Simon & Bev Morgan
This workshop is about forgiveness.
On 17 August 1980 on a camping trip at Uluru (Ayers Rock), 9 week old baby Azaria Chamberlain disappeared. Her parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, claimed she had been taken from the family tent by a dingo. Azaria's body was never found. Rumour and suspicion grew quickly around the case, fuelled by a lack of understanding of the Chamberlains' Seventh Day Adventist faith and a perception that Lindy Chamberlain was not behaving as a grieving mother should. The initial coronial inquest supported the Chamberlains' claim. Investigations continued however, and a second inquest was held, which led to the Chamberlains being charged with Azaria's murder. In October 1982, Lindy was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The chance discovery in 1986 of Azaria's missing matinee jacket at the base of Uluru, in an area full of dingo lairs, led to Lindy's immediate release from prison. A royal commission was set up in 1987 and the following year the convictions against Lindy and Michael Chamberlain were overturned. A third inquest held in 1995 recorded an open finding and listed the cause of Azaria's death as 'unknown'. The Chamberlain trial was the most publicised in Australian history and is now held up as an example of how the media can adversely affect legal proceedings.
Lindy has spoken about her time in prison, and the lessons she has learnt since, in an inspiring DVD, which we will watch together in our second session. She talks about the real meaning and purpose of forgiveness and why it is so important to our mental health and well-being.
This series of three workshops will incorporate discussion around:
• Current research in Brain Science and Neuroplasticity, and how recent evidence supports what the Bible teaches.
• How science documents the healing benefits of love, intimacy, community, compassion, forgiveness, altruism, and service.
• How we are “transformed by the renewing of our minds”.
• What forgiveness is all about, and it’s purpose.
• Who is the tenant in your head?