Well, well, well - "Bishop" Brian Tamaki must be wanting to get a new pair of shoes. In his latest drive to hook in more regular customers - sorry - parishoners, Tamaki has played the "New Zealand, Christian Nation" card.
But how accurate is that claim. See, one of the founding ideas of New Zealand was a place where people could have a new start away from the constraints of England, but without loosing touch with the Commonwealth.
New Zealand [b]has[/b] been a country full of Christians, after all most people draw their history back to the UK, which was predominantly Christian in its population.
However, Helen Clark has the right of it - Christianity has never been a STATE religion. That is, the country has never declared Christianity as the religion of the people. Brian Tamaki is getting himself all confused by thinking that because a lot of NZers are Christian, that makes the country a Christian country.
It isn't.
It is a country with a large Christian majority. But these distinctions are important. If Christianity were to be the state religion, then it means that Christians will have certain benefits over other religions. This is exactly what Tamaki is trying to push for. It is also a very UN-Christian thing to desire.
One of the key things that most New Zealanders seem to pride themselves on is how free this country is. We enjoy more freedoms that most countries - the US included. Part of that freedom comes from our legendary image of being an easy-going "she'll be right" nation. Yet this image has been fast eroding in recent decades.
The reality is that NZ has a confused nation where people like Tamaki have stirred up conservative views by saying that the NZ we all dream of is being threatened by new ideas - all the while actually making people erode the very things they seek to protect.
I had a Catholic upbringing as a child, and while I no longer consider myself Christian, I do consider myself religious and moral. I have some foibles, but I do feel that I strive to do the right thing.
I also feel that I have a reasonable understanding of what Christ's words are meant to convey. This enforcement of religion that Tamaki is trying to push is not the will of God. It is the will of a man desperate to make more money and get back in the headlines. Kicking Homosexuals didn't work for him - Civil Unions got through and most people just got on with their lives.
Notice how the smacking issue has pretty much faded away too...
I've looked at the newspaper polls this morning - most NZers who have voted on the polls (thus being a somewhat skewed view) seem to feel that New Zealand is not and should not be a Christian Nation.
Considering that a large number of those people will be Christians, that is an interesting revelation that is in complete contradiction to Tamaki's claims.
New Zealand should be considered a place where everyone is welcome, as long as they are willing to respect other peoples differences. Feel free to follow Islam, Buddha, the Tao - whatever. Just respect that others will choose to follow their own paths.
That is the nation I want to live in, a place where we respect each other's differences and work to strengthen what unites us.
There is no place for the divisive, insidious and snake-like behaviour of false prophets like Brian Tamaki. I genuinely believe that he is a liar and a charlatan. I most definitely believe that he does not speak the word of God. If anything, he is the opposite, and his actions continue to prove this.
Love and Huggles
Conan
Currently Reading: iMovie HD
Currently Playing: Exalted: Nexus of the Sun
Mood: Not impressed with Religious Division
But how accurate is that claim. See, one of the founding ideas of New Zealand was a place where people could have a new start away from the constraints of England, but without loosing touch with the Commonwealth.
New Zealand [b]has[/b] been a country full of Christians, after all most people draw their history back to the UK, which was predominantly Christian in its population.
However, Helen Clark has the right of it - Christianity has never been a STATE religion. That is, the country has never declared Christianity as the religion of the people. Brian Tamaki is getting himself all confused by thinking that because a lot of NZers are Christian, that makes the country a Christian country.
It isn't.
It is a country with a large Christian majority. But these distinctions are important. If Christianity were to be the state religion, then it means that Christians will have certain benefits over other religions. This is exactly what Tamaki is trying to push for. It is also a very UN-Christian thing to desire.
One of the key things that most New Zealanders seem to pride themselves on is how free this country is. We enjoy more freedoms that most countries - the US included. Part of that freedom comes from our legendary image of being an easy-going "she'll be right" nation. Yet this image has been fast eroding in recent decades.
The reality is that NZ has a confused nation where people like Tamaki have stirred up conservative views by saying that the NZ we all dream of is being threatened by new ideas - all the while actually making people erode the very things they seek to protect.
I had a Catholic upbringing as a child, and while I no longer consider myself Christian, I do consider myself religious and moral. I have some foibles, but I do feel that I strive to do the right thing.
I also feel that I have a reasonable understanding of what Christ's words are meant to convey. This enforcement of religion that Tamaki is trying to push is not the will of God. It is the will of a man desperate to make more money and get back in the headlines. Kicking Homosexuals didn't work for him - Civil Unions got through and most people just got on with their lives.
Notice how the smacking issue has pretty much faded away too...
I've looked at the newspaper polls this morning - most NZers who have voted on the polls (thus being a somewhat skewed view) seem to feel that New Zealand is not and should not be a Christian Nation.
Considering that a large number of those people will be Christians, that is an interesting revelation that is in complete contradiction to Tamaki's claims.
New Zealand should be considered a place where everyone is welcome, as long as they are willing to respect other peoples differences. Feel free to follow Islam, Buddha, the Tao - whatever. Just respect that others will choose to follow their own paths.
That is the nation I want to live in, a place where we respect each other's differences and work to strengthen what unites us.
There is no place for the divisive, insidious and snake-like behaviour of false prophets like Brian Tamaki. I genuinely believe that he is a liar and a charlatan. I most definitely believe that he does not speak the word of God. If anything, he is the opposite, and his actions continue to prove this.
Love and Huggles
Conan
Currently Reading: iMovie HD
Currently Playing: Exalted: Nexus of the Sun
Mood: Not impressed with Religious Division
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