I voted YES because I do not believe that heterosexuals like me are finer human beings than homosexuals, nor are we entitled to any special privileges.
So, I cheered mightily when YES won decisively and have now set out to play my part in healing the deep rifts in society caused by having a totally unnecessary Survey when Parliament had the power, but not the guts, to pass legislation without it. As a result, we have experienced an awfully vindictive and divisive time in the life of Australia as a nation that has destroyed goodwill.
Sadly, I note in the social media that some ‘Christians’ have stated that the institution of marriage has now been trashed to the extent that it has absolutely no value for humanity. They intend to get divorced, but still live together, so they are not ‘shamed’ by being married in the same manner as gays.
My only observation on the plight of these sad people is that in October next year, Helen and I will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of our wedding and we can confidently say that, while the piece of paper we signed on our wedding day has had nothing whatsoever to do with us living happily together for 60 years, it is a treasured document that we are not going to tear up.
It is a symbol of our commitment and we want to live in a world where people undertake commitments as a way of life and strive to honour them. We don’t want to live in a world where people break commitments when they find something that they think is better for them, as they too often do in changing their life partners.
I hope that the ‘Christians’ who feel that their marriage has been trashed will stop trying to be holy and make an effort to love the human race a little better than they normally do. Dozens of nations have long since approved Same Sex Marriage and there is no evidence whatsoever that marriage are coming apart at any greater rate than usual. To the contrary, it appears that marriage has been enhanced in the public eye.
Actually, there here have been far more disturbing elements to the Survey vote than any demeaning of marriage.
As an Elder who has served the Presbyterian and Uniting Churches for 60 years and worked steadily at the cause of advancing the Christian Faith in society, I have been appalled by the outright lies that have been told by the Australian Christian Lobby in their attempt to frighten people into voting NO. They really are appalling bigots who believe that it is okay to be a liar so long as you are lying while ‘serving’ God. They are so far removed from Jesus of Nazareth that it is almost unbelievable.
Even worse has been the appalling action of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney in donating one million dollars to the NO campaign. This was a thoroughly corrupt misuse of the gifts made by Anglicans for the advancement of Christianity.
What is even worse is that both are now doing the same in opposing legislation to legalise Voluntary Euthanasia. They are personally frightened of death and want to persecute people who are not. The reality is that they are driving thousands out of Churches.
Those tragic actions, plus the Report of the Royal Commission on Child Abuse and the George Pell trial (whether he be guilty or innocent), will effectively remove Christianity from its rightful place as a cornerstone of our national life and it will take a huge effort from us all to return it to that place.
But, it is a task that I am ready to undertake and I believe that many of my readers will be in the same team.
I hope that we can present Christianity to the world in a way that is something like the words below that are powerfully simple, not judgemental and vindictive.
*A belief in God as a power beyond ourselves that enhances our lives.
*A commitment to follow Jesus of Nazareth as our mentor.
*A desire to walk with him in creating a better world.
These are three cornerstones that hugely enhance a marriage when a couple share those beliefs.
They are a commitment that binds a marriage, particularly if made together on a wedding day.
They will also bind a nation together as they will have genuine meaning to Muslims who regard Jesus as a great prophet.
In essence they are a message of goodwill and positivity.
Yours at Large
Everald Compton
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Now that our government has set a precedent by insisting on a survey to decide on a social and moral issue that should have been decided by parliament, I expect a similar survey to be conducted concerning euthanasia. We know that people want it – we know that parliaments are incapable of making a decision the people want – Bring on the next survey! lol
Next time people vote I hope they choose a candidate who can do the job – making decisions in the best interests of the Australian people. I think those politicians who were not prepared to vote on a bill for same sex marriage should resign. They are not meeting the most important KPI for the job – voting on bills.
i voted no…for me marriage is a union between man and woman for the purpose of creating and legitimizing children…mum and dad, husband wife.. most of australia see it another way and legislation will soon be introduced supporting a different concept of marriage…that’s reality i accept it so long as nobody is compelled to participate in ceremonies they don’t suppport fair enough personally i feel australia needs to be addressing financial and economic problems rather than social moral questions we rank between kazakhstan and jamaica on the economic complexity index…being china’s quarry not good enough personal debt levels are highest in the world…seems very few care
Dear Everald..what others don’t allow for is your wonderful conviction for what YOU believe in, well said.
Everald
I have read your article with some dismay.
Do you realise that homosexuality and homosexuals have been ostracized by every civilisation both east and west throughout history?
Do you realise that homosexuals have been treated as an oddity and as a cause of light relief by society for a reason. This is why the entertainment industry throughout the world harbors such.
Recorded history shows that the civilisations which condoned undue leniency to homosexuality and the ensuing perversions which follow from such abandon have imploded and ceased to be, i.e. Greek and Roman.
I hope that as a supposedly educated man you are aware of the legislation which will follow on from the decision of which you “cheer mightily “.
The changes, which have been aided and abetted by this decision, to place reading materials of a genderless population into schools, is certainly promoting the emasculation of the male population.
How churches such as the Church of England have condoned the actions of homosexuality has left me completely perplexed.
I am convinced that the mentality of the decision you are embracing in this article will be responsible for little else but harm for the Australian society that I once knew.
I will be praying for you that God will reveal His clear word to you.
Great article Everald, well said!
Best regards
Steve Roberts
Independent Director
Mobile: +61 418 886 356
Email: steve.l.roberts@hotmail.com
The deep rifts in society on this and other cultural issues are already in existence, whether a survey or a parliamentary vote had been held. To say that these rifts are ’caused’ by the survey is surely incorrect.
All the Christian churches, with the sole exception of the Uniting Church, have a formal policy of support for traditional marriage. These Churches not only have a right, but a duty, to express their position publicly and to persuade people of its validity. To say that the Anglican Diocese of Sydney is out of order in entering the campaign to persuade people of its view is a very strange position to adopt. What is more amazing is that the rest of the Anglican Church was either too embarrassed or too intimidated to public state their own formal position (support for traditional marriage, which they have no intention of changing, by the way). I hasten to add that I am not usually supportive of the narrow Evangelical doctrine of the Sydney Anglicans, but they at least are not embarrassed about being a Church.
The position of the liberal Christian Churches in society is now quite tragic. Having accommodated themselves to liberal capitalism and now cultural post-modernism, they have no real purpose left, except to be contractors for government social services, through which they cling to some vestige of social ‘relevance’, all the while living off the investments of Christendom on the stock exchanges. A longtime left-wing friend of mine, raised a Roman Catholic, has recently converted to Orthodox Judaism – he is right in saying that orthodox religious life is growing around the world, while liberal versions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are dying before our very eyes.Those who have grown up in liberal protestantism (as I have) and cling to it (which I don’t) will see their tradition disappear without trace in the course of this generation.
I voted yes for the same reason as you. I am an atheist so don’t agree with you on the role Christianity (or any other religion for that matter). But I am 100% supportive of your statement
“We want to live in a world where people undertake commitments as a way of life and strive to honour them. We don’t want to live in a world where people break commitments when they find something that they think is better for them, as they too often do in changing their life partners”.
Everald,
One can agree with your criticism of extreme action (either way) however I puzzle how a Christian elder of 60 years can “cheer mightily” without consideration of the scripture which clearly confirms that marriage is between a man and a woman.