law

Road Lines And U-Turns

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A few months ago the Shire Council did some resealing work along our street. The newly applied asphalt covered the line markings, so a few weeks later, the contractors came along and applied the appropriate lines.


This was all very well, except the line markers made a mistake. They extended a double line by a few metres to make it join up with a traffic island.


The gap in the lines had been there ever since we moved into the house 25 years ago. It provided a handy place to do a U-turn to get to our driveway. You might be thinking, “They could just drive a bit further”, and you would be right. Except that it is actually more dangerous to do a U-turn where the lines end.


Transport NSW told us that the gap should be there, as the correct line markings are in the NSW Government Gazette and have the force of the law.


So, as I understand it, the double lines are actually there illegally. If I get caught crossing these illegal lines would I be fined?


Many religions and philosophies are based on rules. Do this and God will be happy; do that and God will be unhappy with you.

The trouble with laws (apart form the fact that they can become self-contradictory) is that they tell you what to do, make no attempt to help you, and then condemn you when you fail.


In contrast, Jesus comes to us with grace and love. Love motivates us to do the right thing because we want to, it empowers us to life right, and it forgives us when we fall.


The invitation of Jesus is this: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).


If you are frustrated by trying to be good, connect yourself to Jesus who brings love not law.

The Kingdom Of God Is An Enclave

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Recently, while on youtube, I came across this fascinating video about enclaves.

An enclave is an area in a country that is governed by another country, an island within a nation’s borders. Although the video relates to Pakistani enclaves within India and vice versa, they pop up all over the place.

One of the weirdest enclaves is a railway line which belongs to Belgium but passes through Germany. A ribbon of land a few metres wide in Germany is Belgian territory. Either side of the railway is Germany.

An example closer to home is Jervis Bay on the NSW South Coast. Parts of that area are governed by NSW, but other parts are governed by the Jervis Bay Administrative Authority which, I think, is now an agency of the ACT Government.

Many enclaves are the results of historic anomalies. Sometimes a population of migrants may end up in a region of another country and become so dominant that they demand to be governed by their homeland. Sometimes extended wars result in population movements and the subsequent settlement terms require parts of the country to be ruled by their former enemy.

This all got me thinking about another enclave- God’s Kingdom.

The Kingdom of God exists wherever a person decides to follow Jesus. From that time on, they are subject to the laws of God’s kingdom rather than the culture of the people around. We are still obviously bound to obey our civil rulers, but only in as far as those laws do not contradict God’s rules. This was established early on in the church when Peter and John were ordered not to talk about Jesus, but they responded, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20)

In most Western countries, there generally is not a huge area of disagreement between christians and government at the moment, because of our strong christian heritage.

One area that is changing is the whole attitude to sexuality and reproduction. In Australia, the Government legislated to allow same sex marriage. This was an area of great disagreement between churches and government. Christian ministers were given an exemption from discrimination law to allow them to marry only a man and a woman.

Most christians would say that it would be wrong for an unmarried couple to move in together or to engage in sexual intercourse before marriage. That is considered by many in the wider community to be an odd belief.

Most christians would believe that there is absolute truth, that morality and ethics are absolute, that we should live in obedience to God’s law. These ideas are all contrary to what many people believe.

So, increasingly christians are in a kind of enclave. The values of God’s Kingdom are very different to those of the world. Every day we need to decide whether we follow the ways of Jesus or the ways of the world.

Gun Laws Do Make A Difference

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Australia sometimes gets dragged into America’s perennial gun law debates and the claim is often made that our laws made no difference to homicide rates. Well here are the figures and they are pretty impressive.

From The Land:

Deputy Premier Troy Grant says no changes are flagged for NSW gun laws

ALEX DRUCEApril 21, 2016, 11 a.m.
News

 

 

Figures from the University of Sydney's gunpolicy.org database show a drop in gun-related deaths since 1996.

 Figures from the University of Sydney’s gunpolicy.org database show a drop in gun-related deaths since 1996.

TENSION over Australia’s gun legacy is palpable in NSW as the 20-year anniversary of the debate’s horrific catalyst rolls closer.

But while groups such as The Shooters, Fishers, and Farmers (SFF) and The Greens argue over the merit of the 1996 reforms – and whether further restrictions will protect or vilify law-abiding residents – Deputy Premier Troy Grant says government’s focus is not whether possession laws should tightened or loosened.

It is keeping illegal weapons out of the hands of hardened criminals.

The 20th anniversary of the Port Arthur Massacre has thrust gun reform back into the national spotlight, Mr Grant said his government had no plans to tamper with the strength of the NSW Firearms Act when it came to gun ownership and licensing.

“Legal gun owners in NSW already undergo stringent but necessary checks to ensure the safe use and storage of their firearms,” Mr Grant said.

Deputy Premier Troy Grant.

 Deputy Premier Troy Grant.

Mr Grant’s real concern is illegal firearms.

Reforms passed last October mean a maximum penalty of 14 years’ prison now applies to a range of gun offences, including relating to unauthorised possession, use, supply, or acquisition of a prohibited firearm or pistol.

It is also illegal to have digital blueprints that allow firearms to be manufactured using 3D printers.


Halting this trade and lessening the statutory burden on recreational and sporting shooters, farmers, and legal gun owners has been a key plank of the argument put forward by SFF MP Robert Brown, both in recent weeks and throughout his time in parliament.A recent Australian Crime Commission report conservatively estimated there were 250,000 long barrel guns and 10,000 handguns on the nation’s the illegal firearms market.

This month he appeared on the SBS forum Insight to claim the 1996 reforms pushed through by John Howard cast legitimate shooters as “criminals in waiting” while making it hard for them to obtain certain licenses.

An oft-quoted counterpoint has come from the NSW Greens – led by upper house MP David Shoebridege on the issue – who points out Australia has not seen a massacre since the National Firearms Agreement came into play.

Mr Shoebridge has also advocated for a five-gun limit to be introduced in NSW for each “good reason” for owning a firearm, after which point a “separate and extraordinary reason for owning each additional gun” should be made.