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The Age

Saturday January 5, 2008

GAYS AND THE CHURCH

God loves us all, gay and straight

ARCHBISHOP Peter Jensen's claim that pro-gay Anglicans have raised their views on sexuality to the status of the Gospel itself (The Age, 4/1) is hypocrisy of the highest order. Since 1998, it has been radical conservatives who have forced the church to talk incessantly about homosexuality, who have issued endless demands, and who have intervened in the affairs of other Anglican provinces. They are the ones who have defined Christianity around one rule: no poofters.

Faithful Anglicans who believe that gay, lesbian and bisexual people should be ordained and be able to celebrate their relationships in church are silenced and marginalised. Their efforts to draw attention to far bigger issues of poverty, rampant materialism and social justice are overlooked. So while Nigerian and Sydney bishops try to expel homosexuals from the church, Anglican leaders elsewhere continue to challenge the world to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

The proposed Global Anglican Future Conference shows how far conservatives such as Archbishop Jensen have strayed from Jesus' message of reconciliation and love. Instead of helping Anglicans face up to their differences, it will try to force Anglicans into signing up to a series of narrow propositions eliminating dissent. Worst of all, the conference organisers did not even have the manners to ask Jerusalem's bishop if they could hold their meeting in his diocese. Let us hope the conference is called off; that conservative Anglicans realise God does not hate gays, and that Christians get on with their core business of preaching God's love for all people.

Dr Peter Sherlock, South Yarra

God made gays, too

I CANNOT understand the problem that some people in the church have with homosexuality. It is another manifestation of love and, as such, it is one of God's creations. Don't tell me it's unnatural: there are plenty of gay chimps, giraffes, etc who will tell you otherwise.

Quoting obscure passages in the Old Testament is hypocritical, unless you are prepared to put women to death for wearing pants. Either follow the arcane commandments consistently, or ignore them. As for Paul's diatribes - we are Christians first and foremost, not Paulines. Don't let one early theologian define your faith just because it was his followers who wrote the Bible. As far as we know, Jesus was silent on the issue. Love who you want, when you want.

Michael Wynne, Mount Waverley

Flouting the flock

IN 2005, a study by the Australia Institute found that 65% of Anglicans are accepting of homosexual relationships. Last year a Galaxy survey found that 71% of Australians support equal rights for gays and lesbians.

In the face of this broad acceptance of same-sex relationships, Peter Jensen is prepared to split his church in two, rather than accept the views of its members. Nothing highlights the destructiveness of anti-gay campaigners quite like this.

Jim Woulfe, Leichhardt, NSW

More to the point

IN THURSDAY'S online poll, The Age (Letters page, 4/1) asked "Should the Anglican Church ordain gay priests?" My response is: "Who cares!"

A far more important question is: "Should religious institutions that are allowed to discriminate against gay people under exemptions provided in anti-discrimination laws also be allowed to not pay tax under exemptions provided in the tax laws?"

Richard Moore, East Hawthorn

A no-risk solution

THERE is a financial myth that the return on an investment is a measure of that investment's inherent risk. This is used by the wealthy to excuse their riches, the presumption being that at some time in the past they must have taken some terribly brave decision that resulted in their accumulation of wealth.

The banks, led by NAB, continue to disprove that false theory (The Age, 4/1). They have their little dabbles in the speculative structures available to them, but do they actually take a risk? Of course not. They simply recover any loss from the suckers (sorry, customers) who have a mortgage with them. Time for another "people's bank".

Adrian Richards, Brighton

Stop fires first

SEVEN people have died in house fires in 13 days (The Age, 4/1), which starts to approach the road toll. With each fire, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade repeats its cry to install and check smoke alarms. This is indisputably vital, but it seems akin to the TAC telling us to check our cars' airbags. Instead, the TAC tells us to slow down and not drink and drive. Its primary message is don't crash your car.

How do most house fires begin? Is there a known group of appliances that usually start fires? Would safety switches on dodgy old computers prevent explosions of the kind that may have started Thursday's fire in Footscray?

I want to minimise fire risks in my home, but without knowing what they all are, it is hard to tick off a check list. Surely fewer people would have died, even without smoke alarms installed, if the fires hadn't begun in the first place.

Katherine Henshall, Hawthorn

It's all execution

DAVID Bernstein, in "The killing debate" (Opinion, 4/1), asserts that Israel reserves the death penalty only for the most heinous of crimes and has not used it in response to the Palestinian suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks. But this is to ignore the Israeli tactic of targeted assassinations used against the Palestinians.

Amnesty International has concluded that the Israeli Government allows extra-judicial executions of Palestinians by the Israeli security services, some of which involved targets who could have been arrested. So instead of a trial with appropriate legal protections, many Palestinians are simply executed without trial. I don't support the death penalty, but it is perhaps preferable to execution without trial. And it is simply misleading to assert that Israel does not impose the death penalty against terrorist attacks.

