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DOES THE CHURCH CARE ABOUT Religious FREEDOM?

BY MARK EDWARDS

Recently whilst in the office of one of the most influential political leaders in our nation., the politician said that their office receives hundreds of communications every day. Staff are overwhelmed by the volume and this is true for every politician. The subjects are diverse and varied, so I was shocked to hear that they rarely include ‘religious freedom’! I was challenged by the next question levelled at me, ‘Does the Church care about religious freedom?’ The point being made was that if the very people who should value religious freedom don’t think it is an issue, do you think the Government will place it at the top of their agenda? I walked out of that room stunned, challenged, angry, saddened, confused and more motivated than ever, yet what could I do? Then I thought if I could write a communication to every Pastor of Australian Christian Churches AND I could somehow guarantee that they would actually read the communication, what I would say? Perhaps it would be this...

Dear Pastor,

Every Sunday you preach a message in church and up till now no one from Government has ever tried to interfere with what you have had to say. Very few of you when preparing your message think, ‘Will this statement discriminate against anyone?’ That time is now over. Within two years it is highly likely that every Australian state will have some legislation that will restrict your freedom to speak in certain areas, including communicating some truths of the bible. No, I am not in any way exaggerating. To be blunt you have assumed you have religious freedom when in fact this right actually doesn’t exist in this nation, let alone is protected by any legislation. I fully realise that religious freedom is not a topic that is present at your dinner time conversations, but I speak to many people from your congregations who are scared to say they live their lives with a conviction of faith in God because they fear the consequences of that statement in their employment. These people want the freedom to practice and talk about their religion without fear of prosecution. Pastor, religious freedom is the oldest and most ancient of all human rights known to the human race. This is acknowledged by leaders in the fields of history, archaeology and anthropology. The oldest known cave paintings here in Australia, in Southern France and in Russia identify the painting of a deity on the wall usually beside a hunting scene. These unknown artists had the freedom in their ancient community to communicate the existence of a deity. This is the first evidence of religious freedom in action. Our Prime Minister believes in religious freedom. His maiden speech on February 14, 2008 mentioned this concept specifically when he said, “This is a nation where you have the freedom to follow any belief system you choose…. As US Senator Joe Lieberman said, ‘the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not from religion’. I believe the same is true in this country.” Over the past few years there have been roundtable discussions, numerous meetings, many submissions and communications of which I have been part of them all. Two Inquiries on religious freedom have been held; Andrews and Ruddock and these were commenced in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s time, not to mention several Bills have included religious freedom issues and each has had an Inquiry, for example, the Sex Discrimination Act changes in relation to schools. Finally in August 2019, the Religious Discrimination Bill, designed to protect people of faith, was launched in the Great Synagogue in Sydney by the Honourable Christian Porter. This building built by a people who would later in Europe have genocide committed against them purely because of their ethnic religious beliefs. I was there when the Attorney General passionately spoke about his belief in religious freedom. Since then, the final Religious Discrimination Bill has not been presented either to interested faith groups or indeed the Parliament despite numerous roundtable discussions and submissions. I can tell you without doubt that over that period various states have enacted legislation which have eroded religious freedom. In fact my academic friends tell me religious freedom is at its lowest point since Federation. Do you care enough about religious freedom now and for future generations to do something about it? Many of you will do nothing hoping it will all go away, but it won’t my friend. Here’s what you should do and what I would ask you to do: In your own words, write to the Prime Minister and cc. your local Federal Member of Parliament asking him to introduce the Religious Discrimination Bill into the Parliament as a matter of urgency, and to prosecute the Bill with all the resources possible through both Houses of Parliament. That’s a start but a significant start, believe me. The communication does not have to be long, and you are welcome to use some of the contents of this letter to help you. Frederick Douglass, African American civil rights leader of the late 19th century, was asked by a young man what he should do with his life. Douglass answered, ‘Agitate son, Agitate!’ It’s time you, Pastor did the same.