Letters

Taking a stand in the culture war

Robert and Carmel Garrett

Contents - Apr 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The Passion of the Christ: 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?' - Michael Gilchrist National Church Life Survey: church-going declines further - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World Riccardo Piol of Communion and Liberation makes an impact in Victoria - AD2000 Report Books: Archbishop Hart launches new book on Dr Mannix - Daniel Mannix: Wit and Wisdom - Archbishop Dennis Hart Film Review: Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ': a contemporary masterpiece - David Schütz Events: Adore 2004 Youth Eucharistic Congress - Nicole Osmak God 'number one' in East Timor - Paul Russell Events: Chesterton conference to be held in Melbourne - Tony Evans Theology: Fr Aidan Nichols to lecture on von Balthasar in Melbourne - Tracey Rowland Whatever happened to reverence at Mass? - Matthew Greene The Salesians in East Timor: progress report - Br Michael Lynch Letters: Church architecture Letters: Catholic schools Letters: Jehovah's Witnesses Letters: Corrections - Fr Timothy Deeter Letters: The Sign of the Cross - Dr Arnold Jago Letters: Life under threat - Brian Harris Letters: Taking a stand in the culture war - Robert and Carmel Garrett Letters: Easter greetings from India - Fr S. John Joseph Poetry: Two Poems on the Passion - Marion Craig and Brian Mulligan Books: The Catholic Revival in English Literature 1845-1961, by Ian Ker - Francis Phillips (reviewer) Books: An apology for the revival of Christian Architecture, by Augustus Welby Pugin - Michael Gilchrist (reviewer) Priestly Fraternity of St Peter - Holy Week 2004 Books: AD Books - More new titles for 2004 Reflection: Right is right, even if nobody does it (G.K. Chesterton) - Fr F.E. Burns

The ongoing search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq made me think and then realise that in Australia these weapons have been in the hands of the media since the introduction of television in 1956. Then I started to wonder what it will take to get this generation mad enough to start complaining and objecting to the prolific amount of filth, violence and rubbish being served up night after night on television as entertainment. Many magazines are full of immorality and suitable only for the brainless.

The media over the years has played a major role in the destruction of family values, promoting evil instead of good. If the media, since the introduction of television in 1956, had promoted family values in tune with the Ten Commandments, love of God and love of neighbour, what a different Australia we would have today.

Today television stations continue to promote violence, and violence is what we are getting on our streets and in our cities, murders and muggings, with the worst type of violence occurring in our abortion clinics where 100,000 unborn Australian children are disposed of each year. If the child is wanted, it is called a baby, if not, we call it a fetus. This terrible act cries out to God for vengeance. ls it any wonder it is not safe to walk the streets when an unborn child is not safe in its mother's womb?

In spite of the many warnings by God Himself, of the fire of hell that awaits the wicked, we find the entire civilised world engulfed in a tidal wave of wickedness. Contemporary culture is at war with Jesus Christ.

Taking a stand and facing the consequences requires great courage. What will it take for us to take action? Will we continue to tolerate family life being destroyed? This being an election year we might see where our members of parliament stand on these issues and vote accordingly.

ROBERT AND CARMEL GARRETT
Wodonga, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 3 (April 2004), p. 16