public prayer debate - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz Catholic News New Zealand Mon, 10 Sep 2018 08:28:51 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cathnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-cathnewsfavicon-32x32.jpg public prayer debate - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz 32 32 70145804 Opening blessing still commonplace at council meetings https://cathnews.co.nz/2018/09/10/blessing-council-meetings/ Mon, 10 Sep 2018 08:01:54 +0000 https://cathnews.co.nz/?p=111418 blessing

Across New Zealand, 58 regional, district and city councils start their meetings with some sort of blessing, 18 do not. Among those who use some form of blessing, 13 pray, 26 say a karakia, 19 use a mix of both or another blessing and 18 don't use anything. Massey University's Professor Peter Lineham, whose research Read more

Opening blessing still commonplace at council meetings... Read more]]> Across New Zealand, 58 regional, district and city councils start their meetings with some sort of blessing, 18 do not.

Among those who use some form of blessing, 13 pray, 26 say a karakia, 19 use a mix of both or another blessing and 18 don't use anything.

Massey University's Professor Peter Lineham, whose research specialises in New Zealand's religious history, said most councils which prayed had done so "for a very long time."

"Gradually, it has been eliminated from most of the larger councils. The moment anybody protests about it, effectively it comes to an end."

The new trend was using a karakia which was generally considered acceptable, whereas a European Christian prayer may not be, he said.

"Within officialdom, there is a real change of attitudes, where effectively Maori karakia have come to replace the traditional 'this is a Christian country but with no commitment to any specific denomination'."

Chief legal adviser at the Human Rights Commission, Janet Anderson-Bidois, said a karakia could be either secular or religious.

"While karakia, blessings or prayers should never be compulsory, some public institutions have introduced elements of tikanga Maori as part of their acknowledgement of biculturalism under the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, or say a prayer as a continuation of long-held traditions."

Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) president Dave Cull said councils were free to open meetings as they chose.

"Many councils use the LGNZ standing orders template, which states that local authorities may choose to recognise the civic importance of an occasion through some form of reflection."

This could be an expression of community values, a reminder of the contribution of the members who have gone before, or a formal welcome such as a mihi whakatau, Cull said.

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Opening blessing still commonplace at council meetings]]> 111418 Parliament's prayer up for review https://cathnews.co.nz/2014/07/25/parliaments-prayer-review/ Thu, 24 Jul 2014 18:50:12 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=61038 Parliament could get a new prayer after the election in September. A review of standing orders, the rules that MPs must adhere to, was published this week, putting the prayer back on the agenda. The review recommends MPs be asked their views on changing the prayer read by the Speaker at the opening of a Read more

Parliament's prayer up for review... Read more]]> Parliament could get a new prayer after the election in September.

A review of standing orders, the rules that MPs must adhere to, was published this week, putting the prayer back on the agenda.

The review recommends MPs be asked their views on changing the prayer read by the Speaker at the opening of a sitting of the House.

The wording of the present devotion has not changed since 1962. MPs voted in 2007 to retain the prayer, after a petition asked that it not be specifically Christian. Continue reading

Parliament's prayer up for review]]> 61038 Public prayer connects beyond belief https://cathnews.co.nz/2012/03/20/public-prayer-connects-beyond-belief/ Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:30:10 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=21350

I've been thinking about the most wonderful keyhole in the world as debates about public prayer have been on the agenda of city council meetings in Bideford, England and Whanganui, New Zealand. To look through this keyhole you have to go to Rome and walk up the Aventine Hill until you get to the front door of Read more

Public prayer connects beyond belief... Read more]]> I've been thinking about the most wonderful keyhole in the world as debates about public prayer have been on the agenda of city council meetings in Bideford, England and Whanganui, New Zealand.

To look through this keyhole you have to go to Rome and walk up the Aventine Hill until you get to the front door of the Knights of Malta. Instead of knocking on the door, bend down and put your eye to the keyhole. It will take a while but eventually an astounding view of St Peter's Basilica will appear through an avenue of trees. The trouble is, if you tried to understand the Vatican from that one perspective you'd be way off beam.
Trying to understand prayer in the public arena is equally troubling. There seem to be two theological issues worrying councillors. The first assumes prayer is a petition to a particular kind of God who may, or may not grant human requests. In human development terms this is God created in human form, usually living in the clouds with the added benefit of supernatural powers.
Michelangelo's beautiful painting The Creation of Adam springs from this literal interpretation and has helped embed it in the human psyche. However, it presents a one-dimensional God too lacking in nuance and subtle tones to make much ongoing sense to humanity.
The second vexing issue for the politicians is whether or not prayer is the property of the Christian church. If so, then the view is that it must be removed from council business lest the church influence matters of state. Fair enough. Kiwis and Brits value a secular society that allows for a wide variety of religious views to co-exist.
However, times, traditions and perceptions have changed. Prayer is not, and has never been, the property of any church or particular religious tradition. Ways of understanding God are moving on from Michelangelo towards a more subtle exploration of the mystery that threads its way through the universe. A human journey that pre-dates the Christian church and has always used poetry, art, mythology, story and music to reach for what remains tantalisingly out of reach. Read more
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Public prayer connects beyond belief]]> 21350