The NSW Council of Churches has condemned comments made by prominent Victorian pastor Danny Nalliah who claimed last week’s tragic bushfires were divine punishment for the Victorian Government’s recent liberalisation of abortion laws.
Mr Nalliah said he had been dreaming about fire on 21 October 2008 and woke with the conviction that God’s “conditional protection” had been removed from Victoria because the State Government had approved “the slaughter of innocent children in the womb.”
“The NSW Council of Churches does not support abortion, but to link changes in abortion law with the terrible natural disaster unfolding in Victoria is heartless and offensive. Daniel Nalliah owes the people of Victoria an apology for his insensitive and ill-timed remarks,” NSW Council of Churches Public Affairs Director Rev Rod Benson said.
“God does not burn hundreds of innocent people to death as a result of a change in public policy, nor does God release the forces of evil to do such acts. Our God is the God of love, mercy and grace. God is grieved by human sin, but has already dealt with the problem of sin by sending his Son Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the world,” Rev Benson said.
Comments similar to those of Mr Nalliah were made in the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks and following the Asian tsunami in 2004. His comments were likely to be dismissed by an overwhelming majority of Australian Christians.
The NSW Council of Churches defended the right to life of unborn children, opposed legislation supporting abortion on demand, and encouraged governments to address the needs of women and families impacted by abortion.
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Nalliah Bushfire Comments Heartless and Offensive
Wednesday, 11 February 2009, 17:14 (EST)
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