Safe Schools - Steve's Perspective.

Today, my friend Steve Molkentin received a private message about the Safe Schools programme. Steve, a practising Christian and all round good guy, chose to share his response on Facebook, and has generously allowed me to reproduce it here.

I received this private message from an FB friend today:

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Just like to let you know what the labor party stands for in the safe school program. At prep they will and do introduce the child having the opportunity as to what gender you would like to be. Big discussion for young children. Yes you don't have to make this discussion now but you can start experimenting hey go to the boys toilet if you are a girl and if you are a boy go to the girls toilet how safe are you feeling now. That is one issue and there are many more. When it comes to discrimination don't go there open the boarders and let them come and soon we will be like the best terror spot around. Don't close your mind yet open your eyes and see what else is undercover that they have not told us about. Being a family that grew up in the church like your parents marriage is between a man and a woman and imagine a world where more children have not had the family balance that works and we have more questionable values thrown in where do we go now how many pedefiles there be here now. Just thought I would put you in the light.
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I won't identify them. I know I have other FB friends who would think the same/similar as above.

I offer this response to that person and the other like-minded friends on FB:

This election, more than any other, has become about division. Dividing us along age (Boomers v Milennials), dividing us along sexuality (supporting Marriage Equality & Safe Schools or no), dividing us by means (removing services/increasing cost of services for those with little). Then there's the division based on what you think Australia should do with asylum seekers (last night's ACA was appalling in its portrayal of the situation in Nauru).

I am a person of faith. I struggle to be the best reflection of Jesus most times, yet I persist.

The Christ I know offers love, grace and compassion to all people. It doesn't matter your age, faith, sexual preference, means, ethnicity, place in the world. If we get the bit where we love God with all our being and then we love our neighbour as ourselves, we won't get hung up on scare campaigns from the ACL about gender fluidity, shared toilets and educating people so that the LGBTIQ+ community aren't the bogeyman.

Some of the advice contained within the Safe Schools material.

I encourage you to not be drawn into division. Care for your neighbour - and, according to Jesus, that's anybody that isn't you. Don't project your belief system onto someone that doesn't believe the same as you... just love them. Be compassionate. 

Please do not spread misinformation, false truths and least of all hate. Have informed conversations. Listen to other people and consider their experiences and points of view.

It burns me some of the things the ACL do in the name of "Christianity" and "Christians" around the country. As difficult as it is God asks me to love them too. (I am thankful daily God doesn't ask me to agree with them or support them.)

I reject the assertions in the above message that the Safe Schools program is dangerous. That's not how I read the material in the program.

I reject the suggestion that only a marriage of a man and a woman can offer a "proper" home for children. By extension it suggests that single parent families are incomplete, and that couples who don't have kids are somehow less valuable.

I wholly reject the way we are dealing with asylum seekers. Horrors are being committed in representation of Australia. Of us. By us. Show these people who ran for their lives some mercy. Channel the money spent on the camps in Nauru into processing centres in Indonesia and the like to end the business of those who would take advantage of the weak and vulnerable and put them on boats.

I love God, and I love you. If you believe there's truth in the original message I shared above I'll happily chat with you about it, and I'll pray for you (and with you, if you'll let me). Please be prepared for me to challenge you strongly if you are person of faith and you think any of the original message is biblical and how God wants us to operate.

PLEASE - if you are going to comment or reply to comments to this, I ask you to be polite. I will delete anything that is intentionally racist, inflammatory, or gets personal (not only of the people commenting, but also of politicians, etc).

For those people of faith - God asks us to care for everyone, and when given the chance share what he's all about. That doesn't give us the right to condemn or influence/advocate laws that separate and divide. Start from a place of love and see where the Spirit of God leads you.

For those that have experience hate, been singled out or ostracised because people believe something different to you - I'm so very sorry.

Enough division. The only way we'll conquer these things is together as people who care about each other.