Meaning of “Welcome To Country
“Welcome To Country” or “Acknowledgement of Country” rituals have become pervasive throughout Australia in recent years. They range from a rushed acknowledgement of elders “past, present and emerging” through to long speeches by paid indigenous performers.
People generally tolerate them as another tedious fact of life, like searching for somewhere to charge your phone, while others bristle at being “welcomed” to a place they have lived all their lives.
On the web site of Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) there is a whole page dedicated to “Welcome to Country”, https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/welcome-country .
On the AIATSIS page we read this:
Country is the term often used by Aboriginal peoples to describe the lands, waterways and seas to which they are connected. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, cultural practice, material sustenance, family and identity.
Aboriginal people believe that there are spirits dwelling in the rocks, rivers, trees and so on, which must be respected by all people, but especially by visitors.
Welcome To Country means telling the local spirits that a visitor has the support of the people:
‘Being welcomed to Country means that you are talking to your spiritual ancestors and you’re saying just let this person come through. We trust that they’re not going to do any harm on this Country and so do not harm them.’ — Jude Barlow, Ngunnawal Elder.
An Acknowledgement of Country is described like this:
Acknowledging when you’re on the land of Traditional Owners is a sign of respect which acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ownership and custodianship of the land, their ancestors and traditions. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can show this form of respect.
What is described as “a form of respect” seems to carry political and social weight if it is acknowledging aboriginal ownership and custodianship of the land, especially when it is not restricted to land that has been ceded to Native Title.
Worse still, from a christian point of view, is that a “Welcome To Country” is actually a religious ritual appeasing spirits. Christians rightly reject such occultic practices as tarot cards, ouija boards and the like, for the very reason that these are means of communicating with spirits. How can a “Welcome To Country” be any different?
Use in Christian Gatherings
In September 2023, the NSW Presbyterian Church passed a resolution forbidding the use of Welcome to Country/ Acknowledgement of Country in worship services.i It should be noted, though, that this did not necessarily apply to all meetings held on property owned by the Presbyterian Church.
A the other extreme is the Uniting Church in Australia web site (uniting.church) which ha a banner that says
The Uniting Church in Australia Assembly acknowledges the sovereign First Peoples of the lands and waters where we work in locations across the country. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and to all their descendants who have cared for this place since creation. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware this website may contain images, voices, and videos of deceased persons.
No explicitly christian gathering should use these rituals in any form. After all, they are an appeal to the spirits governing the land, where Christians recognise only one spirit in the land, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a part of creation but a member of the Trinity, the three-in-one creator of all things. This is what Paul called “another gospel” in which entities other than the Lord Jesus Christ are asked to bring protection.
The spiritism (belief that spirits inhabit the landscape and interact with the human inhabitants) that underlies Aboriginal beliefs is at odds with the gospel. There is no way to bring the two world views together coherently. Unbelievers will probably say that it is a good thing to recognise indigenous people and their beliefs. For christians there can be no compromise.
Given the all-pervasive nature of these rituals, it is hard to escape them. Every meeting run by a Government sponsored or funded organisation starts with the Welcome to Country. Every email or letter from a Government Department has an Acknowledgement of Country. You can’t even travel in a domestic airline now without being “Welcomed to Country” at the destination.
How then should christians respond? I think that we are in the a similar situation here to Paul’s teaching about meat sacrificed to idols. In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul tackles what was then a thorny question: Should christians eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols? At that time some of the meat that was available at the market may have been sacrificed to the local “gods”. Paul argues that as christians we know that the so-called gods are not real, and even if they are, they are inferior to the one God, the Father who created all things. Therefore is is not an issue, except if we are eating with a believer who is accustomed to thinking that these “gods” are real, in which case we should abstain in order to help this weaker brother’s conscience.
Later in 1 Corinthians, Paul speaking on the same subject of meat offered to idols makes this statement:
What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons.ii
Making a fuss doesn’t help in these situations, and may harden people against the Good News. If we must endure these pagan rituals in modern Australia, then we should do so with grace. We should pray and bind the spirits in silent prayer and quietly declare that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Alternatives to “Welcome to Country”
A number of people have suggested christian alternatives to Welcome/ Acknowledgement words.
One such suggestion is Psalm 24, which opens with the words:
The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.
A group called Revival Ministries Australia has produced this Acknowledgement of the Lord Jesus Christ, which they recommend be read at the beginning of meetings
Acknowledgement of the Lord Jesus Christ
Today I acknowledge the Lordship and Godhood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We acknowledge You, Jesus, as the Owner and Possessor of all things, including the land that we are meeting on today, in accordance with Your word from Psalm 24:1 which says, “The earth is Yahweh’s and the fullness thereof, the world and all those who dwell therein”.
We acknowledge that the nations are Your inheritance and that the ends of the earth are the possession of Jesus, the Son of God according to Your word in Psalm 2:8.
We acknowledge that the name of Jesus is the name above every name, of those in heaven, and of those on the earth, and of those beneath the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father – Philippians 2:9-11
We acknowledge You Jesus as the Only Way to know the Father, the One who is Truth Himself and the One who is Eternal Life. No-one compares to You! – John 14:6
We acknowledge You as the Great I AM, the Lord of the Harvest, the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the Blessed and Only Potentate and Sovereign, and we thank You for this most awesome opportunity and privilege to meet together, on this land, in Your name where You are Present in the midst of us.
Amen.
Conclusion
We are surrounded these days by aspects of animist aboriginal practices. We can become complacent about them and think they do not do any harm.
Generic Acknowledgement of Country statements are probably quite harmless. When a person is on specific aboriginal land and is welcomed by the local elders, this may carry more weight, and open the person up to demonic oppression. Smoking Ceremonies specifically appeal to the spirits to protect a person from “bad spirits”, and as such should be avoided by christians.
Western Australia elder Rodney Rivers has detailed some of these cases and the effects that have hounded people for a long time after participating in these cultural rituals.iii
Christians must put the lordship of Jesus Christ at the forefront of their thinking at all times. This is especially true when being forced to participate in pagan practices. Let us maintain good grace and take the opportunity to pray in the name of Jesus.
Notes
i. See this and numerous news reports from the time. https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/presbyterian-church-of-australia-rules-indigenous-acknowledgement-of-country-not-appropriate-for-service/news-story/6d80e4cc84e4591b914bb9e39cbe1948
ii. 1 Cor. 10:19-20
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