Praise God for Senator Guy Barnett who is protesting the ban on Bibles being offered as gifts at citizenship ceremonies. See, Barnett fights Bible ban.  

Hobart and Clarence councils this year stopped handing out Bibles after they were told by immigration officials they were no longer needed.

Liberal senator Guy Barnett said the move was “political correctness gone mad”.

Clarence mayor Jock Campbell said his council had been told by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship that if citizenship candidates wanted to swear an oath on a holy book, they needed to bring their own.

Hobart Lord Mayor Rob Valentine said his council began advising candidates this year they needed to bring their own.

“We were told by immigration, quite some time ago, not to give Bibles out anymore,” Ald Valentine said.

Ald Campbell said until this year Bibles supplied by the Bible Society of Australia had been handed out to participants who opted for the Christian oath. “I’d see it as an unnecessary change,” he said.

See article, Row over Bible handouts.

 Apparently in 2003 the Department of Immigration and Citizenship decided against giving holy books at citizenship ceremonies but it is only now being implemented – in Tasmania!

Senator Barnett has called on the Immigration Minister Chris Bowen to make a ruling. Pray the Minister rules rightly.