Letter from Australia – 78 – Happy Australia Day
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
If you are reading this on the 26th – Happy Australia Day – or as the ABC would have it – Happy Invasion Day. If you work for the ABC or are a Perth Labor Senator, then celebrating the day in 1788 when the First Fleet arrived, and the British flag was raised on what is now Sydney; is somehow shameful and racist. The attempt (usually by white people) to create and atone for ‘white guilt’ is embarrassing. Of course, there were many things that were done that were wrong over the years since 1788. The treatment of the Aboriginal people was in many instances atrocious – and something to be repented of. But the story is always more complex than the simplistic binary notion that the Indigenous people were all innocent and pure – whereas all the European settlers were cruel and evil. I have no doubt that there is much to learn and still to do. But to reduce the whole issue to Western Liberal identity politics is ridiculous and not helpful.
If the ABC were consistent, they would rename themselves the IBC (Invasion Broadcasting Corporation) as an act of atonement – because there is no doubt they would not be here if it were not for that day over 230 years ago. But of course, they won’t. They want all the material and cultural benefits of ‘white privilege’ whilst at the same time all the virtue signalling feel good factor of the Woke elites. They are people who benefit from double privilege!
I too could make a list of what is wrong with Australia – as we could with every country. All human cultures are sinful. But all human cultures also contain things that are good. So, in celebration of Australia day let me list some of the things I love about this country/continent.
Weather – The weather is great – although at times extreme. Last year at this time in Victoria there was one day when we went from 38 degrees at 3pm to 18 degrees at 7pm. I’ve never experienced a 20 degree drop in a few hours before! We have also experienced drought, floods, 40-degree heat and thunderstorms. Yet overall we have found the East Coast to be temperate, sunny and pleasantly warm. This was an exception!
Wonder – This is a beautiful country. One of the pluses of Covid is that many Australians who love to travel the world, have been compelled to stay at home – and are discovering the wonders of their vast country. I still maintain that Scotland is the most beautiful country in the world – but Australia comes close! Last Saturday for example we had a great time at Manly beach.
Wealth – is a blessing but can also be a curse. Australia is a rich country. It has one of the highest GDP’s in the world. It has weathered Covid very well because it has iron ore and tremendous natural resources, good political government and a sound economy. As a result, they are able to have a good healthcare service. Wealth can be a curse as well – it can lead to a prideful self-sufficiency, misuse and excess.
Woke – Of course the Woke world is here as well. Although interestingly I don’t think it is the norm outwith a few select groups – although these select groups (in media, academia and the corporations) have enormous power. Your average Aussie is not remotely interested in Woke causes that stem from Harvard and Yale. But you certainly come across it. This kind of sign is common in some areas. “All love welcome” – is a wonderful sentiment – but utterly meaningless unless you define what love is – or indeed welcome.
World – The world comes to Australia. It is a very multinational place – every nationality under the sun. Australia is an Asian country – but unlike any other. I love especially meeting the Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese and Indians. As regards the Chinese I am intrigued by the vigil and protest held outside the cathedral every day by Falun Gong. I think they are cultish, and I don’t agree with their religion – but I disagree much more with the persecution they face from the CCP. They are also a constant reminder that the problem is not with China – or the Chinese people, but the CCP.
Worship – All of these things point to the Creator and the need for Christ. Australia has a great Christian history, some wonderful churches in the present, and I hope and pray that its future will be Christian. This country could be a real force for the Gospel in the Pacific Rim area – which contains almost half the world’s population. The danger is that churches can be too inward looking (whilst expressing outward ideals), focus on maintenance and forget about the glory of God in the wider world. But I see great potential and hope here. May it be fulfilled.
So, for all these reasons I will celebrate Australia Day – a day for all the nations, cultures and peoples in this amazing continent – a continent which, like the rest of the world, is Christs,
See you next week,David
Letter from Australia 77 – Communication, Children, Covid, Creating Trans Culture and Comedy
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Great letter, Pastor.
“Of course the Woke world is here as well. Although interestingly I don’t think it is the norm outwith a few select groups – although these select groups (in media, academia and the corporations) have enormous power. Your average Aussie is not remotely interested in Woke causes that stem from Harvard and Yale. ”
Yes and amongst some inner city folk and the subcultures that dwell in those areas, like the gays (obviously), yuppie types, etc.
Also, if you work for a US multinationsl corppration, you’ll have it inflicted upon you in the workplace.
Your average suburban working class Aussie cannot stand it though. That is one factor that drove many people away from the Labor Party. When Prime Minister Paul Keating introduced political correctness, he alienated the working class (well, that and his disastrous economic policies that exacerbated the 1990s recession). That is why most working class Aussies are right wing.
Of course, Keating was just copying what was already popular in the US. Okd style Australian ocker/larrikin humour was stifled in the media and, in real life, you have to ow be careful about your jokes in case someome overhears you and “takes it the wrong way”. In the workplace, everyone walks on eggshells in case they are reported to HR for re-education.
