The two Dorothys: Dorothy Soelle and Dorothy Day and A Radical Christian Creed

Into the Editor's email, from time to time, drops this anthology of interesting stuff. The site also hosts lots of blogs.

Among to-days riches, I have discovered Dorothee Soelle.  Seems to me that Dorothee is a wonderful book-end for that English-speaking Dorothy, Dorothy Day.  Both Dorothy-s are worthy of exploration. Here is more about Dorothy Soelle

In among all this, along with the discovery of Dorothee Soelle, has come the discovery of a blog called The Moltmanniac honouring the work of Jurgen Moltmann -- but all that will be saved for another day.  Below I am posting A Radical Christian Creed by Dorothee Soelle.

CREDO
I believe in God
who created the world not ready made
like a thing that must forever stay what it is
who does not govern according to eternal laws
that have perpetual validity
nor according to natural orders
of poor and rich,
experts and ignoramuses,
people who dominate and people subjected.
I believe in God
who desires the counter-argument of the living
and the alteration of every condition
through our work
through our politics.

I believe in Jesus Christ
who was right when he
“as an individual who can’t do anything”
just like us
worked to alter every condition
and came to grief in so doing
Looking to him I discern
how our intelligence is crippled,
our imagination suffocates,
and our exertion is in vain
because we do not live as he did

Every day I am afraid
that he died for nothing
because he is buried in our churches,
because we have betrayed his revolution
in our obedience to and fear
of the authorities.
I believe in Jesus Christ
who is resurrected into our life
so that we shall be free
from prejudice and presumptuousness
from fear and hate
and push his revolution onward
and toward his reign

I believe in the Spirit
who came into the world with Jesus,
in the communion of all peoples
and our responsibility for what will become of our earth:
a valley of tears, hunger, and violence
or the city of God.
I believe in the just peace
that can be created,
in the possibility of meaningful life
for all humankind,
in the future of this world of God.
Amen

Confronting hunger in the UK and Australia

Picture at left from here.

 Australians have heard the 2014 Budget presented by the conservative Abbott Government.  It has not been well received and may have been influential in bringing about a change of government in Victoria and a Liberal loss at a by-election in South Australia.  Controversial elements of the budget have not been passed and the Federal Parliament has risen for the Christmas/New Year holiday period without any forseeable resolution.

After reading this article, one has to consider whether the sort of austerity prescribed by the budget of the Abbott Government is part of a world-wide ideology of conservative parties of the same ilk.

ACOSS has to-day released a report which reveals that  80% of front-line agencies in Australia are unable to meet current levels of demand with the resources they have. The biggest gaps in meeting demand are in the areas of greatest community need.  

Two different countries; two austerity budgets; two protests.

The Conservative party is seeking to avert one of its biggest rifts with the Church of England for decades as an all-party report on food banks warns that Britain is stalked by hunger caused by low pay, growing inequality, a harsh benefits sanctions regime and social breakdown.

The church-funded report says voluntary groups have been courageously fighting “a social Dunkirk” without the assistance of the government, and calls for urgent action to ensure ministers do more to combat hunger, including joining a new coordinating body and asking supermarkets to do more with surplus unsold products.

The furore reaches to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

Welby played a central role in the six-month study, funded by his Archbishop of Canterbury’s Charitable Trust, which describes food banks as “the new shock absorbers of society”.

"Hunger stalks large parts of our country", says the Archbishop.  This may or may not be the case in Australia at the time of writing.  However, it is clear from the ACOSS report that should the Australian Government proceed with its austerity budget, hunger will stalk this country too. 

‘Confront simple fact hunger stalks Britain’urges church-funded report

Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith has persistently denied link between welfare policy and financial hardship

More on the Food Banks and hunger situation in the UK

Keeping an eye on our politicians - and how they vote in Parliament.

Picture below from here.

The media has been telling Australians for some time of declining trust in politicians and political parties.  There is much evidence concerning our government - particularly about things promised and not delivered and things being done yet not mentioned at the 2013 election.  Now The Guardian tells of something that might allow the mushroomed voters to keep a weather eye on their local representatives...........

When politicians vote in parliament, you won’t see the breakdown of votes reported in the media unless it’s a prominent policy.

To find out how your representative voted on an issue it’s currently pretty tricky. You have to track down the proceedings on the parliament house website and then work out how the question has been phrased so you can determine what an aye or no means in that context.

A new website, launched on Tuesday, aims to demystify the voting process.  Please continue to read here.