Parliamentary prayer: why we need it

“Every sitting day in the Victorian parliament begins with the Lord’s Prayer,” FamilyVoice Victoria state director Peter Stevens said today, following reports that the Greens want to abolish it.

“This tradition began in Westminster nearly 500 years ago. Today it is an important reminder of the Christian heritage that has given us our parliamentary system and the democratic freedoms we now enjoy. It is also a reminder to those of faith that ultimately we must account for our actions to a higher authority.”

Pastor Stevens said he was saddened by the latest push by the Victorian Greens to abolish any public recognition of our Christian heritage.
“They seem to forget that no MP is required to join in the Lord’s Prayer. There is no hypocrisy.

“The Greens ignore the reality that in the last census, three out of five Australians identified as Christian.

“ In our FamilyVoice election survey before the 2014 Victorian state election, both major Victorian political parties – Labor and the Coalition – supported the continuation of the opening prayer tradition.

“We and many other Victorians say Amen to that!”
Mrs Roslyn Phillips, BSc DipEd National Research Officer FamilyVoice Australia: a Christian voice for family, faith and freedom