I remember the UK comedy series “Men Behaving Badly” was a big hit here in the 90s just because it was a protest against political correctness and provided people with a dose of sanity, crude and smutty though it was.
Yes, the big cultural divide in Australia these days is between inner-city elites and outer suburban dwellers.
We’ve been having a big discussion about Australia Day woke-ness, the ABC, the Aboriginal lobby and the (Brisbane) Anglicans in the comments section a few blog posts ago. For those who missed it, here it is:
https://theweeflea.com/2021/01/22/quantum-130-ethiopian-biden-spector-navalny-china-benn-deck-of-cards-the-archers-and-wytch-hazel/#comments
To be clear, I should add the “woke” culture and PC doesn’t just apply to Australian humour: we have all the same nonsense goisted upon us from above as other countries do by the cultural elites about gays, transgenders, feminism, unisex toilets, etc. 🙁 The US Democrats’ “identity politics”/culture wars strategy has been fully imported here and the average Aussie, who despises it, can do absolutely nothing about it in the workplace or in piblic if he wants to keep his job and not get into trouble.
In the privacy of his own home it is a different matter and he will rebel against these eccentruc imposed cultural expectatikns but, as Pastor David notes, the elites control the media, higher education, etc, so we are otherwise powerless and our tegular culture and traditions have been undermined and eroded at an ever-quickening pace. When the conservatives have been in power, they have done nothing to stop the rot either, unfortunately, not even our current PM, though his signalled support for Australia Day and Margaret Court hints he is not happy about things.
Dave,
It’s the same in the UK.
Recently described by someone in a position of management to me as in his words he was being “blunt” and saying that “men in their 50’s are demonised”.
OK so we are aware of it. What’s to be done? There is a time for lamenting to loss of the reasonable left to identity politics and virtue signalling. But there comes a time to make a stand. And if you are unwilling to do that, what’s the difference between you and a “whinging pom?”
All that is needed for evil to happen is for good men stand by and do nothing. It’s going to take making a stand, being prepared to lose jobs, have false accusations made against us, and yes, to be “demonised” if this is to change. So what are we to do about that? Well, scripture talks about strengthen weak arms and feeble knees, being strong in the Lord, the joy of the Lord is your strength etc. And for encouragement (and by this I don’t just mean being nice but to engender courage) there is the reassurance from Jesus that if you are hated because of him, then great is your reward in the kingdom.
Men throughout history have faced what from a human perspective is impossible but is possible wiht God and this is no different. We will all be fine, or no less fine than we ever have been, necessity is the mother of invention?
And when faced with difficulty think Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge “you improvise, you overcome, you adapt”. https://youtu.be/6dBE8nvWUi8
Great response.Thannks for your words of wisdom, Adam. Our PM’s words today were encouraging (see below) as he finally spoke out durectly for the first time – something no previous government, conservative or otherwise – has done about woke/PC culture in the last 20+ years.
However, what you say is true. We need to do this at the grassroots too and we have seen some people who have spoken out and paid the price – from bakers refusing to make gay wedding cakes, to Margaret Court copping criticism from all quarters. I guess what you are saying is we alll need to play a part so that there is a lot more of it to gain momentum to affect a change on society. I think the mood is building but we are not there yet but, yes, I need to do more as much as anyone else and, yes, there have been times I’ve been frightened about my job, guilty as charged and other times when I have done some small (but largely ineffective thus far) acts of resistance.
God bless, Dave
Hey Dave,
Thanks, I’m glad that sometimes my words can be wise ;).
Yes your prime minister’s words do seem to be helpful in steering away from identity politics to common ground in being fellow Australians. Are they lip service or will action follow I wonder.
If I may be of encouragement. By encouragement I don’t mean saying something appealing to you for your comfort but something to engender courage in you. On one occasion I was concerned about a decision affecting my livelihood. I was counselled at the time that if something comes from God then the last thing you have to worry about is money.
Someone in a position of authority was throwing his weight around one day in the job I was in saying to me why was I following Jesus, I mean look what happened to him alluding to the crucifixion. I said yeah, that’s what happened last time but it will be a different story next time round. And the office burst into laughter at the bosses expense. I didn’t care, I have an exit strategy.
Not necessarily the approach I would recommend for everyone but you get my jist ;).
Thanks for that. Much appreciated. Cheers! 🙂
Pastor…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9179703/BBC-programme-tells-9-year-olds-100-genders.html
🙁 🙁 🙁
Wow! The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has just delivered a huge smack in the mouth to the identity politics crowd in his Australia Day speech:
“In 2021, we will be relying once again on allAustralians to be at their best. To once again exercise their responsibility and make their own unique contributions to our success. In our families, in our communities, in our places of work and education. And of worship. And in our environment, caring for our country.
