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| source: heraldsun.com.au |
Woolworths have jumped on board with Ramadan and what a
controversy this has created. Apparently many Australian’s are too narrow
minded to appreciate that there are many religions and that religions are all
as equally valid to their believers and ridiculous to non-believers as each
other.
The controversy appears to be that Ramadan is not a
Christian festival and therefore should not be celebrated in Australia. Yes,
Australia’s laws and culture has Christian routes but the level of church
attendance and the legislation currently before parliament would clearly
indicate that Australia can no longer be considered a Christian country.
We are a country that blatantly ignores the Ten
Commandments. Can the people complaining about Woolworths promoting Ramadan even
name a Commandment? My bet is that the people making the loudest complaints
only on allow God or Jesus’ names during time of sexual pleasure or as an
exclamation when they injure themselves – thereby breaking the third
Commandment.
Not only do we work and shop on Sundays, thus breaking the
fourth Commandment we have no issue with football being played on Good Friday,
arguably the holiest day on the Christian calendar.
That said, football is truly Australia’s religion. Or sport
in general. When we are winning. Perhaps we would be a more accepting country
if the Australian cricket captain or the Collingwood captain was Muslim.
Despite this ignorance of and apathy to the Christian
doctrine we easily and eagerly become zealots in the face of people who actually
want to practice their religion of choice.
In Bendigo, there has been a similar uproar when the Local
Council approved the building of a mosque. Why? Because Muslims are involved in
terrorism, that’s why. Yes extreme Muslims are engaging in terrorist
activities. The same could be said extremists of all religions have engaged in
conversion by force.
Christianity is not immune. Have the Crusades been erased
from history, was the Spanish Inquisition a figment of the world’s collective
imagination. More recently the world suffered through the Holocaust, something
many peoples of the world continue to suffer the after effects still today.
If there is any controversy to be had over Woolworths
promoting Ramadan it should be that a grocery store, that sells food, is
promoting a festival that requires its devotees to fast, that is not eat. The
controversy can’t be the act of fasting itself. Even Jesus gave fasting a burl,
famously spending 40 days in a desert.
The Christian community, the world over has been duped into
celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus by getting excited about a
visit from a rabbit who lays chocolate eggs! So it seems reasonable that the
retail giants would try to convince Muslims that the best way to fast is to buy
food in their stores.
It sounds as appropriate as the meat industry promoting
Hanukkah bacon to the Jews. Perhaps power companies could offer discounts to
the Asian communities as they celebrate the Lunar New Year with a lantern
festival.
Despite the furore Rev. Fred Nile and Cardinal Pell, two of
Australia’s most outspoken and self appointed defenders of the countries
religious and moral compass have remained quiet on the issue. Lets be honest
the Christian church like any major international commercial super-power knows
how and when to make a quick buck, so can only sit back and applaud Woolworths
for their imitative in capitalising on this previously untapped commercial
opportunity.
