Salt Shakers Dinner -
2005
Senator Abetz
addresses the Dinner
Salt Shakers' first annual Dinner was held on Saturday 27 August 2005 in Box Hill,
Victoria.
The Speaker at the Dinner was Senator Eric
Abetz , the federal Special
Minister of State, from Tasmania. We first met Senator Abetz shortly after
starting Salt Shakers in 1994.
Senator Eric Abetz, a committed Christian, challenged those present to
take the Christian Gospel to the people and "remember the great injunction
of Martin Luther that we must ‘pray as though it all depended on God, but act as
though it all depends on you’. This acknowledges God's omnipotence and our
individual responsibility.”
He highlighted the responsibility of individual
Christians to be active in all areas of life, including the area of politics and
the issues of the day. He emphasised the need to be fully informed about the
issues. He criticised church leaders when they speak on the politically correct
issues of the day and not all the key moral issues.
Some extracts from his speech
are in the attached Media Release.
Transcript
The 'official'
transcript of the speech, as provided by Senator Eric Abetz, is attached
below.
Some of the comments reported on this page and in the Salt Shakers'
Media Release are not included in this transcript but were added on the night.
Those comments have been transcribed
from the tape of the speech.
CD Available
A CD
containing Senator Eric Abetz's speech in CD or mp3 format is available
from Salt Shakers.
Cost $10 posted.
Rodney Croome, a homosexual activist from Tasmania, had called on the Prime
Minister to sack Senator Abetz for speaking at our Dinner!
This led to a
considerable amount of publicity!!!
Media Release
Our media
release is attached below or is available by clicking here.
Media Articles
The
media articles reporting on
the Dinner are linked below... Links in article titles.
*** Before the
Dinner
Gays
unimpressed by minister's Salt dinner
The Age , By Andrew
Darby, Hobart, August 26, 2005
Rodney Croome complains about the Senator
speaking at the Dinner.
”Senator Abetz said he spoke to all manner of
organisations and individuals as part of his parliamentary duties. "It is
disappointing that Mr Croome, who preaches tolerance, has so strongly
engaged in the very behaviour he condemns," he said.”…
Salt
on the wounds
The Mercury , Hobart. By GAVIN LOWER 27
August, 2005
"TASMANIAN Liberal Senator Eric Abetz will ignore criticism
from gay activists and deliver a
speech to a group accused of holding anti-gay views..."
Abetz
accused of undermining gay tolerance
ABC Online -
Thursday, 25 August 2005.
"Tasmanian gay activists want the state's senior
Liberal Senator Eric Abetz sacked from the federal ministry over his plans to
address what they call a gay-hate group.
… A member of Senator Abetz's staff
has confirmed the speaking engagement and the Senator's intention to keep
it...."
Abetz accuses
gay activist of hypocrisy
ABC Online , Thursday 25 August
2005
"Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz has accused a gay rights activist
of spreading the intolerance he often complains about....”
*** Following the Dinner
Abetz
lashes church leaders
By Liam Houlihan, The Mercury ,
Hobart. 29 August 2005.
“TASMANIAN Liberal senator Eric Abetz has
slammed church leaders who enter political debates as uninformed, ignorant,
hollow and unhelpful….”
Church
leaders blasted
By Liam Houlihan, Herald Sun , 29 August 2005.
Senator
hits out at heads of church
The Age , By Josh Gordon,
Canberra. August 29, 2005.
"SPECIAL Minister of State Eric Abetz has lashed
out at politically correct church leaders, accusing them of ignorance, seeking
cheap headlines and avoiding individual moral responsibility by blaming the
Government for social problems.
In a speech to the Melbourne-based Christian
ethics group Salt Shakers, Senator Abetz said some church leaders had done
Christianity a "disservice" by making uninformed comments on political issues,
including the Telstra sale, industrial relations and native
title...” Author: Jenny Stokes | Modified: 19 April 2009 |
