Challenges of 2015: economy, environment, religion

Extreme elements of every religion will indulge in imposing their will on everyone else. Groups such as IS among Muslims, the Tea Party of USA as a fundamentalist misrepresentation of Christianity, ultra- orthodox Jews in Israel, militant Buddhists in Sri Lanka and the worst factions of the Hindu faith trying to control India.

There will be many other religious issues in play, a significant one being the rapid expansion of Christianity in China, which will cause the Communist Party to curb its activity because those Christians are passionate evangelicals who take their religion very seriously and are already being viewed by the establishment as an enormous threat.

Here in Australia, we take our religion very casually, and we may be forced to decide whether or not we can continue to remain nonchalant about it, especially as the rise of a religious faction in the Liberal Party could eventually break the Party in two. However, the history of the world has featured many leaders who sought to gain power in the name of God, and all failed.

I have just read a book called Redeemer, which is a history of former US President Jimmy Carter who, in 1976, became their first ever President to have ever openly campaigned on the basis that Washington needed a Christian in office. He won narrowly, then lost after one term because many Christians reckoned he was not Christian enough, especially on issues like abortion and homosexuality, about which he was a sensible moderate. They then voted him out in favour of the morals of Ronald Reagan, who turned out to be as shallow a Christian as you ever could find.

The important feature of Carter's life is that his greatest years began when he left the White House. He has spent decades putting his life on the line ensuring that democratic elections were held fairly in many emerging nations, and that equality of women was recognised and adopted worldwide, while combating domestic violence. This is the work of a fine Christian.

In Australia, we must ensure that people are free to practice whatever religion they choose, so long as they do it peacefully and respect the right of others to do likewise. Above all, we must ensure that no religious party ever gains power in our nation.

With this in mind, may I wish you a happy and peaceful CHRISTMAS while we recognise that less than half the population of the world will celebrate it with us.

And may you experience a meaningful 2015, in which you have a job, home and family, and we work together to create a new Australia where we can all enjoy healthy competition in a fair marketplace where everyone has a chance to prosper and has quality of life.

We will talk again in February.

In the meantime, if you want to enjoy a good book over the holidays, try Thomas Keneally's third volume of Australian history called Australians, Flappers to Vietnam. It covers the era from the end of World War 1 to Vietnam. It's a great read that helps us to understand how we laid the foundations of modern Australia.

If you want to stir your soul, then read The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, by Australian author Philip Pullman. It is a novel based on the life of Jesus of Nazareth, in which the author maintains that early Christians got it all wrong, and spread a false story about a great man who is worth following for the right reasons.

Some devout Christians will need a couple of extra glasses of red if they are to stay calm.