, He sees Christians being persecuted and crying out, "How long, Lord?"  He does not forget.  He does not overlook sin as if it doesn't matter that much.

I do have mixed feelings about the whole Bin Laden situation.  But I think that we should remember that many of us have not walked in the shoes of those who have suffered because of terrorism before we start relentlessly quoting 'Love your enemies'.  And while rejoicing may not be the right response, we can thank God that He is a God of both justice and mercy.

Quote of the Day

Grief is the price we pay for love.
- Queen Elizabeth II

The Pendulum: Christians and Politics

This is my first post in The Pendulum series. So what exactly is The Pendulum about? Well, it's about issues where I'm torn on. I'm not claiming to have a perfectly balanced view but I think these are issues where if the pendulum swings too far to one extreme, there is a problem. I'm hoping to present both views.

Ok, I know every bloggerman and his dog has written something similar to what I'm about to write but I'm going to write it anyway.

In the light of last month's state election in WA, I've been thinking about Christians getting involved in politics. Should we as Christ followers be getting involved? If so, to what extent? Is there a place for Christians as politicians? Should we be actively campaigning against things which are against God's plan and design? Or should we just concentrate on living God's way ourselves and helping the poor etc at a grass roots level?

To be honest, I'm quite torn in this area. I find voting difficult because to put it simply, there are no parties I like! No surprises there I guess as each will have their flaws, yes even the 'Christian' parties. I feel like I'm voting for the best of a bad lot. Sometimes I even feel like writing my own name on the ballot paper and putting a number 1 next to it :).

Politically I guess I could be called centre-right. I'm only moderately interested, perhaps I should take more interest but I find the whole political process quite boring and confusing. Yet I don't want to be uninformed and complain all the time when I have some power as a voter to have my say. I think that's one of the great things about our country. We can vote! And we can vote without men with guns standing over us. However much we may feel our vote doesn't count....it isn't true. Every vote does count and as much as we feel voting is tiresome, many people living under dictatorships would love to be in our position.

Over the last couple of years, other people have persuaded me the importance of researching my vote. In the years before, I used to vote based on hearsay or 'he looks all right.' Now I go to each party's website and read all of their policies. I cannot say how important this is. I disagree emphatically with the political preferences of some Christians but they have researched their vote and come to their conclusion under God. I may have come to a very different view.

I have heard the views of both 'lefty' and 'righty' Christians I know (I hate those labels but I can't think of anything else right now). The lefties are concerned for victims of oppression that aren't mentioned much in the policies of the Christian Democratic Party or Family First....widows, orphans, victims of war, child labourers etc. On the other hand I, like many righties, do not want to support the Greens either and deliberately vote a party into power that is for the legalisation of prostitution and abortion. Neither really appeal to me but I do lean more right than left.

The trouble is...advocates of each view seem to think their issues are the most important and the others still matter but they aren't as passionate about them. Maybe that is a huge generalisation but it seems to fit many people I've talked to or heard their views. I think ALL of these issues are important. There's just no party that's got it right on all of them but we have to vote for someone. You care about child labour? Then also care about the babies that are aborted. All are victims in my opinion.

I can tolerate Christians with differing political views to mine as long as they've researched and prayed about it. It's Christians that vote for a party simply because it has 'Christian' in the title which get my goat. It's people who ask who I voted for and then lecture me which really annoy me. It's Christians who try to persuade their pastors to promote certain parties at church which make me so mad. It's Christians who fill my email with political propaganda who make me seeth with anger. I do not think it's the role of a pastor to try and persuade people to vote for a certain party. The pastor at my old church simply encouraged us to research each party's policy but that was it. We are each responsible for our own vote and it's really no-one else's business. That's why we vote individually in booths where others can't see.

Duncan and I talked quite a bit about the election in the weeks that followed it. He reckons there is a place for Christians in politics for they have an opportunity to witness to other politicians. God has placed us where he wants us to be. So do I think introducing Christian laws will make people Christian? No way! They might change behaviour but they won't change hearts. They won't change people's standing before God. Yet, on the other hand I do worry about society as we have a responsibility to care for others. Some of the laws that could be introduced may just produce more brokenness.

Personally, I just want to concentrate on living for Christ and loving others. If other Christians want to get more actively involved and protest or become politicians that's up to them. God can use us all. Yet I do hope that each Christ follower will take opportunities to explain why they believe what they believe on certain issues in a way that is helpful, loving and God-honouring not just rant and rave and say "It's bad....it's evil."

Image is from countryporch.com

Down

I have not been going so well over the past few days, particularly yesterday.

I can't put my finger on a specific thing instead I think it's just lots of things that have been building up over time. Most of the time I've been swinging between feeling extremely angry and very downhearted and sad. If you have a smart arse remark or a stupid joke that you think will cheer me up or if you just feel like 'stirring' (I hate that word), I advise you to keep your mouth shut if you want to keep your teeth intact.

Here are a few reasons why I've been feeling so bad.

