Politics

*Beware, political rant below!*

I am a walking contradiction when it comes to politics, I really am. I am sitting here, reflecting on the last few weeks political landscape, feeling absolute jubilation that it is all finally over, feeling entirely frustrated by MANY, MANY conversations that I have been in over the last few weeks BUT, at the same time, wanting to do nothing more than talk politics. Argh, it is ridiculous!

I have this unfortunate predisposition towards being both VERY interested but also very against politics! I have always been interested in it and generally thoroughly enjoy watching election night coverage, although I missed it all this time around. I used to enjoy a solid ‘chat’ about the different policies and the political spectrum…however of late I am just left feeling frustrated.

I want to pose a question, but before I do so I want to state that i ‘did’ vote Christian Democratic Party, then Liberal at the recent state election. I don’t mind sharing who i voted for. However, the question I want to pose is can you be a Labor/Greens voting Christian? Why do i ask? because ANY time I even mentioned the THOUGHT of voting that way, most ‘christians’ I know looked at me like a 2nd rate citizen! ‘What about the gays’! They would scream. ‘But they are pro-abortion and pro-prostitution, you can’t even CONSIDER voting for them!’.

Is that what it ultimately boils down too? Being anti gay/anti abortion and anti prostitution?

I mean I honestly think If I was to have voted Greens/Labor (which I have voted before) that i would be hounded out of town! Well ok, maybe that is melodramatic…but my ‘faith’ would definately have been called into question.

Traditionally I come from a Labor voting family. This is basically because, growing up, whenever Labor was in power my family (both parents are pensioners) benefited, and when Liberal were in power, my family suffered. ‘Traditionally’ Labor has, IMO, looked after the oppressed and downtrodden better. Admittedly, that is not the case currently with Kevin07 (I just love calling him that, sorry) being a dill, but thats what you get.

Another question I want to raise, and it could be a little controversial, is where ‘specifically’ does the bible tell us, as Christians, to be anti gay, anti abortion and anti homosexuality? Now, let me clarify, I myself believe that these are not God’s ways, but I just don’t see where we are specifically told to base our faith (and I suppose our vote) on these issues.

However what I do see is the following
 – Gen 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” aka, look after the earth
 – James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
 – Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

There are countless more versus. Now, this should make my ‘general’ stance pretty clear. I lean left, If I was forced to I would probably say my way of thinking is more left wing than right wing. HOWEVER, I readily admit that there is a LOT of good stuff right of centre and agree with a lot of what is said. BUT, because I hold MORE FIRMLY to left of centre idea’s, as in I give MORE importance to feeding the poor than condemning the gay, I give more importance to looking after the earth than fighting against abortion. For this I apologise. Do I like abortion? Absolutely NOT. Do i agree with prostitution? No! But I care MORE about looking after the widow(who may well be a prostitute…and the orhpan. That is just me.

Now, In the end I voted Liberal NOT because they are going to repeal the prostitution laws (although I must say bravo!) BUT because, overall I do feel they will govern on the issues I mentioned better. However, I do have a few concerns

 – I am concerned about Uranium mining. Is Nuclear power the MOST environmentally friendly energy source? Well, until i am convinced that safe, LONG TERM STORAGE of spent rods is possible, I have to say no. If that can be done, then great, lets go for it! But lets fix the problem before we create it!

 – I am concerned about GM crops. Am I totally AGAINST them? No, but I am not yet convinced they are SAFE. There IS some evidence to suggest GM crops are more susceptible to disease (including some human diseases) and this COULD lead to issues down the track. I’d want to see this worked out BEFORE we go gung hoe into it!

There is so much more I could say, but I doubt anybody is still reading at this point, so i will stop ranting now. I’m just frustrated! But, hopefully we shouldn’t have an election for 2-3 years now, so i should be safe once again for some time!

Fair Trade Websites

A while back I posted an entry on the topic of ‘child labour’. I spoke about how so much of what we eat and wear in Western Culture is the product of the sweat and tears of child workers. It is a tough area and very easy to ‘guilt’ people into doing something about it. I don’t believe this should be the approach taken. However, at the same time I believe people, and especially Christians, should be an advocate for organisations that are aiming to make a difference in this area. So, in this spirit I list the following websites that list various Fair Trade information websites as well as a few fair trade manufacturers and product stockists. It is by no means an expansive list, with countless companies thankfully joining the fair trade bandwagon, however I have had some form of positive contact with the following groups and so wish to publically applaud them for their work!

http://www.fairtrade.com.au/ – the offical Australia and New Zealand fair trade site. Great info on fair trade in Australia and how to spot fair trade products at your local supermarket or shopping centre.

