lent is an ideal time to give up intolerance
Lent is said to be a time of self-imposed abstinence. This Lent maybe it's time we go a little further and try to give up more than chocolates. We could give up pre-judging others, whether by force of habit, narrow-minded nurture or just plain self-limiting fear. For instance, we may tend to equate Islam with dangerous extremism ( thanks no doubt to the well-publicized IS fondness for beheading and torching people).
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Christians cannot ever claim their faith has always led them on the path of peace either. It was not too long ago that Catholics and Protestants were each labeling the other side heretics and literally at each others' throats. In the early part of the 17th century in central Europe, the unimaginably destructive 30 Years War (1618 to 1648) saw thousands of men, women and children (yes, children - some hardly more than toddlers were accused of being the Devil's paramours!) were burnt alive at the stake for heresy.
Now, mind you, Christianity and the Church had been around for some one thousand six hundred years then. The warring parties were Christians, people who believed in Christ and knew His teachings. The Church - on both sides - were part and parcel of this mindless, insane carnage. Pope Gregory XIII wrote to France's King Charles IX after the earlier massacre of Huguenots (French Protestants) in Paris : 'We rejoice with you that with the help of God you have relieved the world of these wretched heretics.' The Protestants gave as good as they got and torched Catholic clergy and congregation alike. And so it went back and forth until reason prevailed. A more recent flare-up of this Christian you versus Christian me bloodbath was the IRA versus the North Irish Ulsterman episode of the 70s.
So it's not about God. Never was. God was and is hijacked. He was just the pretext, the cover. He was the scapegoat - yet again. It's really all about people. Indeed self-centeredness has been said to be the source of all sin.
There are over a billion Muslims in the world. Most of them are peace-loving people, like you and me. They value peace, safety and a place where they can raise their family free from fear and danger, like you and me. It is the fanatical leanings of some - a tiny fraction - which has brought the whole into disrepute. Lent is also a time of introspection. Perhaps this Lent we could deny ourselves our perceived self-righteousness and the tendency to put 'the different' into convenient boxes of our labeling.
Kimmy Fam, North Ballarat
opportunities abound
Australia's biggest energy company AGL's decision to launch a renewable energy investment fund signals that the transition from polluting fossil fuels to clean energy sources is unstoppable. Victoria could attract its fair share of AGL's multi-billion dollar fund. Premier Andrews has promised Victorian Renewable Energy Targets for 2020 and 2025. With over 2,300 megawatts of approved wind farms on the books, setting ambitious targets would make our state the place to be for renewable energy.
Leigh Ewbank, Friends of the Earth.
Ignoring the community
I am not a catholic, just an interested observer. As a person who has both professional and personal knowledge and understanding of abusive behaviour and the effects of this behaviour on individuals (victims/survivors), I am utterly gobsmacked at the conduct of two grown men, in very senior positions of the church. Their "extreme avoidance", to dealing with the issues not only suggests a moral culpability, but a very real understanding of the depths of the situation they find themselves in. These are just men, they do not represent the real values and morals of any church, and do not deserve any consideration, whatever the excuse.
Kathryn Cooper, Nth. Ballarat