SATANIST STATUE IN OKLAHOMA

A large plaque of the 10 Commandments erected on the Statehouse lawn in OK City has prompted a group of satanists to demand equal status for the so-called “prince of darkness”. They have commissioned the statue (pictured) and they argue that it’s hypocritical to allow one faith to be publicly represented and not another.

Of course, this unorthodox new demand has met with stiff opposition from Oklahoma officialdom. I quote from a Fox News online report.

“Oklahoma officials say there is no way in hell that a statue of Satan will ever assume a position at the Capitol. There will never be a satanic monument on the grounds of the Oklahoma State Capitol and the suggestion that there might be is absurd," Alex Weintz, spokesman for Gov. Mary Fallin, said in a statement to FoxNews.com.”  (Emphasis mine – sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Where is the audacity in all this? The legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, Brady Henderson, said: “We don’t think the state should place religious artifacts on state property unless the people of the entire state agree with its message.”

Sounds reasonable. Until you remember that the 10 Commandments are a well-known and accepted moral code of behaviour. They are not religious artifacts but reminders of the ethical foundations on which the nation was built.

In seeking to give satan his thoroughly undeserved recognition in American public life, the perpetrators of this farce are taking the attitude: “We’ll show ‘em!” It’s not about reverencing the un-reverent one but about annoying and upstaging those who hold to Christian values.

p.s. I hope no-one is worried that I posted the picture. Satan (capitalised only because I'm starting a new sentence) has no authority or power in my life. If a picture of a statue representation of him bothers you, call on Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will set you free. Greater is He (Jesus) that is in us than he that is in the world. Amen!

FEMINIST AGENDAS - ARE WE THERE YET?

Deborah May is “a feminist guru… being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to teach federal public servants to be fairer to women in the workplace” (Herald Sun 12/5/14).

On her blog page, I found an article titled: “Women and the Glass Ceiling: Are we THERE yet?” Here’s a pertinent quote from that article.

“I’ve been working to advance women’s leadership for the last 15 years and frankly if we don’t start getting creative nothing is going to happen before I die!

Are we there yet? Far from it, but I guess it depends on where ‘there’ is and I would suggest that ‘there’ should be 50% women at all levels across all organisations within all industries and sectors.”

All levels. All organisations. All industries and sectors. Wow!

There are many organisations and sectors where women dominate: think teaching, hospitality, nursing, social work. But, according to May, there should be NO organisations or industries dominated by men, even to the point of 51% domination.

May’s goal, her description of ‘there’, is thus heavily biased against men.

Do women have equal opportunity in Australia? I guess this would be a point of contention. May laments that: “In smaller companies – especially those in industries generally regarded as ‘blokey’ – IT/engineering/manufacturing/construction there are far fewer women and there is no particular imperative to change.”

But then she goes on to quote figures that, in my view, clearly indicate that women in fact have BETTER opportunities than men.

“This is the case despite the fact that:

• Women comprise 50.8% of our population.
• 87% women attain year 12 qualifications or above, compared to 82% men
• Over 50% of university graduates are women.”

Well, what if some women don’t WANT to be the CEO of a mining company or a major engineering enterprise? What if there are some jobs that demand time and energies that women are not willing to commit, given that work is not their whole life? What if some women actually want to stay at home and be hands-on raising a family?

God has given both men and women certain unique characteristics. It makes sense that men are more suited to some jobs and women are more suited to others. We have just celebrated Mothers’ Day and women have been loudly appreciated for the very role that no man can fill.

I’m certainly not saying that women cannot flourish in the workplace, or that they cannot assume important leadership roles, but the calling to motherhood should never be denigrated or trivialised by foolish ideals about female quotas in occupations that are more suited to men.

TEACHING CHILDREN TO HATE

Apologies that I missed doing this blog last week. But a picture in today’s Herald Sun made sure I was motivated to write my Answers for Audacity for this week.

The annual May Day march in Melbourne, organised by unions, included children wearing t-shirts that read “F--- Tony Abbott” or “Abbott Hater”.

In what moral universe is that OK?

There are many heated political and cultural issues. I fully appreciate, of course, that people get angry. But don’t we all want to live in a decent, respectful society? Don’t we want our children to grow up in a society where people can state a case and make a point intelligently, without obscenity and hatred? Have we discarded the old mantra that you “play the ball” not “play the man”?

The problem, of course, is that we are a media driven society now. And the media aren’t interested in nice, peaceful arguments. They would rather report obscenity than decency. If you want your protest to get air time, you have to do something shocking.

And as for the organisers of the march this past weekend – shame, shame, shame! John Roskam, from the Institute of Public Affairs, was reported as saying: “The idea that children are being used to push offensive views reveals the depths of (sic) which the Left in Australia will dive.”

How sad that we have come to this.