Ever wonder where your taxes go?

Much goes on suppressing the Catholic religion.

Listen.

Christians must seek to ensure that young people know about God and his laws. That’s why we have Catholic schools.

Christians must seek to participate in practical and loving care of the poor, sick, dying – hence Catholic hospitals and welfare agencies.

But . . . .

. . . the taxes paid by Catholics are increasingly devoted to abolishing exactly those activities.

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The day comes when any homosexual failing to land a job that he/she sought in a Catholic school, hospital etc., will be able drag the employer endlessly through equal-opportunity tribunals, kangaroo courts etc.

The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, in a recent submission to an Attorney-General’s inquiry, called for “removal of religious exemptions to anti-discrimination laws on the basis of sexuality – particularly in relation to employment and the provision of health and community services . . . .”

AFAO and numerous like-minded bodies receive taxpayer funding – your money — via the Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA).

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Jesus Christ taught that God’s will regarding “sexuality” is that “a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”

Will the Church have to “correct” his words?

Perhaps to “a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife and/or same-sex partner . . . .”

Blasphemous?

Stupid?

There’s a real war on in culturesville.

Wars have casualties.

March 22 was apparently Australia’s sixth annual “National Close-the-Gap (CTG) Day”, its purpose being to close the gap between indigenous and other Australians’ life  expectancies.

This week, Australian GP doctors recived an information sheet from the Royal Austrealasian College of General Practitioners — telling them to ask ALL patients whether they are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait origin:

“As part of the RACGP Standards for General Practices (4^th Edition), general practice teams need to demonstrate they routinely record the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status in active patient health records.”

GPs are also recommended to join a scheme where, by writing “CTG” on prescriptions for Aboriginal/Torres Strait patients, they receive their medication for nothing.

* * *

Are not these policies more likely perpetuate the gap rather than close it?

Already GPs can bulk bill anybody they choose.

Does not giving people something for absolutely nothing run the risk of their respect for it being absolutely none — which helps nobody?

In Pakistan, it is forbidden to write the name Jesus Christ in SMS text messages (according to Fides newsagency).

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority has ordered mobile phone providers to block text messages containing any of about 1600 forbidden words.

Mostly vulgar and objectionable words – obscenities of a sexual nature etc. — the banning of which is arguably not a bad idea.

But is the name of Christ objectionable?

Only if you consider it objectionable to share with others the beautiful gospel of Christ  and the matchless moral principles which he taught.

* * *

The Telecommunications Authority excused its action by saying that the freedom of Pakistanis is “subject to the limitations provided by the law in the interests of the glory of Islam”

But this action will bring, not glory, but shame and contempt  upon Islam.

Usually bizarre acts of persecution are the result of fear.

What are they afraid of?

The occupants of Canberra’s Aboriginal “Tent Embassy” did their cause no good by terrorising our Prime Minister on Thursday.

That doesn’t mean that the Embassy should not exist.

Aboriginal culture includes the notion of their spirits belong to the land.

Not any land, but the land associated with one’s clan, totem or whatever.

Belonging to this particular land, you don’t feel the same about any other piece of land.

There’s little temptation to invade the land of the next-door tribe.

If Europeans felt that way, World War I and World War II may never have happened.

* * *

So January 26 (“Invasion Day”) is arguably a bad day.

How to make the invaders understand?

Give them a taste of their own medicine?

Invade/annexe a piece of land important to white Australian culture and see how they like it?

The choice of the “Embassy” site makes sense.

* * *

In fact both we and the land belong to God, Father of all races.

Saint Mary MacKillop said, “In the trials, annoyances and anxieties we daily experience, may we ever recognise that loving Fatherly Hand . . . .”

At present, neither Australia’s blacks nor whites seem to quite get it.

Let us pray that we soon will.

A national survey has found that Australians consider Australia Day the most significant day in the calendar. (AAP, 12 January 2012)

More than Anzac Day.

More than Christmas Day.

It is certainly being boosted by the political and media would-be opinion-controllers.

Municipal Councils are all hosting community breakfasts, sporting events etc., trying to beat up some interest.

Our Australian Aborigines are given at least a token mention in the publicity.

* * *

Australia Day commemorates the fact that on January 26, 1788, the “First Fleet” of European colonisers landed at Sydney Cove.

From that day on it became progressively more difficult for Aborigines to maintain their culture and way of life.

Since the 150^th anniversary of the First Fleet’s landing in 1938, some at least of the Aboriginal community, have taken to referring to January 26 as “Invasion Day and “a day of mourning and protest”.

It’s an unresolved problem.

The Christian gospel could be the factor that truly “reconciles” invaders and the invaded groups inhabiting Australia.

Generosity and fairness shown by the whites — and forgiveness and good living by the blacks – those are all it would take.

Grandstanding and slogan-quoting will not be enough.

School chaplains have been around for a long time.

Somebody students could turn to for advice who is not part of the machine.

Historically chaplains also educated students in the reality of the spiritual world – less so in recent years.

The Australian Government’s Chaplaincy Program was revised last year allowing schools which preferred could get rid of their chaplain and have a “secular welfare worker” instead.

Of 2500-odd schools involved, over 90 percent have opted to continue having a chaplain.

But the enemies of religion have further cards up their sleeve — a High Court challenge to the system is pending.

* * *

Is a student basically a kind of robot whose actions are governed by a brain which is purely a bunch of chemicals in a bony box?

The government thinks so — which would make the difference between a chaplain and a secular worker irrelevant.

The government also believes that children ultimately belong to the government.

There is a cultural war-to-the-death going on in our society.

* * *

Those who believe that children ultimately belong to God have a fight on their hands.

The present government will observe no rules in its attempt to exterminate religion from the thoughts permitted within government schools.