Motion to condemn abortion bill voted down at NSW Liberal State Council meeting
“New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged party unity at the New South Wales Liberal State Council meeting, in the face of dissent over the bill to decriminalise abortion. …
Liberal backbenchers Tanya Davies and Kevin Connolly have said they will move to the crossbench if amendments are not made to the bill. …
Ms Berejiklian escaped potentially damaging criticism, after a motion to condemn the bill was defeated before it was debated.
Delegates voted it down 236 to 217.” [53 % to 47%]
– Report from ABC News.
Archbishop urges Anglicans to join the Stand for Life Rally
“Archbishop Glenn Davies has warned of the dangers of the Bill which allows abortion up until birth, urging Christians show support for the life of the unborn before the Upper House considers the Bill. … Dr Davies urged promotion for the ‘Rally for Life’ on Sunday afternoon, 15 September in Hyde Park.”
Promotional flyer (PDF file).
See the Promotional video on Facebook or on Vimeo.
“Send a strong message to our Parliament” — Stand for Life Rally, Hyde Park, Sunday 15 September
Archbishop Glenn Davies has written to all clergy in the Diocese of Sydney concerning the “misleadingly entitled” Reproductive Health Reform Bill 2019, which he says, “in its current form [will] do great damage to our society in the legalisation of the death of innocent lives in the womb”. Read more
‘Liberal MP threatens to derail Berejiklian’s government over abortion bill’
“A New South Wales Liberal MP has threatened to defect to the crossbench, potentially derailing Gladys Berejiklian’s stronghold, if ‘essential amendments’ are not made to the state’s abortion bill…”
– Report from Nine News.
Cathedral Conversations — Choices — the video
The video from tonight’s Cathedral Conversations on “Choices: The conversation about abortion we need to have”, at St. John’s Cathedral Parramatta, is now available to watch at David Ould’s website.
The introduction starts about 6 minutes in. Archbishop Glenn Davies speaks from 87 minutes. He makes it clear that the issue is a matter of life and death.
Legal Reflections on The Religious Discrimination Bill
Akos Balogh from The Gospel Coalition Australia spoke with Neil Foster (Associate Professor of Law at the University of Newcastle), about the Morrison Government’s proposed Religious Discrimination Bill –
“Going into the last election, the Morrison Government committed to implementing most of the recommendations of the Ruddock Review on Religious Freedom. In particular, they promised that they would move quickly on a ‘Religious Discrimination Bill’, and refer issues around the religious exemptions applying in other discrimination legislation (especially, but not solely, related to religious schools) to the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC).
They have now started to keep their promise by releasing, on August 29, an Exposure Draft Religious Discrimination Bill 2019 (‘RD Bill’), along with two other Bills making related and associated amendments. …”
– Read the full interview here.
Wangaratta Synod prepares to push Anglican Church of Australia to the Brink
“As I write the synod of the Diocese of Wangaratta is in the final day of its current session.
Bishop Parkes has been very clear that he intends to support and endorse a motion before the synod to allow for blessings of those individuals who have entered into a same-sex marriage in Australia. …
Bishop Parkes’ Presidential Address provides a clear insight into his thinking on this topic.…
It seems certain that the synod will pass the motion and the crisis will be upon us. As we’ve reported previously, we should expect to see conservative bishops take out disciplinary measures against Parkes. The matter will also be referred to the Appellate Tribunal.”
– David Ould writes on the Synod of the Diocese of Wangaratta, which concludes today.
Photo: Bishop David Parkes, who speaks (in his Presidential address) of the influence on his thinking of John Macquarrie and Friedrich Schleiermacher, among others.
“The Diocese of Wangaratta has passed their motion calling for the blessing of individuals who have taken part in a same-sex wedding. The voting, reported by prominent supporter of the motion Ven. John Davis (Archdeacon Emeritus of the Diocese), was that 67 for, 18 against and one abstention.”
“In the coming weeks, Bishop Parkes will bless two priests from Wangaratta, John Davis and Rob Whalley, who have been in a relationship for more than 20 years.” – ABC News, 1st September 2019.
Protest against the abortion-to-birth bill — Saturday 7th September
The Australian Christian Lobby is encouraging a massive protest against the “abortion-to-birth bill” outside Liberal Party State Council meeting next week.
