A Bill permitting pairs of homosexuals to adopt children was passed in the New South Wales lower house of parliament yesterday.

Premier Kristina Keneally said she “consulted her conscience” — then voted for homosexual adoption.

She said, “It’s something that I, not just as a Christian and a Catholic, but as the leader of this state, want to be able to support.”

How about that?

Such churchy-sounding attempts at fence-straddling only earn contempt from both sides of the debate.

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Two of NSW’s three accredited adoption agencies — Anglicare and CatholicCare — threaten to stop providing adoption services if forced to process adoptions by homosexual couples.

The other, UnitingCare, supported the bill, saying it would benefit children etc.

*  Anglicare spokesman, Peter Kell, also trying to please everybody, said, “Anglicare is not seeking to perpetuate and condone discrimination against gay people . . . .”

As one supporting common sense on this issue, it’s a pity he spoils his credibility by apologising for being right.

* The so-called Uniting Church has, of course, got this one all wrong, as is their habit.

The fact that they call themselves a Christian group is confusing, and they should give it up.

* Worst of all is pretend-Catholics who, like Mrs Keneally, “search their consciences” and then decide that they know better than the Church and better than God.

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The Bible consistently says that homosexual relations are wrong.

One famous text in the Book of Leviticus: “You shall not have intercourse with a man as you would with a woman. That is an abomination.” (“Abomination” as in “outrage” or “disgrace”)

The Old Testament also says that people doing such things should be stoned to death – indicating how seriously the Jewish religion regarded such sins.

The New Testament records Jesus stopping some Jews stoning an adulterous woman, thus endorsing more merciful attitudes.

But to the woman he said, “Go, and sin no more.”

He was very strict about sin, but compassionate to sinners who repented.

* * *

Anyway . . . children must be taught that all sex outside of normal marriage is unacceptable.

Living in a household whose adults, by word and example, flout Christian standards . . . .

That is something children must be protected from at all costs.

Today’s gospel reading in traditional Catholic churches is about money and attitudes to money.

Words of Jesus: “No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one, and love the other: or he will be devoted to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.  

“Worry not about your life, what you will eat, or for your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food: and the body more than clothing?

“Look at the birds, they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you of more value than they? Can any of you, by taking thought, add a single moment to his life-span?

“And why worry about clothing? Consider the lilies in the field, how they grow: they do not labour, nor spin. Yet not even Solomon, in all his glorious robes, was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass in the field, which is here today and thrown in the furnace tomorrow: will he not much more care for you – you who have so little faith?

“Worry not then, saying, ‘What are we to eat: what are we to drink: what will we have to wear?’  These are the things the heathens seek. Your Father knows that you need them all.  

“Seek first, therefore, the Kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things will be given you as well.”  (Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 6)

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Arriving at a crossroads (unless you plan to sit there the rest of your life) you must go one way or the other. You cannot go both ways.

That applies also in the spiritual life — a fact that we spend much of our time pretending isn’t true.

We might convince ourselves that we’re basically good, despite doing a bit of money-worship on the side. We may convince others around us.

But God, we will not convince — and it is he who judges us. He judges justly.

If we don’t put ourselves utterly at God’s disposal, we are, in fact, putting ourselves into the hands of the devil — who hates us and will destroy us painfully and eternally.

* * *

So God tells us, “Make up your mind.”

Australia can best be considered as being two separate countries.

One, east and south of the Great Dividing Range, has a good rainfall and a dense population.

North and west is another country, drier, hotter and sparsely populated.

Much of the dry area is fertile and — with irrigation — could support profitable primary industries and a growing population.

But big business, and our political parties, want Australia’s people crammed into big cities in the higher rainfall regions.

* * *

So, irrigation is reduced stepwise, until farmers walk off the land and the townships they support become ghost towns (or tourist centres — much the same thing).

If that doesn’t destroy rural Australia quickly enough, another (even more outrageous) strategy could be to pipe water AWAY FROM the dry parts into higher rainfall regions.

If that notion had been suggested to the Monty Python Show scriptwriters, they’d have shaken their heads saying, “Too bizarre by far . . . there are limits to what even crazy people will watch.”

Anyway, water is, this day, being pumped out of the Goulburn River in Victoria’s drier north and into Melbourne’s Sugarloaf Reservoir in the wetter south . . . .

* * *

Once upon a time, there existed an Australian Country Party which would have protested against this — and at least extracted some concessions.

But that party self-destructed. Under its new “Nationals” name-tag, it became just one more party favouring “free trade” and, with it, rural decline.

The Greens are worse.

They must keep city-dwellers happy — only city-dwellers will swallow environment-worship of the sentimental, almost pantheistic variety the Greens peddle . . . .

Greenies will always find a threatened species of bird or frog or something to declare at risk so as to stop any venture that looks like promoting decentralised manufacturing and/or agricultural industry.

* * *

The environment does deserve consideration, of course — but there needs to be some sort of balance.

Have you ever heard a politician say anything balanced about the water issue?

It may have happened, but a lot of us missed it.

Perhaps our now-famous “independents” might offer a rational approach. Perhaps, also, the DLP.

Time will tell.

A few weeks ago, Rebels Motorcycle Club established a new chapter in Mildura.

Its president told local media that Mildura was chosen for its quiet, casual lifestyle, legitimate business opportunities, and weather:

“It’s a good place to raise a family. Many of us have friends in Mildura. We’re regular people who pay taxes – we’re no different to anyone else.” (Sunraysia Daily, 10/7/10)

Translated into English, he’s saying they have to leave Adelaide, where the South Australian Police and Attorney-General’s Department have moved to make Rebels a “declared” organisation under Organised Crime laws.

