OPINION PIECE

Surprise! Not all Christians think the same way about human rights

27 October 2009

The Uniting Church in Australia has welcomed the recommendation of the National Human Rights Consultation Committee for a Human Rights Act.
While recent statements made by some church leaders give the impression that the Uniting Church is alone in this, the submissions to the Brennan inquiry tell a different story. We are a diverse bunch! The General Synod of the Anglican Church stated its support for human rights legislation, as did the Quakers. The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference reserved its opinion and many church-based service agencies spoke about the need for better human rights protections.

Some religious leaders are concerned that a national Human Rights Act will undermine freedom of religion in Australia. On the contrary, we now have a great opportunity to enshrine, for the first time, the right to freedom of religion in Commonwealth legislation.

The Uniting Church is not afraid of the consequences for its own life - it is privileged enough to be able to negotiate for itself what matters to its future wellbeing. There is ample evidence also, that the Government understands the vital contribution that religious organisations make to the health and wellbeing of our society.

Australia is a secular democratic state with a diverse multi-faith society. While the Uniting Church remains immovably committed to the message and mission of the gospel of Jesus Christ, it does not presume to be a moral arbiter of society, nor does it believe it always gets it right.

Together with many others in the Uniting Church, I believe that we must make a case for its values and principles, just as other groups and institutions have to, because this is what it means to live in a country with a healthy civil society. Together we must decide how to express such universal values as compassion, respect, justice and equity, in law and public policy.

Should the Rudd Government commit to implementing the recommendations of the Brennan Report for a Human Rights Act, and I hope that they will, the Uniting Church will be advocating for strong recognition of and protections for religious freedom. But most of all, it will be seeking the best possible protections for those all too often trampled by public policy that does not heed their needs or understand their circumstances.

Rev. Elenie Poulos
National Director
UnitingJustice Australia

This opinion piece first appeared here on the Amnesty International Australia website.