Letitia (fan of watching Ninja Warrior with her kids) has outlined the beginnings of a Theology of Environmental Stewardship.  Interesting.  Don’t know if I agree with all her suggestions, but it’s a good start.

Thanks, Letitia.

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement. (Hebrews 6:1-2)

Hello, my name is Alistair and I’m a caffeine addict.  I had my last caffeinated beverage about 45 minutes ago.  It was wonderful.

I was sitting at home doing…something (I’m not exactly sure what), when that ever-present caffeine craving began to slowly intensify.  There was no caffeine in the house.  Paula, my wife, was out with the car.  I had $5 in my wallet and the plan that had been lying around my mind un-acted on suddenly became very attractive.  I would jump on the scooter, ride to Earlville shopping centre, park close to Gloria Jeans, buy a coffee and get back before Paula returned home.

A short struggle began inside.

Caffeine-Addict Me: I want coffee.

Rational Me: Look, you know how it affects you.  It might be okay now, but this is the beginning of a slippery slope.

Caffeine-Addict Me: I want coffee.

Rational Me: Not such a good idea.

Caffeine-Addict Me: I want coffee.

Rational Me: You told people that you wouldn’t be drinking caffeine anymore.  Even last night you told yourself you need to stop…

A short ride and $4.20 later I had my drink.  (Somebody needs to invent cup holders for scooters).  Man, did that Flat White taste good! 

Why do I need caffeine?  What is it that makes me so enslaved to it that I can’t say no - not for very long at least?  I don’t exactly know, but I do know that if I believed it would kill me, I’d never have another coffee or coke - I think. 

When it comes to “dead works” our conscience, our life, history, the Bible and the Spirit of God tell us that there are things we are doing - and keep on doing - that are wrong.  Not only wrong, but deadly.  Yet we can’t stop.  We won’t stop.  We get on whatever will take us where we want to go and chase after people, possessions, and pleasure instead of going to the source of all love - God himself.  

As a result, we’re out of sync with the universe’s modus operandi.  We’re out of touch with the love that enables us to truly love.  We’re like the proverbial bull in a China shop running roughshod over people and creation, and if we don’t get in line, God has said he will deal with us with far more than a firm hand.

For God’s sake, for other people’s sake, for your sake, turn away from dead works, because if you don’t, they’ll kill you.

 We tend to think that fulfilling our own desires and preferences is the highest good.  That would have been true if our desires and preferences hadn’t been perverted.  Unfortunately they have been, and so God calls us to return to him to begin reconstituting our insides.  Let’s ask him for the willingness and courage to do this.

I don’t know whether he just doesn’t want to have any friends or what, but last Saturday Gavin King began his weekly column in the Weekend Post like this:

If a woman drinks to excess during a night out on the town, is she partly to blame for being raped or assaulted?

As uncomfortable and difficult as this question is, the answer surely is yes.

The backdrop for this particular column was a couple of articles that came out last week in the Cairns Post.  First, the police suggested that women be careful about how much they drink on a night out on the town due to a large number of rapes that have resulted from drunk women going off with people they’ve just met.  The next day outraged rape crisis workers rejected the police’s comments as “counter-productive as it reinforces women’s sense of blame, fear and vulnerability, rather than enhancing their sense of agency and self-confidence.”

In his column, Gavin King asserted that, in fact, women do need to take responsibility for putting themselves in that situation.  I agree, but many do not as seen by the flurry of angry comments he received in response.  Apparently people seem to think that there is a finite amount of blame that can be apportioned, so that if a woman is said to be partly to blame, the offender then has a chunk of responsibility lifted from his shoulders.

Here’s the comment I left under Gavin’s column.  (Note the diplomacy, Gavin).

Well, I’m heartened by the support for women who have been victims of assault and rape. It’s clear that the majority of people consider it an horrific evil. It is and there is no excuse for it.

And, though he might have chosen his words better, I also agree with Gavin’s main point. A woman who is assaulted without being aware that she puts herself in danger would surely have appreciated the warning. A woman who has been warned that certain areas and activities have put others in danger in the past and will likely put her in danger too, is very unwise if she ignores that warning.

Why are people trying to stifle such a warning?

Should we take down signs warning about crocodiles because it’s not the fault of the European tourists who get caught by them? Should we refuse to caution people about date rape drugs because it’s not their fault if they fall victim to them?

The police have encouraged women to take care when drinking in the city at night because they care about what happens to women. How on earth does that lead to accusations of disempowerment, sexism and blame? As far as I can see women have been given wise words that will help keep themselves safe.

And yes, at the same time broader societal programmes should be encouraged.

