Hi Foxy
Both black and while armband historians have ideological blinkers. We should face our past honestly, and in particular acknowledge the terrible things that were done to indigenous Australians. But we should also recognise what is good and valuable about Australia, both in the past and in the present.

If you travel in Bali you’ll see many statues, trees and people adorned with black and white chequered cloth. The black and white represent good and evil. Perhaps we should start a chequered armband school of history.

Hi Suseonline
It’s not in the 10 commandments, but it is in Leviticus 19:18 and more importantly it is what Jesus call the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) along with the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4: “you shall love the lord your God… “). So Christians should take this as even more authoritative than the 10 commandments, though we often fail to live up to it

Dear runner,

The most radical aspect of Christ's teaching goes beyond even the
commandment of love, it is His insistence on forgiveness, even
of enemies. In contrast to Christianity the other
monotheistic religions, Judaism and Islam, believe in
"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

There are many non-violent Jews and Muslims who are
committed to peace, but Christ is the first person in history
to say that the vendetta and the desire for revenge are
totally inappropriate responses for
His followers. As the Jewish literary critic George Steiner
says in his wonderful intellectual autobiography "Errata"
the most scandalous thing about Christianity is that it
believes in forgiveness even of an enemy.

Christ's ordinance of total love, of self-offering to the
assailant, is in any strict sense an enormity.

But obviously it's something you're not familiar
with.

Hi Foxy,

Four thousand years ago, the ancient Hebrews, along with the ancient Babylonians (i.e. Hammurabi) believed in 'an eye for an eye'.

Two thousand years ago, (assuming he actually existed), Christ taught to love they neighbour, to love one another, to help even strangers and not ross over to the other side.

Fourteen hundred years go and up to the present, Islam teaches 'an eye for an eye'.

What's wrong with this picture ?

Love,

Joe

Feel free to put your morality where your mouth is, Pilger. Give up all your (Western) possessions and lifestyle and live in a hut and hunt with spears.

Maybe we could just change the date Australia Day.
To a different date, one that has no link to the arrival of the first fleet,

Change it more to a celebration of Today's Australia,
With no provocative dates attached. Inclusive for everyone.

Pick a date out of a hat.

Jesus was lovely.

His words have echoed through the centuries.

"Let those amongst you who are without sin cast the first stone.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

I have always had trouble believing he had any connection to a God.

But I still like him for his gentleness and wisdom