Parliament removes mention of Jesus from prayer

I was beginning to think this might have been a right-wing beat-up - but no... It makes people's reaction to Muslim call to prayer beign broadcast in New Zealand quite understandable.

Muslim prayer dropped from Anzac service after threats

Plans to include a Muslim prayer in a Porirua Anzac Day service have been abandoned after the organisers received violent threats from veterans and members of the public.

Parliament prayer changes - no more Queen or Jesus

Stuff.co.nz,

10 November, 201

Mentions of Jesus and the Queen have been removed from Parliament's Te reo karakia, or prayer.

A consultation period for the new karakia isn't over yet but the Speaker of the House, Trevor Mallard, has already adopted it, RNZ reports.

That's been causing concern amongst some in opposition, but Mallard says he'll consider any feedback before a final decision is made.

On Thursday he delivered the karakia to the house.

It was understood a more extreme change - including removing any religious reference and adding more Māori references - had been proposed but was rejected, RNZ reported.

Pushes for a change to the prayer have been made for years.

In 2000, a petition was put forward to "continue to open [Parliament's] sittings with a prayer, but with amended wording ... The effect of the proposed wording would be that the prayer would no longer be specifically Christian in nature."

In 2007, MPs voted to keep the prayer in its form. A new prayer was proposed in 2014 but rejected.

The Greens pushed for changes to the prayer to be broadened every year when Standing Orders were reviewed, according to a blog post Green MP Gareth Hughes wrote in 2013.

He did not think a Christian prayer reflected the "the rich and varied religious and spiritual life in New Zealand".

A prayer for Parliament was established in 1854. At the time, it was labelled "contentious".

THE CURRENT PRAYER:

Almighty God,

Humbly acknowledging our need for Thy guidance in all things, and laying aside all private and personal interests, we beseech Thee to grant that we may conduct the affairs of this House and of our country to the glory of Thy holy name, the maintenance of true religion and justice, the honour of the Queen, and the public welfare, peace, and tranquillity of New Zealand, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

PROPOSED VERSION:

Almighty God, we give thanks for the blessings which have been bestowed on New Zealand.

Laying aside all personal interests, we pray for guidance in our deliberations, that we may conduct the affairs of this House with wisdom and humility, for the public welfare and peace of New Zealand.

Amen.

IN TE REO (SOURCE RNZ):

E Te Atua Kaha Rawa, Ka tuku

whakamoemiti atu mātou, mō ngā karakia

kua waihotia mai ki runga o Aotearoa.

Ka waiho nei I ō mātou pānga whaiaro

katoa ki te taha, nei rā ēnei e īnoi atu ana

mō Tō ārahitanga, I roto i ō mātou

whakaaroarohanga, ā, kia whakahaere ai

e mātou ngā take o Te Whare nei, I runga

i te mōhio, me te whakaiti mō te oranga,

te maungārongo, o te tūmatanui o Aotearoa.

Amene.