Qantas, Australia’s national carrier, recently announced that 14 weekly international flights between Cairns and Japan will be axed this December, a decision that will have a huge negative impact on Cairns business and tourism.  This is just one of a number of cuts and closures that have hit the Cairns region.  At the same time, Jetstar (part of Qantas) will introduce five new Gold Coast-Tokyo flights to it’s itinerary.   The Japanese tourist market is falling everywhere, but it seems that whereas numbers of Japanese visitors were down 8% in Cairns in the last year, on the Gold Coast the numbers were down 26%.  The Qantas logic?  No one really knows.

What Qantas perhaps did not forsee was the resulting outcry and potential open skies that would result.  Cairns is ridiculously dependent on tourism for it’s economy and already approaches to other airlines have begun, Federal funding has been made available and support for deregulating the skies in order to allow foreign airlines to service Cairns can be found at all levels of government.  It seems Qantas may have accidentally shot itself in the foot.

And all of this provides an exciting opportunity for the Asian-isation of Australia.

“What-the-???!!!!” Continue Reading »

Have you ever wondered at the reaction the rest of the world has toward you and your country?  It’s not only the war in Iraq, it’s the attitude found here:

I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. 

(Barak Obama in his speech on Final Primary Night 3 June, 2008).

It is absolutely true that America’s contribution to fighting pollution and waste will have a major impact on the different ecological issues the world faces right now, but to suggest that America will stop the rise of the oceans and heal the planet?  That America’s was and will again be the last, best hope on Earth?  And this from the Democrats who apparently are self-conscious about America’s international image as an economic coloniser and arrogant bully.

America has been blessed by God and has been a blessing to many, but this pride of yours is wretched and isolating, causing you to be a curse to many.

God bless America, yes.  But it’s likely he’ll have to humble her first.

Note: This is by no means a criticism of the many individual Americans I have met and corresponded with.  However, I would be interested in your response to this.

Just watched Vantage Point. 

Had virtually no knowledge of it going in other than it was a movie where different viewpoints of the same event were presented.  Not knowing much probably helped.  In fact, because it was a PNG DVD I wasn’t even sure when it came out until I finished watching it and looked it up on the net (those pirates!).

I enjoyed it a lot.  Whittaker’s character was the best - loved his character.  Some of the timing between significant points in the reruns of the event were out, which was a little annoying, but the whole concept and the slowly revealed twists in the plot were great.

Some reviewers report that rewatching the same event multiple times was boring…let me just raise one eyebrow and think things that will be left unsaid.  Obviously not fans of Run, Lola Run, or Pulp Fiction (not that Pulp Fiction was a favourite of mine, either, but that had nothing to do with the way it was shot).

Worth the money - if I’d paid any.  Not going to be a classic, but it’s good to see mainstream films try something a bit different.  Definitely not a flop, despite the 37% rating it has on Rotten Tomatoes.  (Man, don’t reviewers have anything better to do than complain about movies?  It was a good one, for crying out loud!)

(Note:  If you were hoping for meaningful comments on the American view of terrorism and the obvious left-wing agenda in the movie - sorry.  Too tired.  Besides, the political perspective doesn’t really dominate the film.  Let it lie.  Enjoy.)

I ended my last post on the issue about the Bill Henson photographs by saying:

But I suggest that if judges, the police and a good portion of the general public cannot see what the art community sees, then perhaps this should be one of those times when they sidle up to Bill and say, “Hey, Henson, you’ve stepped over the line!”

Well, it would seem that the Department of Public Prosecutions has decided that “there is no reasonable prospect of a conviction relating to the artwork,” (Assistant Commissioner Catherine Burn).  It looks as though judges won’t be able to have their say after all.

It may suprise you to know that I agree with this decision.  Don’t misunderstand me, the very fact that underage children have been photographed nude and displayed as art is reprehensible and I would support Bill Henson facing charges related to child indecency (are there any such laws anymore?), even if he were let off with a warning.  But child sexual exploitation?  No.  I do not think it fair to make Bill Henson face sex charges without evidence of sexual intent.

As I said in my last post, the tragedy of the whole event is that it’s been framed as a fight between two ends of the spectrum with no consideration for the middle ground.  Sadly, our society has lost the ability to appreciate nuance, even the clunkingly obvious kind.  The art community’s unqualified support of nude photographs of children for “art’s sake” is disturbing and just plain wrong, but Hetty Johnson’s comments from the other side are over-the-top and wanting.  Yes, pedophilia is evil and we should hate it with all our being, but this implicit marrying of nudity with sex does not help her cause - and that is something I think the majority of Australians would feel off-putting, even if not consciously understanding why.