 

http://www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/fair-trade/ – Oxfam, an organisation that strongly encourages and supports fair trade goods.

 

http://www.fairtrade.net/ – International Fair Trade Labelling organisation

 

http://www.nosweatstuff.com.au/ – 100% non-sweatshop shoes and clothing

 

http://www.etiko.com.au/ – Fair Trade clothes and sporting gear manufacturer

 

http://stylewithsoul.com.au/shop/ – Another fair trade clothing manufacturer

 

http://www.wildbeancafe.com/  – All Wild Bean café’s (connected to BP service stations) now serve 100% Fair Trade Coffee!

 

http://www.greenandblacks.com – Fair Trade chocolate brand available in WA (I believe IN coles stores and other selected stockists)

 

ALSO, Coles, Woolworths and IGA supermarkets ALL STOCK fair trade coffees and chocolate brands. Check labelling for details!

 

For more info, check the first website listed or simply google ‘fair trade’…there is a LOT of information about this topic on the internet!

Child Labour

The Issue

Where do our soccer balls come from?

As part of my job I get the chance to go into classrooms and make children aware of some of the things that are going on around our world. One such topic that I have been focussing on lately is the issue of child labour. The general response from kids has been ‘how can this happen?’ It is really hard for the children to comprehend HOW children their age can be forced to work for 10-12 hours a day (or more), for very little pay, instead of going to school. They are universally outraged. 

Some Stats and definitions (from World Visions ‘Get Connected’ magazine.)
“Child labour is any work done by a child that is dangerous, keeps them from getting an education, or is harmful to their health or development.”
The International Labour Organisation estimates 218 million children in the world today are involved in child labour. That is one in every six children in the world.
The most common industries employing child labourers are farms, mines, factories (in particular textile and sports equipment), homes and shops.
The greatest number of child labourers is found in Asia, with 122 million children involved right on Australia’s doorstep!
Child soldiers also fall under the ‘child labour’ category.
Every year 22,000 children around the world die in work-related accidents.

A Christian Response?
The question I have been asking myself is, what is a Christian response to Child Labour? When talking about justice, mercy and peace, what role can we take in helping eradicate child labour? Most child labour occurs in countries living in extreme poverty, so obviously the work people are doing in fixing this is making a big difference, but a key area that we can all make a difference in is our shopping habits. Now, this is a ‘touchy’ area, so I’m not about to state ‘this is what we must do’, because it wouldn’t achieve anything and wouldn’t be the right thing to do. What I do want to talk a bit about though is the topic ofFair Trade.

What is Fair Trade and how does it help?
According to the Fair Trade Association of Aus and NZ,

“Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transperancy and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalised producers and workers – especially in the South. Fair Trade organisations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional, international trade.”

Fair trade helps by spreading the money earnt by selling an item evenly across all people involved. Take a soccer ball for example. When you purchase a soccer ball, the money you pay gets spready across an importor, factory, contractor, maker(usually a child), exporter and a retailer. That’s a lot of steps! Fair trade ensures that each person along that chain gets ‘fair’ compensation for their work.

Clothes are another major item we use in the western world where the maker (once again often children) receives as little as 1% (or less) of the final price paid.

Recently a friend of mine returned from a trip overseas, boasting to me how they were able to purchase 4 Soccer jumpers for $10! They look exactly like the ones you buy in Australia for $80. Rather than be impressed, I was sad, because there is only one way somebody could sell a shirt for $2.50 and still make a profit.

I will close this post here, with more to say at a later date. But I will leave it with a question. What are you wearing? Are you wearing the sweat and tears of a child (and before you ask, sadly I have to say I probably am, given 90% of what I am wearing I bought from Target). What role do you think Christians should play in advocating for Fair Trade?

Boycott or Not – Part 2

A few days ago I posted about my current dilemma, whether I boycott to Olympics to stand against human rights abuse. The post can be found here.

I have thought very seriously about this and have made a decision. I have decided that rather than make a quiet, personal stand that in my opinion doesn’t actually achieve much…I have made a substantial donation to amnesty international.

Amnesty International

Amnesty International are an organisation that makes human rights abuse their target. They do a lot of work around the world standing up for the less fortunate.

Though they are not specifically Christian, they are supported by many Christian organisations and have many Christian members. I also totally believe that much of the work they do is exactly what God would have us be doing, so I am happy to throw some finances there way and I trust them to use it wisely.

