“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,” he said in reference to a recent visit to Kalbarri in the Pilbara after cyclone Seroja.
Mr Morrison was photographed raising his hands in a church service during the 2019 election,and has spoken openly about his Pentecostal faith and the impact it has had on his life. He also said “I have always believed in miracles” on the night of hisunderdog victory in that campaign.
In the video,Mr Morrison said he had come to the conference for Christian leaders’ help.
“I can’t save the world,we both believe in someone who can,” he said “What you do and what you bring to the life and faith of our country is what it needs.”
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“It’s so important that we continue to reach out and let every Australian know that they are important,that they are significant.
“Because we believe that they are created in the image of God.
“In understanding that they can go on a journey I’m very confident you can take them on that and I’m relying on you to do that because that’s not my job – it’s yours.”
He also said “identity politics” was resulting in people losing their connection to each other and instead they were being defined by “boring tribes”.
“It’s corrosive,it’s absolutely corrosive and I think it’s undermining the community and I think it’s undermining self-worth of Australians,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said in a statement that Mr Morrison attended the event as he has many other religious events.
“The Prime Minister was invited to address Tuesday night’s event the same as he attends many other stakeholder events,including for other religious groups such as the Copts,Maronites,Jewish,Hindu,Buddhist and Muslim,” the statement said. “The usual transport and security protocols were followed as they are for any event the Prime Minister attends.”
In the video,Mr Morrison revealed he asked God for a sign during a difficult run on the 2019 election campaign,before he unexpectedly visited Ken Duncan’s gallery on NSW’s Central Coast,and received a reminder of a Bible verse fromIsaiah 40:31.
“I must admit I was saying to myself,‘you know Lord,where are you,where are you? I’d like a reminder if that’s OK’,” Morrison said.
“I didn’t know it was supposed to be Ken’s gallery... and there right in front of me was the biggest picture of a soaring eagle that I could imagine and of course the verse hit me.
“The message I got that day was,‘Scott you’ve got torun to not grow weary,you’ve got towalk to not grow faint,you’ve got to spread your wings like an eagle to soar like an eagle’.”
Mr Morrison won over religious voters at the 2019 election,butThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age’s Resolve Political Monitor last week found those voters aremoving away from the Coalition.