Be Yourself
coming out to your parents

Uniting Church in Australia
Hate is not a family value
Dorothy
leaders
homophobia

Judge Michael Kirby
Ethical Concerns
Evelyn Hooker
Sexual Orientation

queer saints
St Augustine
John Boswell
Bible

beyond issues
prejudice
personal morality
celibacy in singleness?

sex with straight boys

Leaders have a responsibility

"While religious freedom must be guaranteed, the representatives of religions have a special responsibilitiy to avoid expressions of prejudice and acts of discrimination towards those of different beliefs"

Article 15 proposed Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilites

All people in leadership positions have a responsibility to help build a united Australia from the contributions of peoples of all cultures, according to the Victorian Council of Churches (VCC).

At a general meeting of some 100 members in Wodonga at the weekend, the VCC entered the national debate on multiculturalism with a short statement that affirmed that "God has created people of all races and cultures equal." The council said all people have "equal rights to respect and dignity, regardless of race, culture, creed or origin."

"We believe it is vital for Christians, and all other Australians, to stand up for an Australia in which people of all races and cultures can live together in peace and harmony," says the Rev. Hamish Christie-Johnston, the council's general secretary. "The nature of the current debate has left too many people wondering whether their contribution to Australian life is valued, and even whether they can live here in safety."

The VCC represents city and rural churches whose members include Aboriginal people and people from every migrant group in Australia.

The text of the statement follows:

"The Conference of the Victorian Council of Churches, recognising that the VCC embodies that cultural diversity which is an established reality in Australia today:

• welcomes the commitment to multiculturalism and reconciliation set out in the all-Party statements of the Commonwealth and Victorian Parliaments;
• affirms our belief that God has created people of all races and cultures equal, destined to live in community with equal rights to respect and dignity, regardless of race, culture, creed or origin;
• encourages all Australians, and in particular members of the Churches, to defend and advocate for people suffering pain from discrimination on racial or cultural grounds;
• urges a recommitment to the federal Racial Discrimination Act as the only legal guarantee of equality for minority groups and as a means of protecting their interest;
• calls on all in leadership positions to build a united Australia from the contributions of peoples of all cultures.

MEDIA RELEASE 18 NOVEMBER 1996

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR INTERVIEWS, contact the Rev. Hamish Christie-Johnston, VCC General Secretary, normal business number: (03) 9650 4511. You may also contact Harriet Ziegler, Uniting Church media officer, on (03) 9654 2488 (BH) or (mobile) 0419 373 123.

It is great to see their style, we look forward to their same response to homphobia.

Will they also affirm:

"that God has created people of all sexual orientations equal, destined to live in community with equal rights to respect and dignity"

Email: longship@mailexcite.com