Greens bid to eliminate Lord's Prayer rejected

A motion introduced by the Greens today looking to remove the Lord’s Prayer in federal parliament was rejected by the Senate earlier today.

parliament_140213_Getty.jpg

Members of the House of Representatives (AFP/Getty).

Greens’ Senator Richard Di Natale wanted to replace the prayer with a minute of silence. He says the prayer is not representative of Australian culture.

“It’s my view, it’s the Greens’ view that in a 21st century, modern economy like Australia, a multi-cultural country that it’s no longer appropriate to begin the day in the parliament with the Lord’s Prayer.”

Greens first announced plans to remove the prayer a month ago.

Di Natali: Lord's Prayer "no longer appropriate"

Since 1901, the Christian prayer has been recited at the beginning of every sitting day.

The Greens suggest the following should be read instead of the prayer:

''Senators, let us in silence pray or reflect upon our responsibilities to the people of Australia, to the States and Territories which we represent, and to all future generations.''

Greens argue that religion has no place in parliament and that it stay a private matter.

Have your say: Do you think the Lord's prayer should still be recited in parliament?


Share

1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: SBS


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world