John Donne, the
renowned English poet, wrote in his famous poem,
"No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main."
This is true especially when it comes to State Elections. Our nation is a federation of states, known simply as the Commonwealth of Australia, which united for the greater good on 1st January 1901.
Every state is part of Australia and what happens in each state affects us all for good or bad.
As individuals, we also play a role in the future of our nation, whether by prayer or by positive action. We are all part of the whole. That is why we, as signers of the Canberra Declaration, need to take an interest in the South Australian Election to be held this coming Saturday 17 March 2018. Even if we live in another state, we can make a difference for the greater good through both prayer and positive action.
Please click this link for an enlarged image
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This checklist has been compiled after an exhaustive search of party platforms, voting history, statements, including in some cases the voting record of their Federal counterparts. We welcome all written corrections. Positions are often difficult to summarise in a format of this kind, and parties have not always made definitive statements. Therefore a '?' indicates, in some instances, a conscience vote, or a less than conclusive opinion on the party's position on an issue. Everything else is expressed in colours, or ticks and crosses.
We encourage people of goodwill, especially in South Australia, to also check out both the Australian Christian Lobby Checklist and the FamilyVoice Election Survey. By cross-referencing the three checklists, you will gain a very accurate idea of where the respective parties stand and also where individual candidates may stand.
It is important to be aware there are some notable individual members of parliament, such as Labor Member for Newland - Tom Kenyon, Liberal member for Schubert - Stephan Knoll, SA-BEST Candidate for Chaffey - Michelle Campbell, and Australian Conservatives' member for the Upper House - Robert Brokenshire, who are all,
as far as we understand, pro-family, pro-Christian values, pro-life and pro-freedom. We would suggest they are all worthy of your special consideration. But please make up your own mind.
We always encourage individuals to do their own research using all the above resources, then come to their own conclusions before they cast their prayerful vote.
What you can do to help bring about a godly outcome for the South Australian Election on Saturday 17 March 2018? Please -
- Pray that God would guide the people of South Australia as they vote and that He would have His way in the SA State Election.
- Pass the Christian Values Checklist on to your friends in South Australia.
- If you live in South Australia, do your own research and make a prayerful vote in this very important State Election.
Interestingly, John Donne, who we quoted above, was a man of profound faith. His statement that "No man is an island" could well have been inspired by the words of the apostle Paul when he said,
"From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." (
Ephesians 4:16)
Let us put Paul's words into action! South Australia needs your prayers.
Thank you for your love and support for our brothers and sisters who will cast their votes in the South Australian State election this coming Saturday.
Yours for South Australia,
Warwick Marsh & David Rowsome
PS. Please continue to pray for Philip Ruddock and the Expert Panel as they conduct the Religious Freedom Review and for the Queensland Law Reform Commission as they attempt to 'modernise' abortion laws.
For your encouragement here are the respective submissions on these two issues made by the Canberra Declaration -
