Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke in a religious convention on the Gold Coast last week, where he said he was “called to do God’s work.” In a video of his speech shared online, he also referred to social media as a weapon of the devil.
At the Australian Christian Churches conference, the Pentecostal Christian Prime Minister told the members of his church that he and his wife, Jenny, had been called upon to do the work of God by leading the nation. He also admitted looking for signs from God while on the 2019 election campaign trail.
Morrison told the crowd that he prayed at work often and performed laying on of hands, an evangelical practice done to bestow spiritual blessings. He even recalled practicing laying on of hands during a trip to the Pibara region following cyclone Seroja earlier this month.
“I’ve been in evacuation centres where people thought I was just giving someone a hug and I was praying, and putting my hands on people … laying hands on them and praying in various situations,” Morrison said. “God has, I believe, been using us in those moments to be able to provide some relief and comfort and just some reassurance.”
Additionally, he called the misuse of social media a tool of the devil. He encourages fellow believers to “raise their spiritual weapons” and pray against its “corrosive effect on society.”
“Sure, social media has its virtues and its values and enables us to connect with people in ways we’ve never had before,” Morrison said. “But those weapons can also be used by the evil one and we need to call that out.”
Further on his speech, the Prime Minister revealed he asked for signs from God during a visit to an art gallery on the NSW central coast in one of his campaigns last election. “And there right in front of me was the biggest picture of a soaring eagle … but the message I got that day was, Scott you’ve got to run to not grow weary, you’ve got to walk to not grow faint, you’ve got to spread your wings like an eagle to soar like an eagle,” he shared.
During his speech, the nation’s leader told his fellow parishioners that he needs them to “keep building community” in their country. “Cancelling out one human being is cancelling out community,” he said. “It is important that we reach out and let every Australian know that they are significant because we believe that they are created in the image of God.”
(To watch the full video of Morrison’s speech, click here.)
Den of Faith 