11/9/08
When we were travelling we listened to a song called “who does this world belong to?” we really enjoyed sitting on the edge of the rock singing it, and claiming the rock as Gods for our family. It goes like this, Who does this world belong to? Who does this world belong to? Who does this big old world belong to? It all belongs to God, The rocks the trees, the skies the seas, They all belong to God. There are verses but I won’t put you through it all.
The ownership of land is a sensitive topic in Indigenous communities and with good reason. There is no doubt that Australia is founded on a terrible history and that the way Indigenous people have been treated and continue to suffer is abhorrent. We have been challenged this year to consider cultural differences and how to embrace them.
In the Bible it says “Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible – but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” 1 Corinthians 10: 23-24. Not in a million years were we going to climb Uluru. We were permitted to climb Uluru but we chose not to, as it would not have been beneficial or constructive to our relationships with our Indigenous friends. For some of our friends this rock is sacred and people climbing it, offensive.
This was a great opportunity to teach our kids about respect and loving others. Putting another persons feelings and emotions ahead of our own desires.
There is however an issue that defies cultural sensitivity and that is God. We do no one any favors if we use cultural sensitivity as an excuse for not letting them know that there is one true God, and that one day we will all stand before Him. The Bible says “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ,” 1 Timothy 2:5.
God loves us and wants us to go to heaven with Him but there’s the issue of sin. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. However in John 3:16 it says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
So we continue on learning how to combine cultural sensitivity and truth. Cultural diversity is wonderful, enriching and to be embraced. There is no one right culture but there is one true God. We didn’t climb the rock, but we did acknowledge the creator.
Uluru!- we loved it!!