Cash and chaplains: the continuing seduction of the church

And it is “divine intervention”, according to another investigation which delivers another $500 million through deals entered into by local, state and federal governments, to enable churches to avoid, among other things, GST, payroll taxes and council rates, as well as the protection of fringe benefits taxation arrangements (The Age, April 29, 2006).

It’s this ideological commitment to propping up churches which drives the God Squad program. As the health minister put it: “We think that religious faith is important. We also think that the faith of our fathers is important. It shouldn’t be devalued or downgraded, and we are just providing some modest assistance to schools that also think that religious faith is important.” (The Age, November 1, 2006.)

Both the churches and the government know how the seduction game works.

The Howard Government, sensitive to criticism, demands silence from the church providers of aged care, community and job network services, and gets it. Brigadier chaplains will not be standing in solidarity with soldiers and sailors screwed by a perverse army justice system. Theological colleges have never had it so good, so they won’t be found publicly attacking the tertiary education policies of the Howard Government. And it will be the combination of distorted theology, and the promise of more cash, which will ensure the support of churches for the God Squad program.

Already guaranteed their seat at the Reference Group table, there will be no support for Buddhist or Wiccan or rationalist members. Providing that the cheques are delivered, no church school will oppose a government minister or their "delegated authority", ultimately deciding who becomes a chaplain.

The God Squad is nothing new. It’s but a further step in the corruption of churches in their struggle to survive.