• Feeling peopled-out. We've had visitors last weekend, will have visitors this weekend and possibly others on the long weekend, then it's church camp and then I'm going to Albany to catch up with a friend that I haven't seen for 12 years. I like visitors but I find I get more and more claustrophobic the more people there are in our little cottage.
  
• Feeling more exhausted than I have in a long time. I went on a day trip to Perth on the weekend and now realise it was a bad idea. I'm angry with myself for allowing myself to be talked into seeing more people than is humanly possible in a single day and now I feel like I did before the wedding. Exhausted but too tired to sleep (if that makes sense). I'm trying not to go back to the sleeping pills.
  
• Having a bad time at work, accidentally breaking stupid things. The shop is so crammed with stupid breakable ornaments that staff can't help but break things while cleaning etc. The lady I work with told me she has broken heaps and nearly went broke herself because she had to pay for it all. Yesterday I broke a stupid baby ornament that was worth $50 but thankfully my boss said I didn't have to pay for it. Someone had stacked a pile of things so that when I tried to move one it created a domino effect.
  
• I'm sick of lopsided friendships. Since moving here, Duncan and I are realising that some people seem to be very lazy in keeping in touch even though we've tried through Facebook, SMS, calling etc and we never get any reply! We've been hearing through the grapevine about events that we'd normally expect to be invited to if I were still in Perth and now that we're not it really hurts. It's like 'out of sight, out of mind' for some people and just because we've moved three hours away, we seemed to have completely dropped off their radar.
  
• I'm sick of people talking about the election, particularly those who ask my opinion or who I voted for then proceed to lecture me because I didn't vote for who THEY think are the best and I can't get a word in. I'm tired of getting political propaganda in my email and thoroughly fed up with Christians who go and on about the Christian Democratic Party and implying that if I didn't vote for them I must be pro-gay and a lesser caste of Christian.
  
• I'm fed up to the back teeth with people who deliberately try to stir me and others when I'm angry or upset but would absolutely go psycho if anyone did the same thing to them when they're down. Hypocrites!

Phew! There you have it. I woke up feeling a little cheerier today. Let's hope that today is a better day.

If You Do A Donkey Vote.....You're A Donkey!

With only one more sleep until the Australian federal election, it seems a lot of people will waste their vote tomorrow. Maybe they'll write garbage all over the ballot paper? Maybe they'll not put a lot of thought into it? Maybe they'll not even vote at all?

I thought it would be good to hear the opinion of someone fictional. Jacob Coote is one of the main characters in my FAVOURITE book, Looking for Alibrandi and he gave the following speech at 'Have A Say' which, in the book, is a public speaking event for some Sydney high schools.

".....Because we have a choice, and I think that we vote not to get the best party in, but to keep the worst party out. Because we can stand here and protest. We can get all riled up about the premier's ideas. We can say he's a d***head even. We can call the prime minister and the leader of the opposition one as well........

But in some countries, people can't do that.......In some countries people our age can't concentrate on their schoolwork because of the sound of gunfire.

In some countries they have one-party systems and they have things called the People's Army, and when the people come out and have a say like we're doing today....the People's Army shoots the people.......

So, great. Let's be apathetic. Let's not vote. Let's let anyone run this country. Let's be ignorant and let's all be proud of that ignorance. And maybe we'll have a People's Army one day too." (page 28)

Marchetta, M. (1992). Looking for Alibrandi. Victoria: Penguin.

I'm not a political person. Sometimes it feels like your vote won't make a difference or you're simply picking from the best of a bad lot.

But I urge you all, if you're voting tomorrow, to vote wisely and not waste it by believing that one person won't make a difference.

Be thankful that Australia is a democracy and that when we vote tomorrow, we won't have men with guns standing over us.

Death of a Politician

If you are living overseas or under a rock, you may not be aware that Australia has a federal election coming up in eight days. Bek has encouraged us all to RESEARCH the various parties and vote wisely. I couldn't agree more and as I was going through my inbox the other day I came across a forwarded email from three years ago and it certainly is an appropriate time to post it on my blog. It's theologically dodgy but makes a point....

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A powerful politician dies after a prolonged illness. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to Heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you." "No problem, just let me in," says the guy.
"Well, I'd like to but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in Hell and one in Heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."
"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in Heaven," says the politician.
"I'm sorry but we have our rules."

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a club and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him, everyone is very happy and in evening attire. They run to greet him, hug him, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster and caviar. Also present is the Devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that, before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug and waves while the elevator rises. The elevator goes up, up, up and the door re-opens on Heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.
"Now it's time to visit Heaven."

So 24 hours pass with the head of state joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.
"Well then, you've spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven. Now choose your eternity."
He reflects for a minute, then the politician answers, "Well, I would never have said it, I mean Heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in Hell."

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he is in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags. The Devil comes over to him and lays his arm on his neck.
"I don't understand," stammers the politician. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and club and we ate lobster and caviar and danced and had a great time. Now all there is, is a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable."
The Devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted for us!"

VOTE WISELY THIS COMING ELECTION!