Pacific Highlander

Is New Zealand a Christian country?

Brian Tamaki, bishop of the Destiny Church network in New Zealand, has been agitating to have New Zealand recognised as a Christian country. He’s been responding to the Statement on Religious Diversity, an initiative to provide a framework for the recognition of New Zealand’s diverse faith communities and their harmonious interactions with each other, with government and with other groups in society, including those who have no faith.

The Statement was one of the topics for discussion at the Asia Pacific Interfaith Dialogue at Waitangi last month and is a project of the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme with the support of the Human Rights Commission, Victoria University, the Ministry of Social Development and the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO.

Brian organised a peaceful protest at Waitangi, calling Helen Clark to recognise the Christian faith as the official religion of New Zealand. Destiny Churches have started a web site, www.christiannation.org.nz, initially in support of the protest march. Tamaki claimed that the Labour Government was pushing a secular humanist approach to religion, denying years of Christian heritage, and endangering the positive values that kept families together. Tamaki is concerned that if prayers in Parliament are not prayed in the name of Jesus Christ, the country’s values will be diluted.

‘It’s often said that religion has no business meddling in politics. Now we’ve got the State meddling in religion. Make no mistake - the proposed National Statement on Religious Diversity is a politically motivated document that would be incredibly dangerous in the hands of an anti-Christian Labour Government. I equate it to religious treason. So I will be at Waitangi to send a clear message to Government to honour our Christian heritage,’ Tamaki said in one of his press releases.

Here’s the heart of the Statement on Religious Diversity…

1. THE STATE AND RELIGION. The State seeks to treat all faith communities and those who profess no religion equally before the law. New Zealand has no official or established religion.
2. THE RIGHT TO RELIGION. New Zealand upholds the right to freedom of religion and belief and the right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of religious or other belief.
3. THE RIGHT TO SAFETY. Faith communities and their members have a right to safety and security.
4. THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. The right to freedom of expression and freedom of the media are vital for democracy but should be exercised with responsibility.
5. RECOGNITION AND ACCOMMODATION. Reasonable steps should be taken in educational and work environments and in the delivery of public services to recognise and accommodate diverse religious beliefs and practices.
6. EDUCATION. Schools should teach an understanding of different religious and spiritual traditions in a manner that reflects the diversity of their national and local community.
7. RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES. Debate and disagreement about religious beliefs will occur but must be exercised within the rule of law and without resort to violence.
8. COOPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING. Government and faith communities have a responsibility to build and maintain positive relationships with each other, and to promote mutual respect and understanding.

The statement was prepared by the Victoria University Religious Studies Programme and authored by Programme Director Professor Paul Morris. The statement was the subject of a national process of public consultation coordinated by the Human Rights Commission, and was endorsed by the National Interfaith Forum in Hamilton in February 2007 as a basis for ongoing public discussion. The whole Religious Diversity in New Zealand booklet can be downloaded as a pdf document from the Human Rights Commission web site.

So what do New Zealanders think about all this? A poll run by Research New Zealand, canvassing 501 people across New Zealand, found that 58 percent of people disagreed with making Christianity the official state religion. Those aged between 15 and 29 were most vehemently opposed, with more than seven out of ten people against the idea. 63 percent of men opposed the idea, compared with 54% of women. Two thirds of people support teaching schoolchildren about all the world’s religions.

501 people isn’t a lot of people on which to build a confident sense of national identity. However the result is no surprise, given New Zealand’s long history of secular education and resistance to naming an established church. The eight principles named above, however, have been developed in the wake of anti-Semitism, and more recently prejudice shown towards people of Muslim faith.

It seems to me that Christians need to learn how to relate to one another, those of other religions, and those with no religion, without any sense of privilege. That’s what being a secular nation is about. The same applies in predominantly Muslim nations such as Indonesia and Egypt. Allowing inclusive prayers in Parliament need not denigrate or downplay the Christian beliefs of churches.

