tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post115416994899178804..comments2023-11-03T11:37:04.473+00:00Comments on nothing new under the sun: Don't vote for Christians: vote Greensbyron smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-89494344929950153582007-02-10T02:27:00.000+00:002007-02-10T02:27:00.000+00:00I was a little amazed/disappointed at the fairly o...I was a little amazed/disappointed at the fairly one-sided reporting in that SC article. It would have been nice to have heard a little more from the Greens about how they feel they have been misrepresented by the CDP.<BR/><BR/>Still, good to hear that CDP are waking up to the environment.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163250066904992132006-11-11T13:01:00.000+00:002006-11-11T13:01:00.000+00:00Anonymous, once again, I agree with both your main...<I>Anonymous, once again, I agree with both your main points (that either/or is incomplete) and that religious freedoms are a blessing not to be sneezed at.</I><BR/><BR/>My comments about religious freedoms were not directed towards you but christopher's comments. My apologies because I do not often blog and still haven't quite got the hang of it.<BR/><BR/><I>Are there Christians in Parliament (Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163237757042283282006-11-11T09:35:00.000+00:002006-11-11T09:35:00.000+00:00Anon, I'm also curious. Does this mean we shouldn'...Anon, I'm also curious. Does this mean we shouldn't listen to Christian MPs who speak against abortion if they are not also putting into action policies that are concerned for the poor and the environment? I would not like to write off the faith of any brother or sister for whom Christ died, even if I don't think they have thought through all the implications of God's wonderful victory, or if byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163227639566712272006-11-11T06:47:00.000+00:002006-11-11T06:47:00.000+00:00And here's a great quote I just came across - I'll...And here's a great quote I just came across - I'll post on some of these ideas in the next few days if I get a chance.<BR/><BR/><I>In our idolization of modern secular democracy we have imagined that, provided our leaders attain power by a popular vote, that’s all that matters, and that the only possible critique is to vote them out again next time round. The early Christians, and their Jewish byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163226893769958602006-11-11T06:34:00.000+00:002006-11-11T06:34:00.000+00:00Anonymous, once again, I agree with both your main...Anonymous, once again, I agree with both your main points (that either/or is incomplete) and that religious freedoms are a blessing not to be sneezed at.<BR/><BR/>Are there Christians in Parliament (or soon to be running for it) who are not all talk? Whom do you see as consistently acting on their faith?byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163163126478419142006-11-10T12:52:00.000+00:002006-11-10T12:52:00.000+00:00To quickly comment on the defence of religious fre...To quickly comment on the defence of religious freedoms. <BR/><BR/>You must never take this freedom for granted. Just ask any foreign missionary and their will tell you how incredibly precious it is. <BR/><BR/>It is no good saying "It seems obvious, but it is easy to forget that much of contemporary Christendom doesn't have this right, nor did its roots." <BR/><BR/>So what? Would you like the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1163161982235533372006-11-10T12:33:00.000+00:002006-11-10T12:33:00.000+00:00I disagree with the comment that the Right 'perver...I disagree with the comment that the Right 'perverts' Christianity. From my point of view (and by now you have probably guessed with side of politics I am on) I see Kevin Rudd's comments with regards to Christianity and politics as a pervertion of the faith.<BR/><BR/>To quote from Kevin Rudd's article in SMH (9/11/06):<BR/><BR/>"Broadly there are two traditions: a privatised Christianity which Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1160523480164614902006-10-11T00:38:00.000+01:002006-10-11T00:38:00.000+01:00If they [freedom of speech]are removed, then we wi...<I> If they [freedom of speech]are removed, then we will still humbly and confidently share the gospel, even if it means being arrested or fined.</I><BR/><BR/>I think this is an important point you make Byron. Sometimes we (Christians) are so concerned about protecting our historical right to share the gospel in schools, the workplace, universities, and other public areas, that we think the Christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02031551405442888131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1160472641961817022006-10-10T10:30:00.000+01:002006-10-10T10:30:00.000+01:00If the secular-left is so dangerous for its avowed...If the secular-left is so dangerous for its avowedly Anti-Christian stance, I fail to see how it is any less a peril to embrace the Right which, rather than opposing 'Christianity', rather co-opts, and perverts, anything resembling a Biblical position.jeltzzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08016160098665044867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1160449472591860702006-10-10T04:04:00.000+01:002006-10-10T04:04:00.000+01:00PS Having re-read your reply, I just wanted to add...PS Having re-read your reply, I just wanted to add that perhaps it may be the case that the present leadership of the Greens/Dems is simply so closed to even hearing a Christian speak that there is no chance of real communication or discussion at all. If so, that would be sad. It is not, however, my experience of talking with a few rank-and-file Greens/Dems (nor the impression from the first byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1160449169982759142006-10-10T03:59:00.000+01:002006-10-10T03:59:00.000+01:00Anon - thanks for coming back. I was a little worr...Anon - thanks for coming back. I was a little worried with such an old post that you mightn't find your way back again. Please let me know if you get this reply too.<BR/><BR/>Regarding freedom of speech, I couldn't agree more. I think this is one of the key strengths of our present political arrangements, and according to Oliver O'Donovan is a key legacy of the influence of the Christian gospel byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1160445111943852902006-10-10T02:51:00.000+01:002006-10-10T02:51:00.000+01:00Yes. I have read those links.My point is that Left...Yes. I have read those links.<BR/><BR/>My point is that Left-leaning Christians are wasting their time on the Democrats and the Greens. <BR/><BR/>It is like a square peg in a round hole, they just don't fit.