Godless NZ? Not entirely - we're actually becoming a more Christian nation

OPINION: Christmas is always a time when many bemoan the fact that the day is more about consumerism than Christ.

That's probably true, but what is overlooked is that New Zealand is currently more of a Christian nation than we have ever been.

By that I don't mean people are suddenly rushing off to church or becoming born-again Christians. It's more that our lurch to the Left politically brings the country closer to Christian values. Minus the supernatural and moral judgment stuff, of course.

All politics is really about how much inequality we can tolerate in society. Leftists tend to think strugglers are victims of a cruel, market economy, who, to achieve a sort of middle-class lifestyle, need state assistance or, even better, an entire dismantling of the market economy. Right-wing people tend to the view that life is inherently unfair and unequal but people who do all right shouldn't be forced to compensate those who, often through their own fault, are less successful.

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If Christian values revolve around ensuring no-one misses out, the strong helping the weak and things being shared out fairly, irrespective of merit or just deserts, then clearly leftists are closer to being Christians than Right-wing people.

Even things like the #MeToo movement can be seen as a move towards Christian values. Its advocates want men to conduct themselves towards women like well-mannered, considerate and respectful gentlemen.

The leader of this charge to make New Zealand a more Christian nation just happens to be the prime minister, who can be best seen as an incredibly cool vicar with the biggest parish in the country.

Not that Ardern is overt about religion. Her key words are kindness and compassion. Just occasionally she mentions the Bible, but generally she ascribes the source of those universal Christian values to Māoridom.

Before she was sworn in as prime minister, Ardern talked about wanting her Government to feel different. "I want people to feel that it's open, that it's listening and that it's going to bring kindness back," she said.

Then once the coalition had been cobbled together, she told a hui at Rātana: "I want to be a Government that brings back manaakitanga, that brings back a sense of compassion and ethics and kindness in what we do, and to that we should turn to Māoridom ..."

Manaakitanga is a concept said to be central to the Māori world view, meaning to show respect, generosity and care for others.

At Waitangi ceremonies this year, Ardern said she hoped her Government would learn the importance of manaakitanga and then, in September, in a speech to a United Nations audience that included representatives of regimes known for atrocities and slaughter, she reminded the gathering of the "simple concept of looking outwardly and beyond ourselves, of kindness and collectivism".

At the Rātana centenary celebrations in November, she gifted her Bible to the Rātana movement, saying it was a symbol of her promise to lead a government that was kind and compassionate.

It is typical of the bleeding-heart Left to ascribe the best human virtues to indigenous people and ignore the fact their histories are no less bloody, unfair, irrational or disputatious than any others.

But that is by the by. The real question is whether Ardern's philosophical underpinning is going to make any difference.

We all know what happened to Jesus and the fine ideals of Christianity. Ideals are always great if they are applied universally, but they never are. It's often said that communism would have worked out dandy if it had actually been tried. Jesus could be regarded as a communist who nevertheless believed in the redeeming nature of religion.

Ardern, who is probably as pragmatic as the next politician, does set a tone that tends to bring out the best in people. You can be a hard-arse Right-winger but, when Ardern smiles and asks for something to benefit mankind, she is hard to turn away.

But she is also making a rod for her own back, and perhaps one for her party as well. Difficult political decisions tend to advantage one group at the expense of others and the standard of kindness and compassion is a very high one to be measured against.

History has also shown that relying on people's better angels is never as good a bet as relying on their self-interest and prejudices.

The idea that everybody can play on the team is noble and inclusive, but that inevitably means the team is not going to play in the top league. That may be a good thing, but sacrifices have to be made.

The great danger for Ardern is in the fact that kindness and compassion cost money that must come from people who believe they have every right to hold on to it. Initially, Ardern can use her political capital to support things like a capital gains tax, or a tax on a second home.

Inevitably, however, an economic downturn or some other event will prompt a backlash. Then her idealism could be seen as nice but unrealistic.