Australia is not that much different to Britain in that it is getting like the UK where showing your Christian faith in public becomes likened to a crime, as claimed by former UK Attorney General Dominic Grieve.
I hardly need quote lengthy sections from this article, suffice to say that he cites incident after incident where the courts, local Councils and other civil institutions have banned this "Christian thing" or that "Christian thing".
We have heard these things on the news time and time again where it is becoming comical. The Christian group cannot pray at the school or the work place or where ever, but low and behold if anyone dares restrict the prayers of other religions.
In Australia we see this same type of thing in different formats. We see challenges to school chaplaincy. We see challenges to religious education in schools (aimed squarely at the evangelicals). We see challenges to public prayer. We see challenges at every quarter.
The litmus test
What concerns me is that if young Australians are not given an opportunity to be adequately and truthfully informed on the foundations of their society, the Christian world view (as it were), and not given an opportunity to become passionate upon this heritage, that they indeed are - recipients and guardians of - they will look elsewhere.
And look elsewhere they will.
Young people want to belong and be passionate about something – a society that does not even allow an opportunity to be passionate about their own spiritual national heritage is simply directing them - into the arms of those who are from quite different philosophies.
One of these includes the various shades of radical Islam and that means home grown terrorism – we need only look at the news casts any day. I saw a photo on Facebook of a seven year old girl holding a machine gun in Gaza and the question was posed, 'Where are the child advocates?'
And this is a fair question. Why aren't the do gooders putting their lives at risk and going to Iraq, Syria, where-ever ISIS and its subsidiaries are operating - and saying "Stop, take me, let the children go, behead me!":
We don't see or hear of this "noisy media savvy group" wherever real conflict is about, they're ducking for cover, nowhere to be seen, but as soon as a Christian puts their head over the parapet (as it were) to protect the right and proper spiritual heritage of the nation, out they come in their droves.
ISIS
Has anyone told these groups that ISIS and their subsidiaries are not bothered by the niceties of civil society. In their barbaric world it is their way or they'll send you off into another world entirely. Indeed, with a smile on their face.
But what a commitment ISIS has. Just the thing young people are looking for, direction, indoctrination, determination and the rest of it.
No! These do gooders object to allow anyone to promote those things that are lovely and true - in any public space – which in effect leave the young people directionless and open to every evil. Is anyone listening?
Civil Society
This is where the whole philosophy of this modern civil society breaks down and abandons these young people to search elsewhere for direction and goal setting.
Here are some points for consideration:
Civil society has never existed and cannot function without the under girding of a world view that in effect, protects individual liberty and freedoms.
That essential ingredient was never drawn out of fresh air or some philosophical goodness soup bowl, it was hard won with bloodshed for a world view that insisted on such.
That world view's foundation is that of a scenario whereupon life must be treated as so valuable and so very precious that some great universal stamp impressed upon us in such a manner that it transforms people's lives for good.
Look around
Look around you. I know of only one such world view, that where Christ, sinless and pure, died for our individual sin, then rose again the third day which illustrates the vastness of the value of each of our lives, and that for eternity.
That message down through the ages has been hated and reviled and cursed and today, with the society bound up in institutions, I personally can be so easily cut down, but never, again, I repeat, never - in the human spirit.
As Moses cried out to Pharaoh, I call upon these do-gooders to "let my people go" and allow us all to engage in Christian-ese wherever and whenever so as to give our young people an opportunity in truth to then "choose" .....
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
