Martyn Iles, Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby, refuses to participate in “Acknowlegement of Country” – a form of words that “plays respect” to First Nations people and their historical displacement.
“I avoid saying the acknowledgement of country,” Iles writes
“There are several reasons why, but one rises above the rest.
“It is because the acknowledgement of country is rooted in the belief that the land gives birth to the spirits of its custodians, and they return to it.
“This is straightforward paganism.”
An Acknowledgement of Country is used at the start of a meeting and often takes this form “I begin today by acknowledging the (insert name of people here) people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we (gather/meet) today, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.” (That form of words is from the official indigenous.gov.au website.)
A Welcome to Country is similar but is spoken by a member of the local traditional owners of the plant where the event takes place.
Iles points to the Uluru Statement From the Heart in his comments. “‘…sovereignty is a spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or “mother nature”, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom, remain attached thereto, and must one day return thither to be united with our ancestors. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty.’”
Describing Iles’ comments as “theologically specious.” Iles, Michael Jensen, senior minister of St Mark’s Anglican Church Darling Point in Sydney writes “It is in Iles’ interest to inflame tensions between Christians and the secular world, because that justifies the existence of the ACL. This is one of the absolutely most disgraceful examples of this. Worst of all, he is giving people troubled consciences quite needlessly.”
Some forms of acknowledgment of country do include mention of the spiritual practices of First Nations people. An example from Reconciliation Australia says “Reconciliation Australia acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”
However, Christian groups have written their own, especially for January 26 or Naidoc week. They position Acknowledgment of Country within Christian meetings. It is clear that the majority of Christian churches are comfortable with paying respect to First Nations’ peoples.
Sydney’s St Andrew’s Cathedral: “As we gather in the presence of God, we acknowledge with respect the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet. In his wisdom and love, our Heavenly Father gave this land to the Gadigal people of the Eora nation (see Acts 17:26). On this land, they met for generations before the coming of British settlers. As we now live together on these lands, we pray that God would unite us all in a knowledge of his Son, Jesus Christ, in whom and for whom all things were created.”
Common Grace: “We would like to acknowledge, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, acknowledge, lament and pray today. They are stewards on behalf of THE ALMIGHTY CREATOR. We would also like to pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future.”
Seventh Day Adventist:
“At this time we acknowledge our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
We acknowledge you Lord because you are the creator, provider and supreme owner of all things. We also respectfully acknowledge the _____________________________ people who are traditional custodians of the land.We pay tribute to elders past and present and acknowledge that they have cared for this country over countless generations. We recognize the continuing contribution that
the ________________________ people make to the life of Australia and pray that we can work together to leave a legacy of reconciliation, justice and hope for all future Australians.
“The earth and everything on it belong to the Lord.
The world and its people belong to him. – Psalm 24:1“
Uniting Church’s National Assembly Working Group on Worship: “This land is God’s land and God’s Spirit dwells here. We acknowledge the … people, traditional custodians of this land under God. We commit ourselves again to working for reconciliation in this land.”
Chris McLeod, National Aboriginal Bishop “As a man of Gurindji descent ministering in Adelaide I acknowledge the custodianship of the Kaurna people.” “We acknowledge that God is sovereign over all land. Everything in heaven and earth belongs to God. We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the traditional custodians of the Adelaide region in which this church is located, and we respect the spiritual relationship they have with their country. We pay our respects to all elders, past, present, and those to come. We acknowledge that their cultural beliefs, authority, and wisdom, are still important to the Kaurna people today.As Christians we commit ourselves to pray, and work, for justice and reconciliation with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia.“
Archbishop Glenn Davies at a Sydney Anglican synod: “As we gather in the presence of God, I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land upon which we meet. In his wisdom and love, our heavenly Father gave this estate to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. Upon this land they met for generations until the coming of British settlers. As we continue to learn to live together on these ancestral lands, we acknowledge and pay our respects to their elders, past and present, and pray that God will unite us all in a knowledge of his Son, in whom all things were created, in heaven and on earth, whether visible or invisible – for all things have been created through him and for him.“
Iles is poiting specifically to one key aspect of the public statement. Christian aboriginals recognising that the Gospel has fulfilled the yearning spirituality of their Dreamtime agree with this.
I think Jensen has missed the point and and reveals prejudice
As a First Nations believer in Christ who does WTC regularly I can confirm that its a personal issue as our cultural protocol is followed I give Honour and Respect to God first as our Father who is in heaven and is our creator who made us and gave us our culture and land to which we have never ceded or disowned. I secondly give honor and respects to our elders past for their fight and survival during colonisation and their strengths to carry on through it all and my present day elders who are continuing the fight to revive aspects of our culture such as language, knowledge of country, traditions etc. Then for evermore in the hope that elders in the future will continue in the practice of culture for future generations. I don’t worship my ancestors as a Christian I know better than that and have clarity in regards to that. It’s important to remember that ‘religianity’ has had a mixed impact on our First Nations mobs both negatively and positively. Martin Iles needs to understand that when he sells his typical right wing colonial narrative. Though I hold strong to the belief of Aboriginal Sovereignty of this country I hold God of the bible above all else. I believe in and have faith in Christ and acknowledge God. For others that do WTC or ATC well they may or may not it’s an individual thing my direct Elder who I answer to for cultural protocol ( my father) is a Christian and has taught me to do it this way and I believe in it. It’s not pagan or satanic and Iles is wrong to always assume it is! sadly alot of “religious” people take a colonial narrative to such notions and disregard Aboriginal culture as satanic and irrelevant today. As True Christians we believe in the God of justice truth as well as peace and love their are issues from this countries past that still impact all today and being ignorant and dismissive just shows the colonial mentality is still alive and strong even within the church. Just remember anything can be used for evil even religions and culture. However we don’t all paint everyone with the same brush. For me Faith and Culture are intertwined certain people need to properly understand it.