They write, “This is the first time the party has come together since the election. The Premier and numerous MPs will be in attendance. We need your support to show the tsunami of opposition against the radical abortion-to-birth bill!”
8.00am Saturday 7th September
Outside the Main Foyer
International Convention Centre,
14 Darling Drive, Sydney NSW 2000.
You could consider letting church members know about this on Sunday.
New Commonwealth Religious Freedom Laws
“The Commonwealth Attorney-General has released Exposure Drafts of a package of Federal Bills designed to improve religious freedom protections under Australian law, along with associated explanatory information. The legislation responds to the recommendations of the Ruddock Panel into Religious Freedom, released late in 2018. Public comment has been invited by 2 October, 2019.
The main item is the Religious Discrimination Bill 2019 (“RDB”), which broadly replicates the existing pattern of anti-discrimination laws enacted by the Commonwealth, but picking up for the first time at the Federal level the “protected characteristics” of “religious belief or activity”. Two ancillary Bills propose consequential amendments to other legislation, add some specific matters to be taken into account in objects clauses for other discrimination laws, and slightly amend or clarify the laws on charities and marriage.
The RDB is a lengthy document (68 clauses over 52 pages), with some complexities that will need to be unpacked. But I would like to offer a brief overview and an initial response, which will be followed up later by more detailed comments about particular issues. I can say, however, that it looks like being a worthwhile and helpful change which in general will further the cause of religious freedom (for both believers and non-believers) in Australia.…”
– Neil Foster, Associate Professor in Law, offers an initial opinion at Law and Religion Australia.
Archaeologists in Peru unearth 227 bodies in biggest-ever discovery of child sacrifice
“Archaeologists in Peru say the 227 bodies they have unearthed from a site used by the pre-Columbian Chimu culture is the biggest-ever discovery of sacrificed children. …”
– Story from ABC News.
Albert Mohler’s The Briefing, August 28, 2019
In today’s issue of his daily podcast The Briefing, Albert Mohler turns to the question of abortion.
He draws out horrifying implications of “the deadly logic of the abortion movement”. The first three parts of the programme are very relevant to New South Wales.
Cathedral Conversation – NSW Abortion Legislation
St John’s Anglican Cathedral Parramatta is hosting a Cathedral Conversation on “Choices: The conversation about abortion we need to have”.
On Monday, 2nd September 2019 from 7:30pm. Read more
‘NSW abortion bill has left us feeling betrayed’
“There are signs that maybe, just maybe, Premier Gladys Berejiklian is starting to listen and understand how much damage NSW’s extreme abortion bill has inflicted on her government.
Last week offered a ray of hope, as she softened her stance on amendments to fix some of the bill’s most brutal flaws, such as sex-selection abortions that would target girls, just for being girls. Her party is bitterly divided. …
And then, just three days ago, the Stand For Life rally in Martin Place and outside Parliament House in opposition to the bill drew a mammoth attendance of an estimated 10,000 people. … Perhaps the most breathtaking moment of the emotional evening was the live audio of a 23-week-old unborn baby’s heartbeat, amplified onstage by ultrasound.”
– Writing in The Catholic Weekly, Campion College student Bethany Marsh writes about the Stand For Life rally and what is really at stake.
After the Stand for Life rally, students from Campion College sang this haunting carol for for passers by. The carol is based on Matthew 2 and the Massacre of the Innocents.
Here’s another video of the singing at Freedom for Faith’s Facebook page.
Vocal NSW church leaders join anti-abortion campaigners
“Triumphant anti-abortion campaigners rallied outside the New South Wales Parliament last night, boasting they have the people power to ensure legislation to decriminalise abortion in the state gets voted down.
Their hopes have been buoyed by Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s decision to delay an upper house vote on the bill until next month.
Leaders of Sydney’s Catholic and Anglican churches and the Australian Christian Lobby urged the crowd to pressure MPs to vote the legislation down.”
– Story from ABC Radio’s AM.
‘Choose Life’ written in sky over Sydney as NSW Parliament goes into abortion tailspin
“NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has made an 11th-hour decision to delay a vote in parliament on a bill that would decriminalise abortion, appearing to cave in to the concerns of Liberal colleagues. …”
– Report from ABC News.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…