International

The Australian Free Reformed Relief Foundation is holding a door collection in the Free Reformed Churches of Australia on July 26 to provide immediate relief in the Sri Lanka humanitarian crisis. 280,000 have been displaced by fighting in Sri Lanka.

Marriage attacks

The Australian Christian Lobby reports that gay activists are strongly campaigning the ALP to overturn its support for marriage between a man and woman. It will be discussed at the ALP national conference at the end of this month. Rainbow Labor is proposing homosexual marriages. For more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/lifematters/pm-faces-stoush-over-gay-marriage-20090713-ditp.html

Action: ACL is calling on people to contact their Federal Labor MP letting them know you don’t support undermining marriage. (For more on attacks on marriage and ways to get involved see Submission 4 below)

For contact details House of Reps: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/mi-party.asp

Senate: http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/senators/homepages/index.asp?sort=party

Calvin’s legacy

A report in the Australian Catholic News argues that the Catholic Church manifests Calvin’s teachings as emphatically as, if not more than, Protestant churches. The report says that Calvin, like the Catholic Church forbid sex before marriage, adultery, homosexuality, abortion, drinking and gambling. He also supported excommunicating heretics. “Today, no denomination defends the fundamentals of Calvin’s theology of salvation more energetically than the Catholics. – Alan Austin, Online Opinion

For article: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=9180&page=0

Help ARPA

The Association for Reformed Political Action is seeking interested people within the Free Reformed Churches to assist in developing a series of policy statements. These statements will provide the framework when ARPA tackles various issues. Initially, work is being done in the areas of human rights, prostitution, immigration/multicultural affairs, church/state relations, euthanasia and homosexuality. If any of these areas are of interest to you, or if you have material that might assist in developing these statements please email apra@frca.org.au

Pepsi boycott

The American Family Association is asking people to boycott PepsiCo products which include soft drinks, Frito-Lay, Quaker Oats, Tropicana and Gatorade as they continue to fund homosexual groups. PepsiCo has provided US$1m to gay groups and has a campaign to promote homosexuality. To sign a petition online or download, for more on what Pepsi is doing visit: http://www.boycottpepsico.com/

Sexual discrimination

A poll of 1000 people by Galaxy Omnibus on June 12-14 prepared by the Australian Coalition for Equality found that 85% of Australians supported laws that protected people from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The poll was welcomed by the Australian Human Rights Commission. Level of support was strongest among Green voters (92%) the ALP voters (91%) and the level of support was higher amongst females. As a result of the poll, Gay and Lesbian Equality (WA) Inc called on the Barnett Government to revisit anti-discrimination laws to make them stronger. GALE spokesman Rod Swift said they were ready to provide expertise and advice to help the WA Government with the task of fixing the problems with the current laws.

Centrelink general manager Hank Jongen said July 1 was a historic day for gay and lesbians as it was the day when same-sex relationships were first recognised by the welfare payment agency after the Rudd Government made changes to the law. So far 2100 people have declared a homosexual relationship to Centrelink including 119 in WA, 54 in Tasmania and 573 in NSW.

Meanwhile the Australian Bureau of Statistics has said they will count same-sex ‘marriages’ in the 2011 census. The Australian Marriage Equity has been lobbying 5the ABS since before the 2006 census. Saltshakers says that the ABS should not count same sex marriages because they are not legal in Australia. It says this tactic by the AME is designed to put pressure on the government to allow same sex marriages. It says AME is trying to persuade the Labor Party to change their position on marriages at their national conference in July.

For POLL result: http://www.coalitionforequality.org.au/GalaxyPoll-AntiDiscrimination.pdf

From GALE: http://www.galewa.asn.au/

From the Human Rights Commission: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/media/media_releases/2009/57_09.html

From Centrelink GM Hank Jongen: http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/news_room/09nat_1july_historic.htm

Action: Saltshakers asks people to write to the ABS asking them not to count same sex marriages in the 2011 census. Also to write to PM Kevin Rudd, the Minister responsible for the ABS Nick Sherry, your local MP and Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnball.(c/o Parliament House, Canberra, ACT 2600.

Mr Brian Pink

Australian Statistician

Locked bag 10

Belconnen ACT 2616

Habits rub off

A new US study shows that children raised by homosexuals are 4-10 times more likely to develop a non-heterosexual preference that other children. For more: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=100593

http://www.drtraycehansen.com/Pages/writings_prohomo.html