The Lure of the Australian Greens Party
Written by Angela Shanahan.
Christians should beware of the lure of the Australian Greens. Underneath the nostalgia for a less consumer-orientated society where the ideals of community and eco-friendly natural harmony prevail, and humanitarian causes like refugees are embraced, there lies a dangerous philosophical ethic which, far from being a coherent choice for Christians, in fact positions itself in direct competition as an alternative to traditional Christian human-centred ethos.
A brief investigation of the philosophical underpinnings of the Greens confirms this. If you need a quick reference for the Greens’ philosophical outlook, I recommend you read a book that Bob Brown co-authored with the Greens’ long-term philosophical guru and former political candidate, Peter Singer in 1996. Called simply The Greens, the book sets out a new ‘green ethic’ that, according to Singer, directly contradicts the old Christian, biblically-based ethic of man at the centre of creation.
According to Singer, the traditional view of man and his environment is essentially exploitive ‘Christian’ ethos, derived from the Bible and the teachings of the Church Fathers. Only the Greens challenge it. Whether the Greens assessment of this apparently ‘Christian’ ethic is accurate seems not as improtant to the Greens. What is important to Brown and Singer is to establish the Greens philosophy as a distinct alternative to the traditional Christian view.
Ultimately however, it should give Christians pause for concern – to say the least – that the supreme utilitarian Peter Singer is regarded as a philosophical Godfather of the Australian Greens.
Read the full article in on page 7 of Viewpoint Magazine, as a digital online version here or a PDF document here.
More on Viewpoint Magazine here.
I have blogged about Peter Singer before:
justmeint
on July 3rd, 2010
We have problems in Australia with those currently in power – those who share power and those who want to hold the power:
The arrogant person ‘knows’ they are correct; ‘knows’ their opinions and views are the truth. They need no assistance from others; it is the other who needs assistance and direction from them.
Those to whom much has been given sometimes suffer from arrogance; or rather the people around them suffer.
Arrogance is doubly a pity, because the talents of the arrogant serve primarily themselves. The arrogant assumes their views and opinions are The Truth. In arrogance, natural confidence goes sadly awry.
For a ruling political leader to declare publicly, that whilst they greatly respect other people’s religious views, they do not believe in God – even though “I grew up in the Christian church, a Christian background. I won prizes for catechism, for being able to remember Bible verses. I am steeped in that tradition, but I’ve made decisions in my adult life about my own views”, seems terribly arrogant indeed.
Terribly arrogant and sad of Miss Gillard (Australia’s first female Prime Minister) to openly declare that she knows God – but she doesn’t need Him. But then again it begs asking if The Prime Minister personally KNOWS GOD or just ‘about’ Him’?
http://www.successandfailure.net/blog/2010/07/02/i-dont-need-god/
Matt Stone
on July 19th, 2010
I don’t dispute that there are serious problemns with the philosophy underpinning the Green Party but what makes you think Liberal or Labour are any better. They all diverge from Christianity at different points.
rogermorris
on July 22nd, 2010
Matt. I agree. I don’t take much joy in any of them.
Vas
on July 2nd, 2011
The greens are evil ! any party that doesn’t believe in the bible in any which way should not be taken seriously and should be thrown out of politics completely…sooner the better!!