Tags: Christianity, inter faith, inter faith dialogue, New Zealand, Reconciliation, Religion, Spirituality, Waitangi

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Coexist a symbol of reconciliation

Coexistence was one of the highlights of the U2 Vertigo concert I attended in Brisbane. Bono wore a headband with the word “Coexist”, and the word “Coexist” appeared in the light show, during songs such as “Sunday Bloody Sunday”.

The “Coexist” symbol incorporates the crescent of Islam as the C, the cross of Christianity as the T, and the Jewish Star of David as the X in the middle. Bono referred to this symbol as he sang, “Jesus, Jew, Muhammad, it’s true…All sons of Abraham. Father Abraham, speak to your sons. Tell them, No more!”

Bono first saw the “Coexist” symbol painted as grafitti on a wall in Chicago. The origins of the icon come from Poland in 2001 where graphic designer Piotr Mlodozeniec entered it in an international art competion run by the Museum on the Seam, Jerusalem. The symbol was registered as a trademark by an Indiana-based t-shirt company in 2005, unaware of its origins. See the lifestyle brand at coexistonline.com

Apparently U2 still have the challenge of working out an agreement that will acknowledge Mlodozeniec as the artist and Museum on the Seam as the copyright holder. I wonder if Coexist still believe they have a strong foothold on the financial gains associated with the symbol.

[eminimall products="coexist"]

The Project Abraham forum on peacemaking on the Gold Coast back on the 12th of November. It became a powerful carrier of meaning for the Jews, Muslims and Christians searching together for a way to live out a life of positive engagement in life, together.

www.coexist.com points to another website, grassroots.org, a network dedicated to positive social change.

Tags: Art, Christianity, inter faith, Islam, Judaism, Music, Reconciliation, Spirituality, U2

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Project Abraham Peacemaking Forum on Gold Coast

I’m part of a team organising an inter-faith forum on peacemaking, being held as a follow-up to the Gold Coast Project Abraham forum held in September.

The Project Abraham Community Forum on Peacemaking will be held on Sunday, November 12, 2 to 5 pm at Nerang Bicentennial Community Centre, Nerang-Southport Rd, on the Gold Coast.

The Project Abraham concept comes from the tradition held in common by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Each of these faiths includes the Abraham narratives in their scriptures. Here on the Gold Coast a group of leaders from each of the three faiths gathered to host a travelling exhibition and a community forum on hospitality.

Now’s the time for making peace. There’s been a lot of media coverage of Muslim beliefs and practices over the last few weeks, particularly with reported comments from Ramadan sermons. Australians each read or hear about controversy regarding the rights of women. In overseas news we have been hearing about conflicts in areas that affect Jews, Muslims and Christians - Lebanon and Israel for example.

So what do the traditions and scriptures of each religion have to say about making peace? As the facilitator for the day I’ll be exploring the story of Abraham’s peacemaking in the wake of war.

First speaker is Uri Themal, Rabbi at Temple Shalom on the Gold Coast, and former director of Multicultural Affairs Queensland. Uri recently returned from a conference in Paris where he delivered a paper on Jewish perspectives on war and peace.

The second speaker will be Imraan Husain, Imam of the Gold Coast Mosque (Islamic Society of the Gold Coast). Imam Husain has been in the Gold Coast news constantly over the last few weeks, providing a moderate Muslim perspective on a so-called ‘honour killing’ and calling for people to reconciliation rather than hostility.

Third speaker will be Tony Kitchen, executive officer - education at Queensland Catholic Education Commission. Tony’s background in Catholic education has focused on peace education, peace building and capacity building.

Pictured below are speakers from the first forum in September: Chief Justice Paul De Jersey, Imam Imraan Husain, (Anglican) Bishop Ron Williams, Rabbi Uri Themal.

The Community Forum will have kosher and halaal food provided by the Jewish and Muslim communities. The Christians are organising the tea, coffee and cold drinks.

The afternoon will include 90 minutes of questions and discussion. My hope is that people will meet and get to know people from other faiths, putting into practice the call for peacemaking.

Download the 1024×768 flyer

Download the A4 pdf poster

Tags: Australia, Christianity, inter faith, Islam, Judaism, peace, Reconciliation, Spirituality

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