In the lead up to the federal election a group of over 20 Christian leaders have drafted The Canberra Declaration – a document which was officially launched on the lawns of Parliament House on Friday July 23.
The Canberra Declaration follows on from the 2009 Manhattan Declaration and the 2010 Westminster Declaration. It declares that when Christian values are respected and allowed freedom of expression, not just confined to so-called sacred spaces but in the public arena as well, society is richer and healthier.
The Declaration emphasises three areas that demand particular attention in our contemporary Australian society, namely religious freedom, marriage and the family, and the sanctity of human life. Were we to undermine any one of these values, the social fabric of our nation would be seriously weakened, to our personal and collective detriment.
The full Declaration can be read at: www.canberradeclaration.org.au
Already thousands of Christians and Christian organisations – including the ACL – have signed the Canberra Declaration and we encourage you to consider signing it too.
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I believe in openess and honesty from all our representatives in Government
I believe we need a Christian belief and foundation to live by.
Personally I don’t understand the need for a declaration. If our churches aren’t articulating this already then what’s the point as a “declaration” has no legal, secular merit and this is what we believe anyway isn’t it? I suppose it unifies Christians in our belief and gets dialogue going between denominations if there is disparity on these points, but one would think a good understanding of the bible and also of what secular society is based on: rule of law, magna carta, all equal before the law,freedom of speech and therefore religious freedom, civil rights etc., gives us a good basis as Christians to operate our lives upon as examples and articulates our views anyhow. If we defend those things, isn’t that what it’s all about anyhow? If we defend parliament and understand how and the way it operates as well as the rule of law I think this is what it’s about. A declaration sends Christians off the track a bit don’t you think? Getting involved politically, speaking out and living a radical life as Jesus did and defending our desire to do that is what it’s about.
What I think is most important is for Christians on a day to day basis to speak out an OPINION, please when it matters: down at the shops, with a neighbour or at the school about these issues of abortion, democracy, religious freedom, climate change, the enviroment. What I feel is there is little theological teaching LINKING these issues within churches to equip people to talk to secular society. So often people don’t have a clue really about why they hold the beliefs they do and can’t articulate an argument based on their relationship to Jesus and the bible engaging with secular views. As Jesus showed the personal is political. A declaration I think is okay but confusing.