Uniting Church when he was a child. He later became a Pentecostal and now attends the Horizon Church, which is affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches. Morrison is Australia's first Pentecostal prime minister. As a Pentecostal and evangelical church, Horizon is not a mainstream church in Australia. Some members believe in divine healing, and practise "speaking in tongues", which is seen as a miraculous gift from God. While the Australian Christian Lobby welcomed the appointment of a prime minister with such a deep faith, some Australians have been suspicious of its effect on his rulings. As Treasurer of Australia during the vote for legislation on same-sex marriage in 2017, Morrison abstained from voting due to his faith. He has said, "the Bible is not a policy handbook, and I get very worried when people try to treat it like one". In late 2017, Morrison stated that he would become a stronger advocate for protections for religious freedom. He thinks misuse of social media is the work of "the evil one" and practises the Christian tradition of the "laying on of hands" while working. He said in a speech to the Australian Christian Churches conference in April 2021 that he believes he was elected to do God's work, although he later said that his comments were mischaracterised and that they were meant to reflect his belief that "whatever you do every day... is part of your Christian service". In July 2022, he told a Pentecostal church congregation that, speaking from experience, he believed that people should not trust governments or the United Nations but should put their trust in God. Morrison's successor as prime minister, Anthony Albanese, found this statement "quite astonishing" and the reference to the United Nations a "nonsense throwaway conspiracy line". Honours Foreign honours : Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit by the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. (22 December 2020) References Notes Further reading External links Official website |- |- |- |- |- |- 1968 births 21st-century Australian politicians Abbott Government Australian Christian Churches people Australian geographers Australian male child actors Australian monarchists Australian people of New Zealand descent Chief Commanders of the Legion of Merit Economic geographers Government ministers of Australia Leaders of the Liberal Party of Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Living people Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House