According to Mildura’s local paper, the Rebels leader has a history of involvement in gang-related shootings — being twice  jailed for gun-related offences in SA.

“His departure to Mildura has been welcomed by SA Police”. (Sunraysia Daily, 26/7/10)

* * *

Having shifted to Victoria, they need to stay far from Melbourne where Deputy Police Commissioner, Sir Ken Jones, recently warned that criminal bikie gangs are being “closely monitored”.

Especially since Hells Angels members created a disturbance at the funeral of murdered Melbourne gangland figure, Macchour Chaouk.

Sir Ken Jones has talked to the State Government about outlawing crime-related bikie gangs.

Mr Brumby has been non-committal — but Opposition leader, Ted Baillieu, says he’s all for it.

Needing to leave SA, yet keeping as far from Melbourne as possible – no wonder  Mildura (550 km away) looks good to them.

* * *

But Mildura’s BIG attraction — making Mildura almost HEAVEN ON EARTH for them — is the prospect of a Casino opening there.

Any serious lawbreaking group needs a Casino nearby, where takings from drug deals etc. can be laundered.

* * *

If Mildura gets a Casino, the danger of its becoming a focal point for organised crime is real.

Criminal elements will be drawn there like iron filings to a magnet — like blowflies to a dead rat.

Mildura will become a most UNATTRACTIVE place for normal families to live in – or even to visit.

Professor Patrick McGorry, officially “Australian of the Year”, yesterday criticised Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s recent pledge to provide $277 million for suicide prevention.

He seemed to think it wasn’t enough.

He called the failure of Australian governments to put more money into mental health services for the depressed a “national obscenity”.

He told reporters: “We wrote to the previous Prime Minister in April, and we’re three months down the track, another 600 Australians are dead from suicide.”

* * *

So what is depression?

Depression is a sad/miserable/despondent emotional response to the experience of suffering.

Human suffering cannot be understood properly unless one has a proper understanding of what being human means.

Human suffering cannot be properly responded to without an awareness of the human capacity for relationship with God.

Believing in God, one sees depression and suffering from a different perspective — still a challenge, but less overwhelming.

Without that, no matter what pills, electric shocks, counselling sessions etc. are employed, the root causes of depression are not touched.

* * *

To quote Elder Zachariah, “Depression is a hangman which kills the energy essential for the receiving of the Holy Spirit in one’s heart. A depressed person loses the ability to pray . . . .

“We greatly offend the Lord when because of our afflictions and sorrows we fall into depression . . . misfortunes and sorrows are sent us by God’s providence to test us.”

S0, seeing somebody in the throes of major depression, should we say to them, “Pray more!”?

No, not in most cases.

Unless a person has prepared himself by a lifetime of disciplined prayer . . . you’ll be hard pressed to start teaching him a prayer-life when his spiritual energy is at its lowest ebb.

If one’s life doesn’t already have a supernatural foundation, it will collapse under pressure like a house with no proper foundation.

* * *

One person who coped with personal suffering, and helped hundreds of other sufferers by her words and example, especially by letters that she wrote, was . . . guess who?

Blessed Mary MacKillop.

Reading her published letters recounting her hardships – and her temptations to depression – is a real inspiration.

Especially in the second volume (entitled “Mary MacKillop in Challenging Times”).

It can be purchased online at www.marymackillopplace.org.au/store/view_category.asp?id=30

Mr Joe Hockey, Australia’s Federal Shadow Treasurer, said yesterday that a Coalition government would abandon the present government’s mandatory internet filter plan and instead go back to the Howard government policy of offering free end-user filters to parents.

Shadow Minister for Communications, Tony Smith, added that a mandatory ISP-level filter scheme “would not be workable or effective”. 

A well-heeled lobby has been spreading myths about how:

(1) ISP-filtering would unacceptably slow broadband reception

(2) ISP-filtering would convert Australia into a police state where freedom of speech will disappear.

Many experts say that myth number (1) simply isn’t true.

Myth (2) could only apply if we stupidly let it happen.

* * *

The above arguments are, in fact, not the point.

The point is that if porn, advocacy of violence, crime, suicide etc. endangers vulnerable net users, including children, we must use ALL possible methods to eliminate it.

The Coalition arguments insult our intelligence.

Government policy is not merely to filter at ISP level, but also to encourage parents to do their bit, plus additional funding for Police to intercept peer-to-peer exchange of illegal material and to apprehend offenders, plus extending filtering to offshore-sourced content as well as domestically-hosted content.

* * *

The Coalition is turning a blind eye to reality.

Australia’s children are increasingly not safe — they face increasingly the likelihood of being exterminated or sexually exploited or recruited into perverse lifestyles . . . .

The Australian Crime Commission reports escalating sexual exploitation of little children by older children.

The Greens Party advocates putting adoptable children in the care of pairs of homosexual men.

Greens (and many Labor MPs) favour late-term abortion — children old enough to be born alive, needing only to be delivered intact, dismembered in the mother’s birth canal.

* * *

The ALP is showing common sense on the internet-filter issue.

The Coalition merits only our disgust.

Many thinking voters are looking out for morally-OK independents to vote for and — in the Senate — will perhaps support smaller parties such as the DLP, Christian Democratic or Family First.