The Greens have raised in State Parliament the issue of scrapping the Lord’s Prayer at the opening of sessions.
The Lord’s Prayer has been said at the opening of the Upper House for almost two centuries – but instead a handful of Green MPs want instead to introduce a meditation-style ritual where members “stand in silence and pray or reflect” on their responsibilities.
I have to say there has been a lot of pushback even from MPs who are not Christian.
As Anglican Bishop Michael Stead pointed out, there is no “compulsion” for MPs to agree with the Lord’s Prayer.
“However, the Lord’s Prayer is widely known and acknowledged as a prayer of grace, forgiveness and thankfulness – exactly the sentiments that should guide those with such great responsibility in Parliament,”
“To replace that with a content-less time of silence” he says, “is a vacuous proposal.”
I’m Russell Powell for the NSW Council of Churches
NSW Council of Churches 
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