Kristen Walker, Clifton Hill

Capital punishment devalues human life

DOESN'T David Bernstein destroy his own argument for limited use of the death penalty in his article (Opinion, 4/1)? If Soviet files had not turned up proving that John Demjanjuk was, in fact, not Ivan the Terrible, he would have been executed. Countless witnesses in his trial swore he was Ivan the Terrible, just like countless witnesses in the US would have lied to convict many black prisoners. Most of these people can't get a fair trial because of the emotions involved. DNA testing available now has just demonstrated the extent of the problem. Capital punishment devalues human life.

Simon Erickson, Subiaco, WA

It it's OK by God...

ANGLICAN Archbishop Peter Jensen (The Age, 4/1) said Christians were concerned about the abuse of capital punishment for crimes that did not merit death. "But I cannot absolutely rule out capital punishment in all circumstances, since the Bible itself allows it."

That makes things interesting, doesn't it? I wouldn't mind a slave or two to help ease the workload around the house now that I know its OK. The Bible allows it.

David Ross, Brunete, Madrid

Cricket has lost me

IT MAY mean little to the Australian cricket team that I ceased watching or listening to cricket as of the moment Andrew Symonds didn't walk. The great thing about sport, especially cricket, supposedly, is the integrity and fairness of playing the game. For me, professional sport generally and the Australian team specifically, have lost their integrity. Winning is now more important than how the game is played.

Why? Is it the money or the money people? They appear to me to be the Gordon Geckos of cricket: greed (winning) is good. These are not the role models we should want for our children. Sadly, it won't worry them that I have lost the game I have loved since I was a boy listening to the stories my dad told of the truly great Australian teams. It also won't worry them that I am feeling a real sense of loss because of that decision. I probably won't be missed. After all, I was just a fan.

Jeremy Maxwell, Mitcham

Ricky is only human

RICKY Ponting knows cricket's like life: when you get a lucky break you take it every time, which makes it doubly hard when you get the rough end of the pineapple. Inevitably, you'll occasionally carry on like a spoilt child. It's the human frailty called selfishness and it pervades all aspects of life. Sport is surely not exempt.

Ian R. Macdonald, Morwell

Safety matters more than history

MOST Australians go to school and are taught the essential things that new immigrants to our country miss out on, such as not to throw cigarette butts out the car window as this is often how bushfires start. We're taught not to swim alone, or swim on beaches unsupervised by lifesavers. We know not to leave children or pets in cars on warm days (or mobile phones on dashboards!) We can recognise the dangerous redback and black widow spiders and we know to call the RSPCA if we find an injured native animal.

Surely these are the important things our newest Australians need to know, not what our national flower is, or what Sir Donald Bradman is famous for. I understand the political desire that Australian values be instilled into all who choose to live in our country, but it seems to me a test more focused on safety would prevent some of these heartbreaking stories on our news recently.

Louisa Sher, Glen Waverley

Equal chance for all

RE: VOLUNTARY school fees (The Age, 3/1). I am appalled at how much more income some schools have because of higher parent contributions. Much of the $168 million parents pay in fees is for what the Government calls essential items, but not the voluntary contributions that are actually donations to the school.

We parents understand about paying for textbooks, stationery and uniforms, and we can make donations if we like, but surely the Government funding should cover materials such as photocopied handouts, IT, library, student welfare and first aid? Instead, parents who often cannot afford it are footing the bill or their kids miss out. In year 8 at our school, it is $590 without the voluntary contribution, textbooks, stationery or uniforms!

How will the Government crack down on schools when voluntary parent payments are called so many different things? How will they punish schools overcharging when they have set no limit on charges?

I am embarrassed that our school gains while others lose out. Now that federal and state governments are keen to improve education, we can surely bring ALL our state schools up to the standard of the best and give all students an equal chance.

Kathy Landvogt, McKinnon

A touching love

SOMETHING beautiful happened to me last night. I have an eight-year-old foster son who has severe autism - he doesn't talk. I always felt he shouldn't be considered disadvantaged for he wasn't lacking anything in life that was truly important; namely the capacity to love and be loved. This hit home so clearly last night when driving him home. I had begun crying over a relationship break-up. I wasn't particularly worried that he was seated next to me; I wasn't being loud and had read that children with autism were unable to read the emotions of others well. I was surprised and delighted when across from his side of the car came his little hand taking mine and holding on to it, as if to remind me that I still had his very real love. My heart is bursting with love for this sweetest soul!

Sharene Hart, Blackburn

For the record

GRAEME Scarlett's "Religion and power are a bad mix" (Letters, 3/1) is another example of the unreasonable and biased commentary that has been published recently seeking to discredit the Brethren Church. The assertions made, that the Howard government provided "huge tax exceptions for the Exclusive Brethren and their non-religious businesses" are completely erroneous.

Yes, many Brethren members run their own businesses, providing a significant contribution to the Australian economy. All these businesses are subject to the same obligations to the Tax Office, State Revenue Office, etc . . . as any other business in this country. The Brethren are law-abiding, contributing citizens of Australia. Our fundamental Christian beliefs are similar to those held by many Christians and we are entitled to have these beliefs respected by the community and not have them misrepresented through unfair and false reporting.

Richard Garrett, Eltham