Religious Right ‘real danger’

Press, 15 April 1986, Page 37

Religious Right ‘real danger’

PA Wellington Moral retreat rather than moral advance is a real danger from the extreme religious Right, says an Anglican Church committee.

In a discussion paper for distribution to parishes, the Church’s public and social affairs committee expresses concern about what it says are “close links” between wealthy businesses and the pressure group Coalition of Concerned Citizens.

The committee, chaired by the Rt Rev. Watson Rosevear, Assistant Bishop of Wellington, also alleges that the coalition has “scant regard for minorities and oppressed or marginal groups.” The allegations have been strongly denied by a coalition spokesman, Pastor Barry Reed. “They cannot be substantiated. Anyone who says such things has not investigated us but listened to those who oppose us,” he said.

The coalition was established last year, sparked by the petition against the Homosexual Law Reform Bill. It gained 817,000 signatures. “If only half the 800,000 signatures are valid, it is a lot of people,” says the Anglican committee. Since the presentation of the petition to Parliament in September, the coalition, concerned about what it sees as an erosion

in New Zealand moral standards, has broadened its interests beyond the homosexual issue, although that continues to be of real concern.

In February, the National Council of Churches expressed concern about attempts by Right-wing groups to take over school boards, councils and committees.

Mr Reed, who says the coalition is not Right-wing but occupies the middle ground, agrees his organisation is trying to influence education — in a democratic way. The N.C.C., of which the Anglican Church is a member, confirmed that its Church and Society Commission would look into Right-wing groups.

These clashes showed a widening split between liberal and fundamentalist Christians in New Zealand, according to an article in the “Evening Post” newspaper.

Another indication of this was the refusal of the Pentecostal Churches to join the new ecumenical body planned to replace the N.C.C. next March, said the newspaper. In its discussion paper, the Anglican committee noted that the Pentecostal Churches formed the core of the larger, looser grouping, “which can be called the Religious Right.”

Their base number was small, says the committee, “but they are growing and have organisational and

financial encouragement from the United States movement.” The coalition denies that it is a moral majority with United States backing. Mr Reed says, “We are completely indigenous.” Bishop Rosevear, in a statement accompanying the committee’s paper, said the coalition slogan “For God, for family, for country,” did not encapsulate the Christian faith.

“We can all be proud of our country. But Christians are aware that nationalism can be a dangerous thing.” The committee welcomed attempts to take the Christian message into public life but noted that many Christians held political views different from those of the coalition. “The coalition is strangely silent on racism and nuclear weaponry.”

Mr Reed said there was nothing wrong with being patriotic. Christians were meant to be the salt in the community and could not abdicate their role as citizens.

“We have a view of the whole of society, not just its spiritual side.”

The coalition had not entered the nuclear debate because it did not know the views of its supporters on this. “We do not say anything about racism because we practise equality.”