Bishop John

Just home from a wonderful thanksgiving celebration of God’s faithfulness at the Cathedral. Today was very special in many ways as we gave thanks to God for his call and sustaining Spirit over these 10 years as Bishop of Tasmania.

A strong word from the Dean on thanking God. Expressions of our life and ministry in Tasmania via intriguing symbols: carrots, hay and evangelistic leaflet – donkey outreach ministry; red socks – Pentecost and Holy Spirit; cans and wire – recycling and financing of ministry; beautiful tapestry of life, light and love – A Blessing for Tasmania; and an iron bark carving with script – a healthy church … transforming life.  

I also shared some reflections on the prayer pilgrimage.

The words of the Exhortation were read to me by Bill Haas who was the Registrar when I commenced my ministry as Bishop of Tasmania. Bill has supported me wonderfully throughout my episcopate, both as Registrar and ‘Retired’!

Marking 10 Years Led by Bill Haas:  +John at your consecration you heard these words,

 The Exhortation,

 How humbling to hear Bill’s words of thanks and continuing commitment in prayer:

We give thanks for the way you have carried out your duties for the past 10 years and we commit ourselves to pray for your ongoing ministry.

The Exhortation concludes with the question: Are you willing to perform them?

        I responded at my ordination: I am willing: may God guide and help me.

I thank God for my wife’s unflagging love and support, colleagues such as Bill and all the saints who have walked with me.

God has guided and helped me through them on innumerable occasions. Thank you.

The Exhortation is from ‘The Ordination of Bishops’, A Prayer Book for Australia, Broughton Books 1995, page 802.

In an article from the National Post (Canada) of 26 April 2010,  The Week In Letters Readers give a big thumbs down to ‘death with dignity’, they write of the response to the recent private members bill to amend the Criminal Code to allow people to “die with dignity.” Of the 70 letters that came in to the Editor that week only a handful sided with the idea that the laws around assisted suicide should be liberalized

Two of the comments were:

Dying with dignity? … There is nothing dignified, or heroic, or courageous or laudable about doing yourself in. Rather, it is a sign of greatest weakness and humiliating cowardice.

Killing someone is killing someone… Euthanasia is the slippery slope, and doctors are not God. God has a plan for each of our lives — a time to be born and a time to die. It is not for doctors or the government to decide when someone should die.

recently voted down an Oregon-style “death with dignity” act. The vote was 242 to 133 (nearly 70 percent).

Contrary to promoting “choice” for older people, these acts are a prescription for abuse. These acts empower heirs and others to pressure and abuse older people to cut short their lives. This is especially an issue when the older person has money. There is no assisted-suicide bill that you can write to correct this huge problem…Do not be deceived.

Superior Court Judge Julia Aurigemma has dismissed the case brought by two doctors – with heavy assistance by Compassion & Choices (C&C) – which sought to decriminalize physician-assisted suicide through the courts.

It seems Australia is in trouble: Dumbing down English teaching. This article is complementary to the need to include the literature of the Bible in the national schools curriculum. See Bible in National Curriculum?

Prayer fuel for my ‘people at prayer’ Prayer Pilgrimage.

A Litany for use during an election campaign

Lord of every time and place, God of integrity and truth,
we pray for wisdom as we prepare to vote in the Federal election.

Let us give thanks to God, saying, ‘we thank you, Lord’.

Let us pray to the Lord, saying, ‘Hear us, good Lord’.

The Litany concludes with one or both of these prayers:

From the Liturgy Commission of General Synod, Anglican Church of Australia 2010.

Martha Nussbaum, a teacher of law, philosophy, and divinity at The University of Chicago, recently submitted an article, Veiled Threats?, to the New York Times. It is well worth the read and is available here. Thanks Jonathan Adamczewski

She picks up the hot topic of the recent announcement of the Burqa ban in France.

In France, girls may not wear it in school. In Germany (as in parts of Belgium and the Netherlands) some regions forbid public school teachers to wear it on the job, although nuns and priests are permitted to teach in full habit.

What does political philosophy have to say about these developments? As it turns out, a long philosophical and legal tradition has reflected about similar matters….All human beings are equal bearers of human dignity…..it is widely agreed that government must treat that dignity with equal respect….But what is it to treat people with equal respect in areas touching on religious belief and observance?…The faculty with which people search for life’s ultimate meaning — frequently called “conscience” ─ is a very important part of people, closely related to their dignity.

Martha also focuses on the five common arguments in favour of proposed burqa bans and asks the question, do they treat all citizens with equal respect.​

1. security requires people to show their faces when appearing in public places.
2. the kind of transparency and reciprocity proper to relations between citizens is impeded by covering part of the face.
3. the burqa is a symbol of male domination that symbolizes the objectification of women (that they are being seen as mere objects).
4. women wear the burqa only because they are coerced.
5. the burqa is per se unhealthy, because it is hot and uncomfortable.

Her excellently reasoned responses and challenging in depth article (please take the time to read it) conclude:

All five arguments are discriminatory. We don’t even need to reach the delicate issue of religiously grounded accommodation to see that they are utterly unacceptable in a society committed to equal liberty. Equal respect for conscience requires us to reject them.

Apart from discrimination and lack of equal respect for our fellow beings, the question is begged to be asked, if the Burqa is banned, what is next – a ban on Christians wearing a cross/crucifix, a ban on Priests wearing a clerical collar, a ban on Nuns wearing their habits……where does it all stop?

Full article Veiled Threats? See also French burqa ban is bad and Pray 4 freedom of religious expression.