The reason I chose them mainly is because they are really focussing on these olympic games. When considering a boycott, I really wanted to think about what would actually ‘help’ those put out by this event. This is not to say that I don’t think a boycott helps, enough people standing together makes a difference. I guess I just felt that these games are happening, and I also am very patriotic when it comes to sport and want to be able to support the Australian athletes. I hope (and believe) many athletes will be speaking up while at the games, so I feel ok watching this event.

Having said this, on my conscience is also ‘so what will happen when the games end’. When the world spotlight goes…I fear China will just slip back into its old ways. It is for this reason i chose donating over boycotting. Boycotting makes a stand during the games…but some of the main issues I believe will occur when they are all over, and it is my understanding that Amnesty won’t be stopping just because the games stop.

I have no issue with people who have made the decision to boycott. In many ways it is easier for me to ‘donate’ and still watch the games rather than boycott, so all the power to you all! I hope that, together, with the many different ways people are maiing a stand, we can help those that have been and will be put out so the world can watch this sporting spectacle.

To boycott or not to boycott

Sorry for the lack of posts lately people. I have started no less that 15 entries, only to decide they weren’t appropriate or were not something I wanted online. I have had a pretty tough couple of weeks but have come out from this testing time stronger than ever!

Boycott or not?

So, with that out the way, this is my latest dilemma. Do I boycott the Beijing olympics? I am seriously considering it because the closer we get to the games, the more stories I hear of serious human rights abuses, stories about the outcast being abused, stories about the kind of people Jesus calls us to care for being unfairly maligned. But at the same time I know just how tough this will be for me.

Now obviously, following Jesus comes at a cost. I suppose I am ‘wary’ of going into this for the SAKE of counting cost, seeing it as an example of something I can do, in my own righteousness, so I can come out of it saying ‘I’m such a good Christian’. I don’t like to admit it…but it is very possible for me to do.

But I also don’t want to NOT do it just because it will be bloody hard. There isn’t many things I like more than Sport (God obviously being one of them but)…and I absolutely LOVE watching as much of the olympics as humanly possible.

A few mates have already announced there intentions to boycott (so I am not even original) and have pointed out how they are unsure if it will achieve much…and this also makes me question a boycott. But at the same time I don’t wish to get into the habit of ONLY doing things that achieve something, or at least in the way we like to see things achieved. Sometimes its just about following Jesus command, standing up alone against oppression.

So I guess i want to pose you the question as I wrestle with the issue myself. What are you doing and why?

What if God’s answer to a suffering world is the Church/people?

I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately. It is nothing at all new, its just been relevant to my mind lately.

Now firstly I need to clear up a possible misunderstanding in the question. By saying ‘what if God’s answer to a suffering world is the Church’, I am assuming you understand I don’t mean the Church brings salvation, that comes through Jesus, but that maybe PART of the reason God ‘started’ the church is to heal a suffering world.

The question ‘how can an all powerful and loving God allow people (especially ‘innocent’) to suffer?’ is posed to Christ-followers probably every day of the week. It seems to be a catch cry of many who have something against the church.

What if, and I know this isn’t a new thought, but what if God ISN’T allowing it, but actively working to alleviate it…its just that we (the church) aren’t pulling our weight? Or maybe we can take another step back. Perhaps God expects EVERYONE, whether Christian or not, to use whatever means they have to help?

Firstly I will say that if this IS the case then I am a prime example of someone failing with my portion. But what response would come from a person asking this question if this answer was levelled at them?

To me it makes sense that part of ‘humankinds’ commission is to work towards a better world for all, and especially the church.

Maybe a loving God isn’t allowing suffering…we are?

Compassion Day ’08

From the Compassion Website

“1 Day. 1500 children. 42 Radio Stations.

Get ready for COMPASSION DAY 08!

Thursday 15 May 2008 (6 am to 10pm), tune into your local Christian radio station and help bring a new day for 1500 children in Haiti and neighbouring Dominican Republic.

COMPASSION DAY is an annual event supported by 42 Christian radio stations across Australia aimed at encouraging child sponsorship by focusing on the needs of children in poverty.

Despite the idyllic Caribbean setting, Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere where years of political, social, economic and spiritual turmoil have left a destitute people, struggling to survive under the burden of poverty.

Children make up 48 per cent of Haiti’s population, and their greatest challenge is survival. On Compassion Day 2008, we will declare a new day for the children of Haiti!”