Article by Cameron Spink

Chris Padgham wrote today giving us 10 reasons to vote for The Greens. I will answer these contentions debating the ten reasons from my Christian perspective:

Contention 1: The Greens stand up for what’s right, not just what’s easy
Considering The Greens have policies that are pro-abortion, pro-euthanasia, pro same-sex marriage and support drug-injecting rooms as well as easier access to heroin for drug addicts it is hard to think of a way that these ideals can be biblically classed as “right”.

Contention 2: It’s the Party everyone’s heading to
Sure, everyone loves a herd mentality. Vote Greens, follow the crowd, you know you want to. Hopefully voters are smarter than to fall for this argument.

Contention 3: Break the deadlock in the Senate between the Government and the Opposition
All for their own purposes. This grants The Greens a significant amount of power. When you take a closer look at their policies that makes them extremely dangerous for our society and our economy.

Contention 4: Provide future generations with clean air, clean water and a stable climate
For those that haven’t been legally killed in abortion clinics or those teens who aren’t drug-influenced because of their policies. Also, since when were The Greens in charge of controlling the climate?

Contention 5: Make legislation better
Let’s rephrase this to “put The Greens spin on legislation”. Slanting legislation with Green policy is not making it better.

Contention 6: The Greens have vision
In their vision The Greens mention climate change and ending all forms of legal discrimination. Now, climate change is highly contentious in scientific circles, it would not do to accept policy on an issue that has no definitive answer, even in an industry that demands precision. As to stopping all forms of legal discrimination, this is a push too far by The Greens, ending in an absurd future where free speech is controlled and Christians are unable to profess their faith and values.

Contention 7: An environmental party
That’s great, but are all The Greens environmental policies actually good for the environment or good for society? Also one cannot substitute a desire to protect the environment in place of a desire to see God influence the lives of people. God’s kingdom and people inheriting it should be our primary concern, however important the environment is.

Contention 8: An environmental party and much, much more
This “much, much more” includes purging the education system of chaplains, endorsing abortion and same-sex marriage as legitimate moral decisions, promoting sex education that does not include abstinence as the best option and restricting religious freedom.

Contention 9: For a more powerful vote
The logic here is that if you vote for The Greens it will be as if you have more power because they may control the balance of power in either house of parliament. However, considering where they stand on a lot of ethical issues this fills me with a profound sense of dread. A voter can make their vote more effective by supporting a minor party that supports Christian values (CDP, Family First and DLP) and giving their next preference to a major party.

Contention 10: Bob Brown
Christians should vote for a leader who exemplifies Christian behaviour. As a practicing homosexual he does not prescribe to biblical morality and, as such, should not be endorsed by Christians as an Australian leader. This is the same issue with Julia Gillard as Labor’s leader. Some Christians argue that a leader’s religious and ethical choices don’t matter. However, worldview does affect policy and their personal choices do affect their behaviour thus the sort of example they set.

There are social policy issues that The Greens concentrate upon and many Christians praise them for this. However, as Mark Rabich said “‘Social justice’ begins in the womb, otherwise it is just a meaningless slogan”. Life is precious from conception and the human soul is more valuable than animals or the environment. Any Green attempt at being ethical in regards to their policies concerning refugees and overseas aid is tempered by their clear lack of morality on other issues closer to home.

Click here to go to Chris Padgman's article on The Greens website.