West Australian Labor MP Dave Kelly wants the Lord’s Prayer booted from parliament.
Kelly’s arguing that the Lord’s Prayer, first prayed in 1890, in a state he admits was founded by Christians, is no longer relevant.
He then frames the prayer as oppressive and racist.
Demanding the prayer’s cancellation in February, he wrote,
“Forcing citizens to participate in the Christian religion [or any other] is no longer acceptable or lawful.
“WA is now a proud multicultural community welcoming citizens from all around the globe.”
He adds to the petition pushing for the Christian prayer to be excluded from parliament: “Now more than ever we should strive to make everyone feel welcome and included.”
Starting the day with The Lord’s Prayer is no longer appropriate, Kelly declared.
“It is not inclusive and no longer serves its purpose.”
As if Kelly’s hate speech (as defined by Section 76 of WA’s Racial Vilification Code ) here wasn’t enough, he then incites hatred towards Christianity by falsely linking the Lord’s Prayer with sexual abuse, stating,
“Finally, the community is now more than aware of the thousands of children sexually abused by members in various organisations including Christian churches.”
“In these circumstances,” he stated, “you cannot underestimate the triggering effect on survivors when they come to this place and see that the Legislative Assembly starts every day with a Christian prayer.”
These reasons are, Kelly argued, why the Lord’s Prayer should be replaced “with a more inclusive moment of quiet reflection.”
Firing back on social media in June, WA’s Australian Christians MLC, Maryka Groenewald, called it “predictable.”
“Respect for our Christian heritage used to be something all sides of politics broadly understood,” she said.
“Opening Parliament with the Lord’s Prayer was seen as a simple acknowledgement of the Christian heritage of our Nation, and the faith that shaped so much of our law and culture.”
Answering Kelly’s vile attempt to link Christianity with oppression, racism, and sexual abuse, Groenewald asserted,
“Abuse is evil and must always be condemned.”
“To imply that the prayer Jesus Christ taught His disciples is, in itself, a symbol of that evil is effectively to say that any reference to Christianity must be read through the worst actions ever committed by people within the church.”
“That is,” she correctly stated, “a standard Dave Kelly MLA would never dream of applying to any other faith group.”
Contributing in August to the review Kelly’s request prompted, the Australian Christian Lobby’s Michelle Pearse said the Lord’s Prayer should stay.
In sum, Pearse countered that the prayer reminds Government that it is not God, and that its authority is borrowed.
“The practice,” Pearse explained, “is not an establishment of religion or an imposition of worship.”
The Lord’s Prayer “is a short, scriptural and deeply respected prayer that seeks guidance, wisdom, forgiveness and protection for those in authority.”
“It gives solemnity to proceedings, acknowledges the historical sources of Western Australia’s democracy and parliamentary institutions.
“It reminds Members that political authority is limited and should be directed to the welfare of the people it governs.”
“A moment of silence,” Pearse added, “would be an inadequate substitute.”
Although the prayer remains, its future is yet to be decided.
While Kelly’s complaints have been acknowledged, the matter is under review.
As a Discussion Paper released in June concluded, the issue warranted careful consideration because of “broader questions about the balance between tradition and modernisation.”
This included considerations about “the symbolic role of parliamentary procedure.”
The Lord’s Prayer is now part of a Procedure and Privileges Committee review, which will not be handing down its recommendations until 30 April 2027.
If Christianity is no longer relevant, the very state founded by it is no longer relevant, and that includes the office Dave Kelly holds.
Christian-hating Lefties cannot have it both ways.
No cross. No crown.