Father, forgive the Greens over the Lord’s Prayer, by James MacPherson.

The Greens are right to demand that the longstanding tradition of opening each day of federal parliament with the Lord’s Prayer be abolished.

The words of Jesus are dangerous and politicians should be protected from hearing them lest they startle the country by governing with wisdom and humility.

For those unfamiliar with the prayer Greens senators describe as “insulting” and “jarring”, let me explain the 10 nation-destabilising ideas from which our leaders must be insulated.

“Our Father who art in heaven …” is a shocking acknowledgment that the highest office bearers in the land may not be the highest office bearers in the universe. Should politicians realise this, they may start acting with humility and become completely unrecognisable to their own electorates. …

“Give us this day our daily bread …” is just plain offensive. If there is a God, he (or she) has not been distributing the bread according to the Greens’ favourite slogans — “equality” and “fairness”. If he (or she) were fair, the Greens would have more bread than the people the Greens don’t like, such as those making the bread. …

“As we forgive those who sin against us …” is a devilish promise to respect the common humanity of those with whom we disagree rather than simply demonising them. The Greens are right to insist MPs must never hear this, lest civility break out in parliament and those sitting in the public gallery think they are in the wrong building.

Read it all.

hat-tip Stephen Neil