Father Forgive Labor and the Greens Over the Lord's Prayer ...

Catholics oppose Victorian Labor Government's Bid to Ditch the Lord's Prayer

The Victorian Parliament will debate whether or not to continue opening proceedings with the Lord’s Prayer.

The debate has been forced by the Catholic Church after the Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan proposed ditching the prayer because, well, “diversity”.

All Australian Parliaments begin sitting days with the prayer - and have done for more than 100 years - apart from in the ACT where it was jettisoned in 1995 for a moment of reflection.

Since then the ACT has gone on to decriminalise personal use of cocaine, ICE and heroin. I’m not saying there’s a connection, but do the math.

Premier Allan said earlier this year that the Lord’s Prayer did not reflect “a changing state”.

“We are seeing greater cultural diversity – I think it’s important that we do look at reflecting that in our parliamentary practices.”

Why is increasing cultural diversity always used as an excuse to eliminate Christian culture, especially when the “diverse” cultures aren’t complaining?

Are there immigrants protesting the Lord’s Prayer on the steps of the Victorian Parliament? I don’t think so.

In fact, the fastest growing parts of the church in this country are among immigrants who, for all their cultural diversity, are typically Christians.

Anyway, Allan made the comments after two Labor MPs said they would sit out the prayer because they didn’t like the Pope’s condemnation of surrogacy.

So weird. I didn’t realise the Lord’s Prayer was prayed to the Pope.

Perhaps Labor MPs could do a deal with the church where they agree to keep the prayer provided the church agrees to support abortion, radical gender theory, illicit drugs, drag queens and Hamas.

That could work.

Melbourne Archbishop Peter A Comensoli joined representatives of Victoria’s faith communities in signing a letter sent to each member of the Victorian Parliament expressing “the fundamental and ongoing importance of prayer in Parliament”.

He called on them to “ensure its practice continues to play an integral part of our democratic tradition”.

In a statement, the Catholic diocese said …

Pointing out that the majority of Victorians ‘believe in a God or a Higher Power other than themselves’, the Archbishop, along with representatives of the Anglican, Muslim, Hindu and Jewish communities, asked Members of Parliament ‘to respect these beliefs and the rich, long-held traditions on which our parliamentary system has been built’.

Sounds like plenty of cultural diversity to me!

The Catholic Church also put together a petition with the required 10,000 signatures to force a debate on the issue. That debate will be held on July 31.

The push to rid Parliament of the Lord’s Prayer is not new. The Greens have been trying to avoid Jesus’ words for years.

And, maybe they have a point.

The words of Jesus are dangerous and politicians should be protected from hearing them lest they startle the country by governing with wisdom and humility.

For those unfamiliar with the prayer Federal Greens senators once described as “insulting” and “jarring”, let me explain the 10 nation-destabilising ideas from which our leaders must be insulated.

“Our Father who art in heaven …” is a shocking acknowledgment that the highest office bearers in the land may not be the highest office bearers in the universe. Should politicians realise this, they may start acting with humility and become completely unrecognisable to their own electorates.

“Hallowed be thy name …” is the dangerous admission that we must live for something bigger than our own name or self-aggrandisement. This could lead inadvertently to politicians no longer naming pet policies after themselves. Now that would be a welcome outcome.

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven …” could cause politicians to consider if perhaps they ought act according to noble convictions rather than simple convenience. This would throw the public service into significant confusion.

“Give us this day our daily bread …” is just plain offensive. If there is a God, he (or she) has not been distributing the bread according to the Greens’ favourite slogans — “equality” and “fairness”. If he (or she) were fair, the Greens would have more bread than the people the Greens don’t like, such as those making the bread.

“Forgive us our sins …” is a self-esteem-sapping admission that none of us is perfect. Even Greens senators are beset by the flaws of human nature and are therefore prone to mistakes. This is a dangerous idea that our MPs should never under any circumstances be allowed to contemplate lest they stop thinking of themselves as our betters.

“As we forgive those who sin against us …” is a devilish promise to respect the common humanity of those with whom we disagree rather than simply demonising them. The Greens are right to insist MPs must never hear this, lest civility break out in parliament and those sitting in the public gallery think they are in the wrong building.

“Lead us not into temptation …” is that unflattering idea that we are all prone to wander off on tangents. Were politicians to think about this they might start acting with caution rather than haste. Then we wouldn’t have pink batts or cash for clunkers or the National Broadband Network or the renewable energy superpower debacle.

“But deliver us from evil …” is the foolishly outdated idea that evil exists when we know the problem is really structural issues that can be fixed by constant government interference in the affairs of free men.

“For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory …” is an insidious idea that may lead politicians to wonder if perhaps building monuments to themselves is mere vanity. We don’t want MPs thinking there is a cause greater than their own name or political stripe, lest they begin to work together for a greater good; and then where would we be?

“Forever and ever, amen …” is the clear suggestion our politicians soon may be gone but that the decisions they make will echo on in the lives of our children’s children.

Should MPs have to hear such words they may start thinking beyond the 24-hour news cycle. God, er, Greens forbid!