![]() ![]() The church holds regular services for parliamentarians, and Reverend Campbell attests for the value that the Lord’s Prayer contributes to parliamentary practice. Reverend David Campbell is a Senior Minister at the Presbyterian Church of Saint Andrew, located a stone’s throw away from Australian Parliament House. Moreover, the prayer is viewed as a symbolic acknowledgement of the Christian values on which our democracy was founded. Numerous efforts to amend or abolish the Lord’s Prayer in parliament have failed, on the recurrent consensus that it provides ‘comfort and inspiration’ to those who choose to join, and is harmless to those who do not. This is what the omission of the Lord’s Prayer represents.Ī stained glass window in the Presbyterian Church of Saint Andrew, Canberra. “We talk about separation of church and state, and yet when you start the very sitting with a church prayer, then it indicates very clearly that you don’t have that separation.” Michael Mooreįor those like Michael, a complete separation of church and state is required to ensure that those of any or of no faith are granted equal access and representation in our government. However, some argue that this line is too vague. Australia’s approach is one of ‘inclusive secularism’, whereby the church has no power over the state, but religion is still included in the public sphere. ![]() Underscoring this is a more potent conviction that a religiously-affiliated parliament negates the implication of a secular state. Firstly, a government that aligns with Christianity fails to represent the almost half of Australians who are either of another faith, or of no faith at all – a number that is exponentially increasing. “ The reality is that what you’re doing by starting with a prayer is you’re putting a divide in, because you are excluding some people.“ Michael Moore Michael Moore, a former member of the Assembly, was one of the motion’s most vehement supporters. In 1995, the ACT Legislative Assembly voted to modify their opening statement to an invitation to pray or reflect in silence. Despite being a consistent subject of controversy, the practice has been retained in federal and state governments across Australia – all but one. Since 1901, parliamentary sittings have been opened with a reading of the Lord’s Prayer. Examining the place of the Lord’s Prayer in Australian ParliamentĪs the balance begins to shift in Australia towards a dominantly non-Christian population, the religious practices embedded within our parliament are increasingly called into question.
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