920 Father Bower and Manus & Nauru
SMH: Lest We Forget … Manus & Nauru
Here’s a story about a minister, a
church, that warms my heart: Father Bower, of the Gosford Anglican Church, had
written a message on the church's outdoor sign that read "LEST WE FORGET MANUS & NAURU", a deliberate echo of the controversial Facebook
message posted by engineer and Muslim feminist activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied on
Anzac Day last year.
The posting led to her receiving a
barrage of abuse and threats, eventually contributing to her leaving the
country to work in Britain. It’s the same for the good minister … abuse and
death-threats. But he didn't expect to see "I'll set that church on
fire" in the comments, especially not from a man who was wearing what
appeared to be an Australian Defence Force uniform.
Father Bower said: "We have had
other occasional threats of arson, always from the extreme right of our
nation's political spectrum, ironically from the very same people who warn that
Muslims will 'burn your churches down'. A Muslim has ... never threatened me in
any way."
I’m on record for being critical of religions, in so many ways ... RELIGION 1, 2, 3 in my book en.light.en.ment ... but there is one
aspect of religions I acknowledge: They potentially provide
valuable social services and a coherent community structure; and in this case,
a welcome reality check on where our government is going awfully wrong.
Stick
it to them (Turnbull, Dutton et al), Father Bower, I say.