(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
A recent call by the Australian Greens to abolish the recitation of the Lord's Prayer in the Federal Parliament received no backing from the major parties although some politicians suggested Australia should at least consider a more inclusive approach and allow multi-faith prayers.
Greg Dyett reports it's a practice adopted in the United States where representatives from non-Christian denominations are invited to open proceedings in the Congress with their own prayer.
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"The House will be in order. The prayer being offered today by our guest chaplain, Imam Talib Shareef, Masjid Mohammed, Washington DC." "Let us pray. Almighty God the merciful, the wise, the most high possessor of greatness. We stand and humbly beseech your divine providence upon this House of Representatives. Grant them clear vision and legislative acumen as they navigate the waters of our national issues."
When the Australian Greens revived calls for the abolition of the Lord's Prayer, Federal Labor MP Mark Dreyfus, who's Jewish, suggested Australia should consider this American approach and allow non-Christian representatives into the chambers to lead prayers.
The United States has chaplains in both houses of Congress.
In the Senate, it's retired admiral Barry Black, the first African-American to hold the position.
During last October's US government shutdown, he prayed for both sides to compromise to end the impasse.
"Retired Admiral Barry Black will lead the Senate in prayer."
"Let us pray. Lord, lead them away from the unfortunate dialetic of us versus them as they strive to unite for the common good of this land we love. Let them not be content to wait and see what will happen but give them the determination to make the right things happen."
The Australian Greens object to any form of prayer in Australia's federal parliament, arguing the practice undermines the separation between church and state.
Greens Senator Richard Di Natale says religion is a private matter, so prayers have no place in the parliament.
"People have the opportunity to send their kids to religious schools, they have the opportunity to express their faith at church services, they have the opportunity to express their faith privately and that's really where I think religion belongs in modern Australia, I don't think we need to ensure that the parliament is there as a place for the recitation of various prayers and I just don't think that it does reflect the fact that we do consider that religion and politics should be kept separate."
But a senior Rabbi at Temple Beth Israel in Melbourne, Gersh Lazarow, says it's important to recognise the majority of Australians do believe in some sort of higher power.
"I think that whilst we live in a multicultural country, it's also very important to recognise that the great majority of people in this country identify as part of the Christian ethic and the Lord's prayer, whilst being an overtly Christian piece of theology, is something that people identify broadly with and I think it's wonderful that our parliament begins with an affirmation that there are forces greater than us in this universe, as a person of faith I think this is very, very important. Is the Lord's Prayer the right prayer? Well, I'm not quite sure but I think it's better than no prayer."
Australia's adoption of the Lord's Prayer has its roots in a practice that began in the British parliament around 1560.
In the House of Commons, the Speaker's Chaplain recites this prayer.
"Lord, the God of righteousness and truth, grant to our Queen and her government, to Members of Parliament and all in positions of responsibility, the guidance of your Spirit. May they never lead the nation wrongly through love of power, desire to please, or unworthy ideals but laying aside all private interests and prejudices keep in mind their responsibility to seek to improve the condition of all mankind; so may your kingdom come and your name be hallowed. Amen."
And in the House of Lords, a senior Bishop starts each sitting with prayers such as this one.
"Almighty God, the Fountain of all Goodness, We humbly beseech thee to bless Philip Duke of Edinburgh, Charles Prince of Wales and all the Royal Family: Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy Heavenly Grace; prosper them with all happiness; and bring them to thine everlasting kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Doctor Keith Suter is the managing director of the Global Directions think tank in Sydney.
He's a specialist in international affairs and a committed Christian.
Dr Suter says few countries have completely abolished prayers from their parliaments.
He says arguing that the Lord's Prayer should be abolished is based on an incorrect assumption that God is disappearing from politics.
"Religion is as potent a force in politics as it ever has been. If you look globally around the world, of course globally you'd have to say religions are growing rapidly. In Latin America, we now have a Latin American Pope for the first time, Africa, religions obviously there are Islam, Christianity growing rapidly within Asia as well so the minority position of the Greens which is to be that, I think of being either atheists or agnostics is now very much at a global level a minority position. Religion is back, in politics, in a big way."
And Doctor Suter says arguments about the separation of religion and politics have little relevance in Islamic countries.
"In the Arab world, clearly matters are suspended for the purposes of acknowledging the need for prayer, and of course within the strict Islamic societies there is no difference between religion and politics which, of course again is why the Green position in Australia is so unusual because they are trying to say there is this clear separation whereas for a billion people around the world and the Muslims then one would have to say for them there is no separation between God and politics, between Church and State to use a more Christian expression."
