Have some faith - vote Yes

 Having faith in God encourages me to have a little faith in my neighbour.

And that includes my First Nations neighbours, the Indigenous peoples of this land.

Having faith in the Creator helps me have trust that my neighbour, made in the image of our common Creator, has all the potential of someone that is a bearer of the Divine, a person worthy not only of respect, but a person with a voice, with wisdom, knowledge and a gift. And that their culture has made them who they are. It, too, is a gift.

I spent years in the outback, and, despite the relentless media highlighting so-called Indigenous ‘problems’, I know another story.

Having spent years in an old church hall with Aboriginal youth in Alice Springs I have faith in young Aboriginal people.

Having spent years sharing music in Alice Springs Youth Correctional Facility I have faith in Aboriginal youth – even if they are in custody.

Having spent years listening to Aboriginal elders in town camps and across remote communities I have faith in their wisdom, their ways.

Having spent decades hearing how First Peoples on the East coast have maintained family and culture, I have faith in Aboriginal families, no matter what they have suffered or what they are up against.

And this is why I support a yes vote on the Voice to Parliament: I have faith in Aboriginal people, and I have faith in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

It is the strength, wisdom and vitality of their cultures that shapes the Uluru Statement from the Heart from top to bottom. Yes, there are many fine First Nation people and leaders, and so many of them are generous, personally forgiving, even. And some of us have benefitted from that. But what I have learnt is that it is their cultures, their stories, their faith in who they are as peoples that enables this offer of a fresh walk together, of two ways coming together.

To me, the referendum on the Voice to Parliament is a chance to have faith in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. To show some faith in their cultures. To trust that by taking this step we will all grow in wisdom and that the healing and respect our First Peoples so richly deserve will be acknowledged and learnt from – in Canberra, and in homes across this nation.

Don’t be swept away by cynicism and half-truths. Don’t turn away from your neighbour. Listen, and have a little faith.

Who knows where we might walk together, and what we might learn as we walk?

Take the journey; have faith.

Consider voting ‘Yes’ to the Voice to Parliament in the upcoming referendum.

-       Rev. Dr. Steve Bevis     March 14, 2023