The Amalgamation

For anyone who’s concerned, here’s a quick video from a group of people seeking to protect native Australian rainforest from logging in the Gippsland region of Victoria.

Some information on this disturbing and illegal (in Australia) phenomenon. Women are not cattle to be herded together and farmed off to selfish men. We do not exist to serve the needs of promiscuous men. A monogamous marriage offers the best opportunity for two individuals to grow together in genuine respect and intimacy.

Some information on polygamy can be found at:

ACL (Australia specific) articles on polygamy:
http://www.acl.org.au/national/browse.stw?article_id=22569
http://www.acl.org.au/national/browse.stw?article_id=22535

“Does the Bible clearly teach monogamy?”
http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/3356/

“Why did King Solomon have so many wives?”
http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/rfsm-solomon.html

Excerpt from “The Best thing that ever happened to women”:
http://www.probe.org/faith-and-culture/culture/

Another effect of the salt and light of Christianity was its impact on the common practice of polygamy, which demeans women. Many men, including biblical heroes, have had multiple wives, but Jesus made clear this was never God’s intention. Whenever he spoke about marriage, it was always in the context of monogamy. He said, “The two [not three or four] will become one flesh.” As Christianity spread, God’s intention of monogamous marriages became the norm.

“Polygamy in the Bible”
http://www.gotquestions.org/polygamy.html

Here’s a recent (25 June) article from the Age (a major Australian newspaper) on the issue:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/minister-warns-muslim-polygamists-20080625-2wki.html

(All articles accessed 26 June 2008.)

Humpback Whale, acrylic on canvas, January-April 2008, 8×8″ (approx 203×203 mm).

This is a rare case of me working on a piece for more than one session. Being notoriously impatient, I tend to prefer to get a drawing completed within a day of starting. This was a deliberate effort for me to try and develop more patience. This painting was developed over the space of a few months, one layer at a time. I’m not sure how successful it is - I am an amateur painter!

It was inspired by a photograph of a humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, and started around the time that the Australian news was dealing with the issue of whales being killed in our territory, against our laws. In Australia, whales are generally considered a vital part of the oceanic ecosystem, so it cause quite a stir when all these animals were being locally slaughtered earlier this year. Strangely enough, at the same time I have been reading the classic piece of literature, Moby Dick. I have found it a fascinating snapshot into human perspectives regarding whales - not to mention all the other deep themes explored in the text. The chapter devoted to arguing that whales are fish, not mammals, was particularly interesting. I wondered if perhaps describing whales as fish alleviates the burden of massacres when these intelligent, family-living, social creatures are cut to pieces.

More information -

- you might find the Animal Liberation Victoria website an interesting source of information regarding the 2008 slaughter of whales in Australian waters. Try http://alv.org.au/storyarchive/0607seashepherd/seashepherd.php or search for “whaling” at http://alv.org.au/.

- The Australian Government has online information regarding Australian legal policy directed towards cetacean conservation. Go to http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/species/cetaceans/index.html.

(Links accessed 27 April 2008 10.46 am Australian Eastern Standard Time)

 Melbourne is known as a multi-cultural city, and I must say it’s been quite an experience working among a variety of people from all manner of cultural backgrounds. As a sociology student, one of the areas I’ve enjoyed studying is inter-cultural issues faced by migrants moving to Australia. I remember reading with great interest the work of sociologists who pointed out that, biologically, there is no call for racism. Humans of all “races” are genetically similar - there is no measurable difference. Apart from external appearances, skin colour and culture, the differences are not fundamental. There is only one human species. I’m grateful that I’m part of a flourishing local church that recognises that the diversity of humanity is a great thing. Our church has representatives from a variety of cultures, including Asian, African, Latino, and European.

 As someone who believes the Bible, I wanted to develop an understanding of the Biblical teachings regarding “race.” After all, a lot of racists claim they act in a Christian manner. But this is not to be found in the Bible. Additionally, the Bible was mostly written by Jews, in the Ancient Middle East, and first preached to people from that part of the world, along with the Mediterranean nations, and some African nations. “White” cultures (from which I am descended) were among the last to hear the Gospel, so I’m told. So, why is it that the stereotype white Christian often comes across as a racist?

Here are some links to Christian articles discussing the nature of the Biblical perspective on racism.

And the short answer? According to the Bible, we’re all descendants of  Noah, and God’s wonderful creation - with its potential for diversity in living creatures - has given rise to a beautiful variety of humanity. Let’s celebrate our diversity and see that, when we are in Christ, all that external stuff - culture, gender and socio-economic status - are not all that significant (see Galatians 3:25-29).

All articles linked here accessed 7 March 2008: 

• “Interracial Marriage - Is it Biblical?” by K. Ham, at http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/316.
• “What are the consequences about false beliefs about he origin of races?” edited by D. Batten, at http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aig/race-falsebeliefs.html.
• “The Ascent of Racism,” by P. G. Humber, at http://www.icr.org/article/268/.
• “The Day Racism Hit Home,” by D. Fisk-Ekanger, at http://www.boundless.org/2000/features/a0000368.html.
• “The Fallacy of Racism,” by P. Weston, at http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v20/i1/racism.asp.