Entry 481, on 2007-02-23 at 16:51:28 (Rating 3, Religion)
A major theme which has appeared in the media this year is the place of religion in modern New Zealand society. I'm not sure where this has come from, but maybe its connected to the effect of President Bush's religious beliefs, or the furore over intelligent design in the US, or the religious element in the problems with Islamic terrorists.
A draft national statement on religious diversity says "New Zealand has no state religion". But this is making some people unhappy. The main groups who are making a lot of noise about this seem to be those who perceive that they have most to lose. People like "Bishop" Brian Tamaki, for example, who gains a lot of money and power through heading his own crazy sect known as the Destiny Church. But whether New Zealand is officially Christian or not is unlikely to make any real practical difference to him, or anyone else for that matter.
So the question is "is New Zealand a Christian country?" Like many of these ill considered questions, it depends on your individual interpretation of the question. We should ask: "what proportion of New Zealanders say they are Christians?" and the answer would be about half. We could ask: "what proportion of New Zealander's regularly partake in religious activities, and the answer would be less than a quarter. Maybe the question should be: "is there official or legal recognition of Christianity as being an important part of New Zealand's society" and the answer would be not directly.
So it seems to me that New Zealand isn't really a religious country. Some people say that our society is based on Christian ideals, and to an extent that is true. But its also based on democratic, Greek philosophical, Roman, American, capitalist, and British legal ideals, as well as many others, which have little or no connection with Christianity. For example: we are a democracy, and that originated in pre-Christian Greece.
So the people who insist that Christianity is important to us are partly right, but they should realise that it is becoming less important as time passes, and that there are many other non-Christian influences which are also important. No, we are not a Christian country, and I certainly hope we never become one!
Comment 1 by Dee on 2007-05-03 at 16:20:17:
It is not reasonable to call New Zealand a Christian country when not all of us living here in New Zealand are Christians. It is therefore not reasonable for the New Zealand Government to favour certain religions because that is like favouring the values of the people that adhere to certain religions and that is not the duty of the Government - the Government has an obligation to advance the best interests of everyone, not just the interests of certain religions.
The Government of New Zealand obviously favours Christianity. This is why churches are exempt from paying taxation. This is why churches such as the Salvation Army, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Catholic, and much more, have been allowed to build multi-million-dollar empires. It really is disgraceful.
Comment 2 by OJB on 2007-05-03 at 21:42:23:
I agree with most of what you say, except the favourable treatment churches get isn't restricted to Christian churches, is it? I believe other religions also get those benefits.
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