One of the quaint ceremonies of government, the ABC, of course, business and some community groups is to intone an 'acknowledgement of country' without a trace of mock seriousness before every meeting, scratch of chin, burp and cough.
No, the last bit is satire.
Churches? Some too, I've mentioned elsewhere.
My objection boils down to two aspects of church life tracked in the Bible and illustrated just to make sure we understand.
1. Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness?
The 'acknowledgement' apart from being anachronistic splits the church, makes two different classes of Christians; seeks to partition off parts of the body of Christ from others. Given its reference to the historic animism of Aboriginal Australians it also brings this paganism into the very heart of the church: where we meet together and the Spirit is present, we defer, usually at the very start of our meetings, to the land 'totem' that possesses its inhabitants. WRONG.
I've got to ask, did Paul suggest that the Ephesians acknowledge they are in Diana's city and say 'hi' to the priests of Diana, giving that demon precedence over the gathering of Christ's church?
Did the priests when they entered the promised land first of all acknowledge the demon Baal and its priests? Did they acknowledge the priests of Moloch?
No. Here's what God thought of Baal: 1 Kings 18:25ff
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