ACL Australia Votes Brochure Right wing nut baggery?

It was with some reluctance that I read the ACL's Australia Votes brochure.  My impression of the ACL is that it largely represents the views of what is commonly classed as the "Religious Right" however it order to be fair I decided to go through it and see what they regard as Christian "Hotkey Issues".

The brochure contains 24 questions divided up into broken up into 10 categories.  They are Public Christianity, International Justice, Poverty, Life, Youth and Education, Family, Sexualisation of Children, Environment, Justice and Indigenous Issues.  After each question the there is the response from each major party.

So what does picture does it post of the ACL?  Did they portray the picture I expected?  Well surprisingly yes and no.

So things like this:

2. Prayer in parliament: 

The preamble to Australia’s Constitution states that our nation is “humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God”. Does your Party commit to maintaining the convention of opening Parliament each day exclusively with the Lord’s Prayer?

and this:

16. Marriage: 

Marriage is clearly defined in the Marriage Act as the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life. Would your Party commit to support this definition for the life of the Government and beyond?

were unsurprising and to be expected.  Naturally there was also the standard religious freedom stuff in there as-well which was to expected and the questions were not specific to Christianity, rather more broadly based and for the most in line with I think.

But then there was some really good stuff.  For example:

3. Overseas aid: 

Will your Party confirm the current Government commitment to contribute 0.5% Gross National Income to international aid and development efforts by 2015? What timeline will it put in place to reach the internationally agreed target of 0.7% GNI?

6. Homelessness and housing affordability: 

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, on any given night there are approximately 100,000 homeless Australians. What policies will your Party implement to address this problem? How will your Party respond to the issue of housing affordability?

13. Youth unemployment: 

The national youth unemployment rate is 17% but in some locations it is over 40%. What policies will your Party implement to support and encourage young Australians to engage in active employment?

24. Indigenous welfare: 

Social justice for indigenous people remains a major issue for Christian churches. What initiatives and policies would your Party introduce to ensure not only better health, housing, education and employment opportunities for indigenous Australians, but also to facilitate long-term social inclusion and a sense of hope and purpose for the first Australians? What would your Party do during the next term of Parliament to specifically address these goals

Decidedly leftist and it certainly inline with my value system.  So what I should think?  Are the ACL much further to left than I what I had given them credit for?  Well no I don't this so.  Many of the other questions, whilst on the surface were reasonable from a Christian perspective had an untone that painted a picture of intolerance and want to enforce a believe system of their design on believer and unbeliever alike.  Frankly I don't believe the Bible calls Christians to do this at all, rather it proposes that show we show others that Christianity offers a fulfilling and rich life and if you don't agree to this then well, that is your choice.

But for me the real clincher was this one:

23. Human rights Act: 

The National Human Rights Consultation recommended the enactment of a federal Human Rights Act. However many Christian churches and groups opposed a HRA because of little evidence of overseas versions improving human rights and their being used by activists to undermine freedom of religion. Given the time and expense of assessing Parliament’s present position on the HRA, will your Party rule out introducing a Human Rights Act or equivalent instrument in the next and subsequent parliament?

Really?? Christians opposed to human rights!  To me Jesus is the greatest advocate of human rights in history. Christians should be going to trenches to fight for them, not opposing legislation that would make them stronger.   I find this to be a most appalling stance and really just confirms my suspicion of this organisation as modern day Pharisees.