(Queensland, Australia) — When God created mankind, He also established a relationship amongst humanity which we would come to know as the parent-child relationship. Humanists would argue that this relationship exists largely for the purposes of reproduction but we know that this relationship extends far beyond biological processes.

God’s intention for the family unit was for parental authority to restrain the sin nature in the child as the child grows in the understanding of God and His commandments. As that process unfolded, the overall purpose in God’s design was for the child to draw closer to God through the teaching of their parents. 

Throughout the Book of Deuteronomy, the emphasis is often on the next generation. In Deuteronomy 6:5 we read: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Then, in verse 7 we read: “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

Consider also Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

In that proverb, the word “train” means to dedicate something. In this context, it impresses upon a parent the need to dedicate a child to God and prepare the child for future responsibilities and adulthood. In other words, they are not to bring up a child in the way they think he should go, but in the way God wants him to go. 

However, as we are all painfully aware, in modern society, many governments now demand the right to overrule parents in the area of belief, particularly when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity. In the State of Victoria (Australia), the government has recently issued its “advice” to parents about how to talk to their child about sexuality and gender identity. On page 15 of the booklet under the heading “What doesn’t work”, we read: “It’s not possible to stop someone from being LGBTQA. People who are LGBTQA aren’t sick or broken and don’t need to be fixed.”

The booklet then goes on to give lip service to parental rights, while at the same time wielding the proverbial stick: “As a parent you have the right under the law to share your personal beliefs and values with your child, including your beliefs around sexuality and gender. There is no law in Australia that prevents you from sharing what’s important to you with your child. However, there are laws against doing things that could harm your child.”  And what do they consider harmful?  Amongst other things, “praying with your child for them to stop being LGBTQA.”

The government has also “helpfully” provided an outline as to what prayers would and would not be considered acceptable. Prayers that are considered acceptable are those:

• for guidance;
• for inner peace;
• that are supporting and reassuring that the person is created in God’s image and perfect the way they are;
• that acknowledge God loves the individual.

Prayers that are considered unacceptable are prayers that:

• ask for healing;
• ask for a person to change;
• ask for a person to not act on their attractions;
• talk about a person’s brokenness or need to repent;
• ask for long-term celibacy.

It is evident from the material and the legislation which underpins it that there is a disproportionate government focus on Christianity. Through the use of targeted examples, overreach and ambiguously drafted legislation and booklets, Victorian faith leaders and parents now find themselves the victims of arbitrary limitations that permit the government a place at the dinner table of families that need to have important discussions regarding sexual orientation and gender identity. A conversation which, if led by the clear teachings of the Bible, will only lead to one conclusion.

Although the Victorian Government has attempted to grant clear concessions to parents to raise their children according to Biblical values, the undeniable conclusion is that there are limitations as to what the government will accept. Sadly, believers in Australia must now be wondering if every robust private conversation or prayer will now be tempered by the fear of a knock on the door from a government bureaucrat.

Dean Dwyer serves as a Senior Columnist at Harbinger’s Daily, where his thought-provoking articles engage a global audience of millions. With more than two decades of leadership as Pastor and President of Eiser Street Baptist Church in Toowoomba, Australia, Dwyer brings sophisticated Biblical discernment and analysis to examine world events and issues through the lens of God’s Word.