Christmas Reflections on Peace, Faith & Australia

There has been enormous discussion publicly and in the media as to how something this terrible was able to happen in a nation such as ours, which for most of its history has been, overwhelmingly, a welcoming safe haven for people from all over the world. There has been much talk of blame and, for the government, many attempts to escape it. Instead of soberly committing to an honest investigation of the causes, the government’s instinct was to deflect—assigning blame to the tools used in the atrocity, even though such tools are incapable of acting without the deliberate intent of those who wield them.

I will no doubt have more to say on this in the future but for now I want to reflect on why it is that Australia has been such a haven of peace and stability and how we must commit to upholding the foundational principles of our nation that made it one of the most desired places on earth to live.

The settlement of Australia was something of an experiment which was deeply influenced by the Evangelical Anglican, William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was the person most influential in the abolition of the global slave trade, a founder of the RSPCA, and a man whose Christian ethics remain woven into the DNA of modern Australia. The tolerance, sense of justice, a fair go for all, and the principle of equality of all before the law, if not directly attributable to Wilberforce’s influence, are founded on the Christian ethic he ensured accompanied the first fleet and subsequent settling of this great continent.

While it is true that as settlement and colonisation progressed, not everyone acted in accordance with that ethic, its values, and the law; and while it is true that not everyone today acts in accordance with what remains of that ethic and legal system, its foundations remain and are what keep our nation as one of the most desired places on earth to live.

I know that I am not alone in my love for this country and while the average Australian rarely has to think about where our freedoms and values came from, they know what it looks and feels like when they have been violated and under threat. In more ways than one, recent events have put the focus on just how precious those values are.

Christmas is celebrated in Australia, not just because it is another cultural celebration among many but because it reminds us of the foundation on which we as a nation rest. It reminds us that we are the lucky country because those who settled this land intended for it to be a nation set apart from the brutality of Europe and the rest of the world at the time. And for those who stop to honestly reflect, it is impossible to draw any other conclusion than, considering the turbulent history of human endeavour, Australia still stands out as a shining example of peace, prosperity and safety.

As we as a nation celebrate Christmas we do ourselves no favour if we don’t take the time to consider the origins and purpose of Christmas itself. For many, the most familiar story is of Christmas beginning in a Bethlehem stable in Ancient Israel just over 2000 years ago, but the story began much earlier than that. Before Jesus set foot on earth over 300 prophesies were written foretelling his birth as early as 1500 years beforehand.

Around 800 years before the birth of Jesus Christ, a prophet named Isaiah wrote the following about him:

Australia was founded largely by people who believed the words above and the Christian faith that follows. The peace and prosperity of ours and other similar nations is because those nations held themselves (even if at times tenuously) to the principles of the Christian faith. Not everyone who enjoys this amazing country need be a Christian but when our nation strays too far from these principles the things we once took for granted may not hold and the peace, freedom, and safety of all of us can no longer be taken for granted.

As our Jewish friends celebrate Chanukah around this same season, we think of them in their sorrow and pray that we as a nation can do them and ourselves justice in restoring the peace of our nation.

With faith, and a deep love for our country,

Hon Phil Twiss
Member of the Legislative Council