Wow.... there are 3 identities which I'd like to engage with here this time.

Ranier and Kevin, I'm so encouraged to read your words, because I see hope in them. Ranier.. the fan club has always been a 'problem' mate.. thats why our faith is not in the club, but in the president.
Within any group of Christians, you will find a diverse mob. Look at the problems Paul addressed in his letters to the Corinthians.. specially the first one.

Kevin.. just a minor point.. you claimed Jesus and Moses discouraged 'worship'... I'm curious about your basis for saying that. Would you mind expanding and providing some documentation for that ?

MIMULA firstly, a warm welcome to OLO. I'm not sure how to understand your post ? (but I sure 'heard' it with all those capitals :)

There are many things Indigenous Australians experienced which can be addressed in real terms today. Some cannot.
Regarding those which 'can' be looked at, I see the following:

1/ Aboriginal wages held back 'in trust'. Should be calculated into todays value and paid.
2/ In Melbourne, there is a bleeding running sore, of the status of many indigenous folk who were pushed and shoved from a 'reservation' in Lilydale I think, for 'administrative' reasons.(code for somebody saw value in the location and wanted it)
My suggestion is that the government buy up all the houses along the various creeks in Melbourne which were focal points of Aboriginal life and give them at a very nominal rate to Aboriginal descendants of those with an ancestral connection to them. Box Hill south is one such area. Gardners Creek. There are others.

The issue which can never be reversed is the fact of European racial and cultural presense and modern Australia.
Aboriginal people are no longer sovereign here, for the same reasons the Celts of Wales are no longer sovereign over most of England. English people are Anglo Saxon/Viking/Celt/Roman etc.. all mixed into one.

Are you advocating violent revolution ?

Australia WAS aboriginal land,not IS.Call it invasion if you like.Why is the call to the Australian Government to say sorry for the invasion,when it was actually the British government that started and finished the invasion.By the time Australia was given self-government the worst was over.But why would you expect an apology from the British,they are afterall a country that has an appalling record of how they treat their own.Look at their record at how they treated people who stole food to survive, at the time of the invasion of Australia.Shipped off in disease-infested hell holes to the far corners of the earth.Think how they treated their orphaned and poor children even in the last century - 100,000 exported to the former colonies.10,000 to Australia to the likes of the Fairbridge Farm.At least our Stolen Generation got to stay in this country.

Whilst I agree that western society is not necessilry something that should be emulated,the aboriginal population are better off since white settlement in at least one aspect - longer lives.I am betting that there are people out there that will see this point as an outrage,and I grant that there may be more important things than a long life,but I point out that this is often held up as a benchmark of how poorly whitefellas treat blackfellas.

No doubt there would be a number of farmers that would happily allow local aboriginies use of their land for living on.So long as they leave the stock alone - and why shouldnt they, there are more kangaroos now than 200 years ago,and settlers also introduced rabbits - a relatively easy food source to catch.There are plenty of fish in the rivers,which are now largely dammed for continual flow and supply of fish,and there are still plenty of sources of other wild foods such as dillon bush (edible berries) and nardoo (seeds ground to make flour).We could have quite happy co-existence of two cultures this way.But then, someone would cry that these kids arent getting an education,or that they are living in 3rd-world conditions (despite them being culturally correct).Its a lose-lose situation.

Funny Rainer that you are a big fan of God and JC but dislike His followers. It is sort of like saying I love you God but hate your people. I wonder who has the problem? I actually find the vast majority of people who follow Christ add greatly to our society and are very likeable people. Is there anyone you do like?

A very nice example of an "Im alright Jack" argument Country Gal.

We cant say first Australians live longer now than they did before the invasion because we dont know how long they lived before. We do know their diet made their ancestors a lot healthier than they are now. We know the English in 1000 Ad lived twice as long as the English in the 1800's. It is quite likely we have shortened first Australians life spans. Certainly on the whole we have sacrificed their wellbeing for ours , that is undeniable. Yes most of us second Australians and those of you of the third Australians and those which came after the 1830s you 4th , 5th , 6th , 7th through to 16th Australians and the 17th to 24th Australians who came after the Second World War and the 25th Australian on the plane on the way here as we speak all came from an invaded people. It dont make it right and we should all acknowledge our debt to the first people. If first Australians were in equal numbers to following Australians we would be bending over backwards to meet them half way. As it is we are arrogant and smug about our clear mistakes.

Firstly.. "MIMILA".. sorry for mis-spelling.

Secondly.. COUNTRY GIRL.. 'tick'.. CLAP.. and hooray.. spot on.

Why the heck should farmers NOT want to allow Indigenous people to hunt and gather on their properties.. I'm sure a workable mutual understanding could be thrashed out.. then.. its no longer 'my land/your land...its OUR land. (Black and white)

Why can we not be one of the first countries to DO something like this ?

BOAZ_David

I thought it would be obvious - golden calves?

Jesus is only ever seen in a temple when chastising the clerics for using 'scripture' to beat people. Jesus was much happier sharing food and community than blind worship of 'idols'.

Both were prolific contemplatives and meditators - the true way to God/self/understanding.

UNDERSTANDING David is the true 'LIGHT' of the world - not giving one's faculties away in blind allegiance to some noisy, cantankerous finger-pointing bully.

In my reading of the Gospels, Christ was the 'embodiment' of understanding and compassion - treat others as you would wish to be treated. That's it - end of story - the only lesson you need to truly learn.