<BR/><BR/>I know there are many other issues that are important but the zealot-like desire by these parties to attack Christianity and Christians is illuminating. These groups hate Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1160102737628279122006-10-06T03:45:00.000+01:002006-10-06T03:45:00.000+01:00Anonymous, thanks for your comments and I apprecia...Anonymous, thanks for your comments and I appreciate the immediacy of these issues in your job, and the weighty task of taking a part in government. However, as you would have seen in my post, I never said that this is what I personally believe. I don't think I've changed my political take that much since EU.<BR/><BR/>However, I do wonder why there are single issues on the left that are byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1160100140613397752006-10-06T03:02:00.000+01:002006-10-06T03:02:00.000+01:00Dear Byron,To be frank I am a little shocked about...Dear Byron,<BR/><BR/>To be frank I am a little shocked about your assertions in this blog. I was a member of EU while you were president at Sydney University and I had no idea you had been sucked-in by the trendy, looney Left.<BR/><BR/>I work in NSW Parliament and see every single day of my life the anti-Christian stuff that leaks out of the Greens and Democrats on a daily basis. <BR/><BR/>To Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1156807656343654592006-08-29T00:27:00.000+01:002006-08-29T00:27:00.000+01:00Thanks Jeannine - a very amusing little song. It w...Thanks Jeannine - a very amusing little <A HREF="http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=2611" REL="nofollow">song</A>. It was lovely meeting you on the weekend. And thanks for helping this post hit 50 comments!byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1156681684099494882006-08-27T13:28:00.000+01:002006-08-27T13:28:00.000+01:00Hey Byron, Here's the link to the song I was telli...Hey Byron, <BR/>Here's the link to the song I was telling you about at Refresh (the one that I think will keep me out of MTC). If you'd like to sing along, it's to the tune of Colin Buchanan's "Jesus is no fairytale"!<BR/>http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=2611Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1155104558299621622006-08-09T07:22:00.000+01:002006-08-09T07:22:00.000+01:00While we're at it, I think I'd also prefer a more ...<I> While we're at it, I think I'd also prefer a more fragmented parliament, requiring more coalitians to form government, which further increases the flexibility of party-lines and the need to debate issues thoughtfully, rather than just number-crunch and 'play politics' (even though this latter may be unavoidable in practice, surely there can be different degrees of focus upon it?) </I><BR/><BRAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1154670925887594592006-08-04T06:55:00.000+01:002006-08-04T06:55:00.000+01:00count me in... i'd like to be better equipped to c...count me in... i'd like to be better equipped to choose between degrees of compromise!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1154667515173055562006-08-04T05:58:00.000+01:002006-08-04T05:58:00.000+01:00man, i wish there was a linear way to connect comm...<I>man, i wish there was a linear way to connect comment-discussions...!</I><BR/>Amen. The programming can't be all that difficult - and many discussion boards have far more intuitive arrangements for organising ongoing discussions - any budding programmers or Blogger employees: take note!<BR/><BR/><I>all political arguments aside, it's still easy to feel guilty for voting for the candidate who byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1154650395847140902006-08-04T01:13:00.000+01:002006-08-04T01:13:00.000+01:00man, i wish there was a linear way to connect comm...man, i wish there was a linear way to connect comment-discussions...!<BR/> <BR/>byron said...<BR/><BR/><I>"Nicole, which is worse, no scripture in schools, or no justice for asylum seekers, no environmental responsibility and no indigenous reconciliation? No scripture in schools, or no decent funding for public schools in the first place? While it is healthy to be sceptical that a single Greens Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1154586409559333092006-08-03T07:26:00.000+01:002006-08-03T07:26:00.000+01:00Michael: I was just curious about why you moved fr...Michael: I was just curious about why you moved from St JtB's to Christchurch (even though this might now be old news). Don't feel the need to answer anything too specific or personal if you'd rather not, but I'm (a) generally interested in why people choose to leave churches, and (b) I know a few people at JtB's - and hope there hasn't been some ugly falling out that I haven't heard about.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1154578233087153862006-08-03T05:10:00.000+01:002006-08-03T05:10:00.000+01:00what does it mean for our attitude towards partici...<I>what does it mean for our attitude towards participation (which Drew encourages us to take up responsibly) that these are merely secular authorities, in the sense that they are of this "age"?</I><BR/><BR/>Matt - sounds like another post...byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1154578039268477762006-08-03T05:07:00.000+01:002006-08-03T05:07:00.000+01:00Thanks Adrian, for pointing out that not all tasks...Thanks Adrian, for pointing out that not all tasks are equally shaped by Christian belief or otherwise. Good point. Nonetheless, I maintain that many of the skills and assumptions that make for running a country well are not exclusively Christian (though they may rely on the shadows of Christendom that continue to haunt the West (in both good and bad ways)).<BR/><BR/>Tim & Rachel: it's got to be byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1154575270967099182006-08-03T04:21:00.000+01:002006-08-03T04:21:00.000+01:00Michael, it's a shame your blog no longer has comm...Michael, it's a shame your blog no longer has comments - I'd love to discuss one of your posts. If you come back and read this, let me know.byron smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938334606675769903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28189019.post-1154498456152800572006-08-02T07:00:00.000+01:002006-08-02T07:00:00.000+01:00HaHaHa, we all know that it's Janette Howard runni...HaHaHa, we all know that it's Janette Howard running the country. <BR/>But in seriousness underlying ideologies of a party are very important. Will the party care for the widow and fatherless of our current epoch? The sick, disabled, poor, unemployed, indigenous, refugee? Sadly 'christian' parties seem to focus on homosexuality, abortion and christian education and Liberal/Labour seem to focus onRachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07797427380504915562noreply@blogger.com