Infringement of conscience is a serious challenge facing modern medicine. Medical codes of conduct must never be subject to degradation by government. Governments may legislate to permit certain practices or procedures but governments must never force doctors to violate their conscience by compulsory engagement in such practices or procedures.”
Humanity’s greatest crisis, medicine’s greatest challenge, society’s greatest risk – our future is under attack in three critical areas with interlocking themes of risks to freedom of speech, belief and conscience, the manipulation of life and death, and the re-shaping of Australian society by minority group pressure.
• Does it matter that governments legislate for evil?
• Does it matter if governments compel evil?
• Are these matters “defining issues” as to how I should vote for politicians or parties that have supported these matters? (And, if not, then what is a defining issue?)
• Is there a role for this church and for the body of Christ as a whole?
• Will these matters make a difference in my ordinary way of life? Will they make any difference as to how I spend my spare time?
• Will they make a difference as to my future directions, even occupation?
A Christmas present recommendation
The other day I saw and immediately bought the newly published Bonhoeffer – Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxos who also wrote Amazing Grace the story of William Wilberforce.
In my eagerness to have a 5 minute squiz I thumbed over to the chapter on “The Church and the Jewish Question” (p150 [...]
The issue of battle fatigue is real. Our politicians and we, the Australian public, will be facing this again with euthanasia and physician assisted suicide – and also the re-definition of and abandonment of marriage and family as the bedrock of society.
how dare we repeat history by excluding any rights of the unborn child at risk of abortion. To thumb our noses at the intelligent dedication of the people and nations that formulated the Universal Declaration is an astonishing action of ignorance and irresponsibility and – yes – selfish arrogance.
So how do you define a “defining issue”?
Defining issues are wrongs actually brought into being by government introduced legislation as opposed to matters occurring or happening in our world. With respect to things that are happening we may argue about contributory negligence and about what might be required in legislation to rectify that and also to prevent it. But what we cannot argue about is when governments actually legislate to permit wrong. What we cannot argue about is when governments legislate to permit evil. And especially what we cannot argue about is when governments legislate to compel evil.
The Canberra Declaration – a call for Christian Conscience and renewal of Christian Values in Australia
What is it that we don’t get? What is it that stops us from calling it evil? What is it that makes people continue to vote for the people who promote or condone this evil? When will people speak up? Will we be like the Israelites who remained silent in the face of Elijah’s challenge or will the mighty men and women of God condemn this evil and those who promote it? And if not now, then when? How much worse does it have to get? And will we then still have the freedom to condemn?
Conscience and a Respectable Voice
Hannah Arendt writes of Adolf Eichmann “His conscience was indeed set at rest when he saw the zeal and eagerness with which ‘good society’ everywhere reacted as he did. He did not need to ‘close his ears to the voice of conscience’ as the judgment has it, not because he had [...]