This obsession with sex may, however, explain the following contradiction.  While almost all photographs seized by the police were given a G-rating by Australia’s Classification Board (a rating I would disagree with), one was given a PG-rating (a rating I would agree with) because it was found to be “mild and justified” (a comment I would not agree with).  How is it, then, that a photograph rated above a G-rating - and therefore containing an image not suitable for minors - is acceptable when the subject of the photograph is underage?  

Because apparently underage sex is the only thing children should not actually be involved in. 

Do you get the impression there is something wrong with our society?

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The Caltex Station on the corner of Gatton Street and Aumuller Street consistently sells petrol at least 2c more expensive than other stations.  DON’T BE FOOLED!!!  Avoid it.

This is the house that Harald built wants to build. 

Okay, I can’t show you a picture, but I can tell you the story.

Harald Falge is the founder and coordinator of Street Level Youth Care, a non-profit ministry working out of Cairns Baptist Church that feeds and clothes people from 5 to 21 years of age who live on the street.  Every night for 17 years (without exception) Harald or one of the SLYC team have provided meals for young people living on the street.  Of course, meals are not the only way SLYC ministers to these young people - clothes and blankets are provided where they are able to be, and counselling and help has been given in many other ways.

But that hasn’t been enough for Harald.

For years, now, it has been Harald’s dream and prayer that a house be built where young people who need somewhere to stay can be provided not just a roof over their heads, but a family to be part of.  It’s been a dream that has had false starts, setbacks and continual obstacles, but the dream is slowly being realised.

Harald’s House really got off the ground when Harald spoke of his vision during a radio interview a couple of years ago.  The then local federal MP, Warren Entch, had been a strong supporter of SLYC and could see the need for the sort of house Harald was describing.  It was he who came up with the name, Harald’s House, and a committee of interested local movers and shakers was formed to back the project and get fundraising underway.

Since that time, various community groups have held functions and donated money toward the cause.  Unfortunately, both federal and community council elections have meant some of the strong supporters of Harald’s House are not in as strategic a position as before, and some unwarranted negative media reports have also slowed progress.  Up until recently, the media was very positive about the project and Harald himself is a bit stunned by the sudden turn around.

Yet, the committee behind Harald’s House is still committed to seeing the dream realised and value your support.  Visit the Harald’s House website and see where they are at and consider what you can do to support them.

Keep it up Harald and team.  We’re praying for you.

Over the last couple of weeks an Australian photographer has been threatened with prosecution over his shots of naked underage teenagers.  In the ensuing debate, Bill Henson has alternatively been called a child pornographer and a leading artist.  The art community has come out in support of Bill Henson whereas anti-child abuse group Braveheart has come out against his work, as has the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, much to the dismay of the art community.

The crux of the issue seems to be over whether the images are sexualised or not.  Supporters maintain they are not sexualised images, while others believe that they are - or at the very least can be used that way.  But it seems to me that the whole issue should be approached a different way.  Sex is not the central issue - nudity is.

Since way back when in human history, nakedness has been something to cover - not because the body is dirty, but because it is valuable, to be cherished and to be shared in intimacy with another.  Does sexuality come into it?  Yes, but as only a part of the larger issue of intimacy.  To expose the naked body of a person is to open them up to being intimately known, and that requires trust and trustworthiness on the part of others. 

Cate Blanchett and others may believe that they are trustworthy, but the question is not so much whether the artistic world should have a right to consider naked children in an artistic light, but whether a child should be exposed to an audience where there is no intended intimacy, and indeed, is open to negative exploitation by perverted minds, even if just in their imaginations.  To put a child in that position in front of those outside of the intended protection of family or guardians (unfortunately not always a safe environment itself) is premature, potentially damaging and just plain inappropriate.

The artistic community, at least the part that has reacted so strongly over this issue, has declared that artistic endeavour must be allowed to push the societal envelope and I, personally, am happy to accept challenges to cultural mindsets.  I understand, believe it or not, the non-sexual artistic appreciation of the naked human body and I think I can even appreciate something of what Bill Henson is trying to acheive through his work.  However, I do not think art is the highest good like the artistic community seems to believe it is.  Has there ever been a gradual push that the artistic community decided was not appropriate?  Have they ever risen up and said, “We understand what this artist is trying to communicate but they have stepped over the line”?

One man representing himself as part of that community commented during a radio interview that judges are not able to decide what is pornography and what is art and police are not able to decided what is pornography and what is art.  This begs the question, “Who is able to make those decisions?”  It would seem the artistic community is claiming that right for themselves.  But I suggest that if judges, the police and a good portion of the general public cannot see what the art community sees, then perhaps this should be one of those times when they sidle up to Bill and say, “Hey, Henson, you’ve stepped over the line!”