Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week I became a godfather to a good friend's son. In today's day and age when the development of a child's faith is usually considered secondary to the fulfil­ment of their every whim, such a role would be considered by many as anachronistic. But for me the honour of being asked to take a formal role in the guidance of a child's spiritual journey is both humbling and a cause for some pride—humbling because, despite my many failings, which are often noted in this place, another family consid­ered me worthy of a permanent place in their child's life; I was proud because, even with the frailties that I exhibit, my friends have seen some qualities in me that they recognise as important in the development of their child.

This dichotomy between eternal values and human actions is symptomatic of the moral challenges that confront us all. For two millennia mankind has understood the higher calling that was demonstrated by the life of Jesus Christ and we have subsequently failed to live up to his example. Whilst almost all historical accounts say that Jesus was a real figure, it is the devotees of the Christian faith that believe him to be the son of God. For the non-Christian, the divinity of Christ is cause for question, but few can question the example that he set for us all.

Today, while many of us do seek to live virtuous lives modelled on his example, we fail every day to live up to these aspirations. I accept that these failings are part of human nature and are in themselves not cause for condemnation, but there is something within us all that burdens our hearts and our dem­eanour when we transgress against others. Some would consider this a manifestation of the natural law that lives within all of our hearts and others would simply say it is metaphysical hocus-pocus.

However, whatever one's personal beliefs in matters of faith, one cannot separate the life of Christ and his importance to Western culture. Our society is built on this Judaeo-Christian tradition and it serves as the bedrock of our civilisation. That is why the tradition of godfather is so important to me. It suggests that even in a secular world un­dergoing change there is a continuing belief that we can all have a positive impact on another's life. In short, it is a daily reminder that life is simply not about ourselves but about our obligation to the next generation.

In my case, my new task is to help Angus Terry Ryan Gallagher on his spiritual journ­ey in accordance with his baptismal faith. I have no doubt it will be quite a journey for both of us, but already the honour of being entrusted with this role has reinforced my belief that we need to be vigourous in our defence of the important values and tradi­tions lest we fail our future society.