“I saw the truth,” said Launceston woman Kim Grainger. She had just participated in Holy Switch, a documentary that took young people from six different observant religious families and swapped their lives for a week. Anglican Christian Kim went to stay with Hindu Aakash Tolani’s family in Sydney. The ABC series began last week and we … Continue reading »
The Chosen Mum
Being a mum has a way of pointing a very powerful microscope at all our inadequacies before publishing the results in the ‘How To Be A Bad Mother’ review. We celebrated Mother’s Day yesterday and I suspect that some of us (no, no, not me!) felt a small twinge of guilt at all the Super … Continue reading »
Attention: Champions of Life
Never have I been more aware of how precious life is. In the past two weeks, three friends have given birth to beautiful, healthy babies. One made her entrance at just 30 weeks, weighing less than 1.4kg. She is doing marvellously, as is mum. Sadly, I know another couple who was only given an hour … Continue reading »
Why You Should Never Read a Book Twice (Unless it’s the Bible)
As a word-hungry kid I was given a book called A Peep Behind the Scenes by Mrs. O. F. Walton (which gives you an idea of just how old it is). The novel had a wonderful storyline following a girl who danced as part of a circus with all its colour and energy. Generally, I … Continue reading »
Epic Fail, Tasmanian Government, Epic Fail.
Today I have cried, I have felt the weight of Australia’s 80,000-plus lives destroyed in the womb each year and I have felt such disappointment that our government has not taken a stand for the most vulnerable citizens of this state. Last night Tasmania’s abortion bill was passed in the Lower House by two votes. … Continue reading »
The Angel in the Church at Stanley
We found ourselves alone in a little church on Stanley’s main street a few weeks back. It had started to rain and the little weatherboard church beckoned – I love the way many of the older churches remain unlocked during the day for people seeking solace. Or shelter. It has a spectacular stained glass window … Continue reading »
Amended Abortion Bill Doesn’t Go Far Enough
So the abortion bill has been tabled in the Tasmanian Parliament, with a few amendments. Don’t be deceived folks. The Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Bill 2013 is as ludicrous as ever and we need to remain vigilant in letting politicians know that the only thing this piece of legislation is good for is compost. … Continue reading »
The Church in Tasmania Stands for Life, Liberty and Legacy
BIG day today! Mega. I had the privilege of joining with Tasmania’s church leaders to present The Salamanca Declaration to the Honourable Mr Michael Polley MHA, Speaker of the House of Representatives, on the steps of parliament. What’s the big deal, you ask? This statement unites the churches of Tasmania, representing more than 170,000 people of … Continue reading »
Good News for Weaklings
There’s a fine line between recklessness and courage. Often the defining factor is whether the mission succeeds. When it does, we get our hero, our courageous trailblazer. When it doesn’t, the action might still be called courageous but the consequences linked to the risk are a hard burden. And sometimes we call such people reckless. I … Continue reading »
You Have TWO DAYS to be Heard on Tassie’s Barbaric Abortion Bill
Submissions close on Friday to the proposed changes to Tasmania’s abortion legislation. The so called Reproductive Health (Access to Terminations) Bill, 2013, has stirred lively discussion lately – and so it should. People are talking about when life begins. About our right to conscientious objection on such topics. About methods of termination. About the level … Continue reading »