The exercise of these responsibilities and contributions are the ones that will continue to make for a successful and resilient Australia. We do this because inAustralia we believe in the unique value of each Australian as individuals. Rather than seeing or indeed allowing ourselves to be defined solely through the identity prism of our race, gender, age, our ethnicity or religion. As Australians, we’re more than any and all of these things, and together we share and steward our Australian inheritance. As Australians, we write our own story. We create our own future. And we’ll do so again this year together. Happy Australia Day.”
😀
Meanwhile, the ABC runs with this headline:
Why drag queen Vin Tage might just be the perfect portrait of today’s Australia
Posted 4 hours ago
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-26/drag-queen-vin-tage-in-australian-aboriginal-flag-dress/13041914
🙁 🙁 🙁
I remember when I first came to Australia I was told about a public holiday celebrated by Torres Strait Islanders, the Coming of the Light Festival. A nice antidote to the rancour about Australia Day. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/travel/travel-destinations/2015/07/torres-strait-islands-coming-of-the-light-festival/
“Torres Strait Islands: Coming of the Light festival
A tiny island community on the eastern fringe of the Torres Strait gathers to celebrate the arrival of missionaries 140 years ago”
That sounds terrific, Geraint. I know Torres Strait Islanders have a reputation for being a very religious people. I haven’t really dealt with any of them but people I know who have say they are a lovely people. God nless.
My first ever Australia Day barbecue went well. 🙂
Whilst we are talking about nationalities, Pastor David and Scottish readers might be interested (or horrified!) to learn that I have just received definitive proof that I have some Scottish blood. I knew I had some Irish in me and, because they were Protestants, I thought they might have been Scots-Irish but they were from the south of Ireland, not Ulster. Anyway, I have been able to trace them back and I can say with certainty that that part of my familywere originally linen weavers from the town of Douglas in South Lanarkshire. 🙂
By the way, for whatever it is worth, I also have a lot of Welsh in me, so I am very Celtic. 🙂
No ‘ Australia Day’ will ever assuage the unappeasable anti – White hatred which describes that country as “an illegitimate state.”
Sadly, that seems to be very true. If you give an inch, the Aboriginal Lobby demands a mile. A word was changed in the national anthem to appease recently and, immediately, more was demanded. There is no point in changung the Australia Day date because the same thing will happen.
Unfortunately there is so much corruption and so many scams in the Aboriginal welfare industry, like the whole “stolen generation” thing – which everyone knows is a blatant fraud – that real, honest dialogue is just not happening. Several Aboriginal councils have had to be dissolved at times for corruption.
There *have* been steps towards reconciliation – but they have all come from the white side so far.
What to do about it? I don’t know; the problem is too big for me. One thing would be to see more Aborigines emerge as role models in their own community. They obviously do have some but these are often criticised and ostracised for “selling out to the white man’s world”.
Another thing is the German Lutherans did good work early on establishing mission stations to evangelise to Aborigines and help them. 150 years later, the Lutheran Church is still runnjng them today.
Please pray for these kinds of endeavours. God bless.
Actually , there is a tiny genuine Aboriginal lobby .
The anti – White, political activists are mainly the resentful products of miscegenation with the hated Whites , so it necessarily follows that without Invasion , they would not be extant.
Yes, I inderstand what you mean. Yes, a lot of activists and people perpetuating the “stolen generation” fraud are “half-castes”, for want of a better term. Full-blooded Aborigines are fairly rare in urbsn areas. Yes, full-bloods would often also reject half-castes from their tribes.
I just saw one of Pastor David’s latest Tweets – where he is evidently quoting an Aboriginal person – after I posted that comment above:
“I am thankful Captain Cook came to Australia. Yes, the coming of the white man brought great heartbreak and terrible disease to our people. But in the midst of this darkness also came the light,+ blessing. The light was the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” PS Anderson George”
Yes, this is just the kind of positive statement we need – and it can’t come from white people because Aborigines will reject it as us whities telling them what to do and how to live their lives. It needs to come from Aboriginal leaders and role models themselves, who are looked up to and respected by their communities so that their people will listen to them. Thanks for that Tweet, Pastor – it was a very fast answer to a prayer indeed! Now there just needs to be much, much more of it.
Meanwhile SJWs, leftists, Greens, socialists and other liberal activist “do-gooders” – who pontificate from afar while never actually having been to an Aboriginal settlement in their lives – butt out aaand stop bending over backards to appease or blame all Aboriginl problems on the government oftthday.
“Unfortunately there is so much corruption and so many scams in the Aboriginal welfare industry, like the whole “stolen generation” thing – which everyone knows is a blatant fraud – that real, honest dialogue is just not happening. ”
Jean, this is hurtful, racist, dog whistle nonsense which has no place on a Christian website. The stolen generation is a result of Australian government policy, acknowledged by the Australian government. As many as 1 in 5 parents had their children removed from them without their consent. By any measure that is appalling.
Jean – I have to agree with Geraint. I have met some of the stolen generation. It did happen and it was evil. And totally unChristian.