Rodney Rivers - reject Welcome to Country ceremonies

Celebrate Australia Day, But Reject Welcome to Country Ceremonies!

23 January 2021

4.9 MINS

A lot of what’s passed off as Aboriginal culture today is actually Aboriginal religion — pagan beliefs no longer embraced by most Aboriginal Australians. Christians must use discernment on these issues.

You will see in all the major cities of Australia on 26th January a smoking ceremony being performed. This ceremony is disguised, and is presented to you as ‘Aboriginal culture’, but it is not what it seems. I do not want to criticise or denigrate Aboriginal culture, but I have a serious concern.

This ceremony is Aboriginal religion, linked to diabolical demon spirits, portrayed to the Australian public as ancestral spirits. But when you participate in the smoking ceremony, you automatically open the door to the spirit-world, and you give millions of demons legal access into your life and your family and into society.

The result is the break-up of marriages and families. People will hear voices, have mental breakdowns, even suicides. This ceremony puts a curse on you and, sooner or later — be warned — it will catch up with you and affect your life.

Don’t Be Fooled

These spirits are not ancestral spirits at all. These spirits are deceiving mongrels, conniving, evil dogs of hell, under the control of Satan himself. I should know: I have been dealing with these spirits in people’s lives for years, and these spirits know who I am.

This smoking ceremony should also be banned from all mining operations throughout Australia. I worked at Rio Tinto Argyle diamond mine in the Kimberley from 1995 until 2005, and I witnessed a lot of marriages break up, and in 2005, the general manager and his wife broke up. Why? Every week, Indigenous people from a nearby community travel to the mine, and smoke and sprinkle water on new recruits.

The people who are performing these smoking ceremonies should be held accountable for what they have done to people and society. In the past, the smoking ceremony was performed in Parliament House in Canberra, in hospitals and police academies, right through NAIDOC week. If Aboriginal people want to continue their smoking ceremonies, it should be only be performed in their own community.

Stories From the Front Line

Two years ago, I was asked to visit a Rio Tinto mining worker here in Perth because of this very thing. It took me two day get rid of the defilement in his house. Then, while we were having a cup of tea, I asked him, ‘Where is your wife?’ He said ‘We’ve divorced.’ I then asked him where he worked and he said ‘in the Pilbara, for Rio Tinto.’

I asked, ‘Have you ever participated in an Aboriginal smoking ceremony?’ He said ‘Yes.’ I then told him, ‘You have given demonic spirits — disguised as ancestral spirits — legal access into your life, and brought the curse back to your family. You and your wife have divorced, and your grandchildren are disturbed and can’t sleep at night, and your daughter is hearing voices. These spirits come into your house through closed doors.’

Drugs also open the door to that spirit-realm as well, giving these spirits legal access into your life. Their sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. I should know, because I have been dealing with these spirits in people’s lives for over 40 years. I helped a young Noongar girl, where the mental hospital that she was attending couldn’t help her. I cast thousands of screaming demons out of her. I went to another mental asylum hospital and helped her sister come out of the same situation.

I have gone to Graylands Mental Hospital in Perth. People call this place ‘the mad house’. I helped a young Aboriginal girl from Geraldton and freed her from the same situation. Another young Aboriginal girl in her early twenties rang me and asked, ‘Can you help me please?’ I asked her, ‘What is your problem?’ She said, ‘I hear a lot of voices, telling me to throw petrol over myself and set myself alight.’ I commanded the spirits to go, and she felt them leave immediately.

Not Culture But Religion

A lot of what you see on National Indigenous TV is not actually Aboriginal culture, but is Aboriginal religion disguised. A lot of people performing on this channel are of mixed race, and don’t really know what Aboriginal culture is. They are descendants of mixed races that have not been here for 46,000 years — descendants of Irish, German, French, Italian, Afghan, English, Chinese, Japanese and many other nationalities, with some Aboriginal ancestry as well. But they have not lived a tribal lifestyle or even a semi-tribal lifestyle, and they don’t understand the religious side of tribal life.

The Aboriginal people throughout outback Australia, even the Kimberley, don’t live a traditional lifestyle anymore. They have glimpses of it, but they all now live a western lifestyle. They wear shirts and trousers, eat western food, use toilet paper, have mobile phones, live in houses, and it’s now ‘Toyota Dreaming’. Many of them still speak their own languages and practice some of their ceremonies, and many also practice witchcraft, astral projection and a lot of story-telling that is mainly myths and fables. I know, because I come from this background.

Beliefs Have Consequences

One of the Aboriginal academic activists recently made a statement that Aboriginal people need to have a voice in the government because of the extreme disadvantage which Aboriginal people are in. That is a lie. The main reason why Aboriginal communities and people are degenerating, is because of the link they are maintaining to nature-based idolatry and its consequences: spirit and snake worship and other attitudes and practices. This also includes the whole Torres Strait region.

Aboriginal people have their communities, free dental and medical treatment, get mining royalty money. They go fishing and enjoy many benefits. Who is paying for so much of this? Australian taxpayers. So, how are they disadvantaged? There are Aboriginal lawyers, doctors, dentists, pilots, musicians, artists, teachers and people in many other professions — even those who own a mining company and cattle stations.

Some of these activists need to leave their ivory palaces and come with me to meet the real Indigenous Australians where the rubber meets the road.

The Real Aboriginal Australia

In conclusion, I’d like to say that a lot of programs on the Aboriginal media are pseudo-culture. For instance, by Aboriginal law, the didgeridoo is an instrument only to be played and used by initiated men and those authorised to play it. Its origin is in the east Kimberley, Port Keats and parts of Arnhem Land in their corroborees and dances.

In certain parts of the Kimberley and throughout the desert rim, the didgeridoo is not allowed to be blown. But now other people have become ‘expert’ in blowing it all around the big cites of Australia and other parts of the world, including Japanese and Swedish people making it a commercial venture. There are even children blowing it, busking in the streets. This makes a mockery of its traditional use.

I speak for the silent majority. Many people make a big issue of Aboriginal matters like Australia Day and sporting events and don’t represent us. We don’t want to have them speak for us. The whole Australian public needs to know that the majority of Aboriginal people in the bush respect Australia Day and are concerned about current directions being portrayed in the media.

Maybe one day you will meet some of them yourself. We really value our country, Australia. We are part of this country, black, white, yellow, brown, red people together, making this country such a great place to live in. We are all Australians together. So, let the party begin.

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30 Comments

  1. Rebecca Israel 24 January 2021 at 12:57 am - Reply

    Praise the Lord!! Well spoken Rod! A real voice speaking about real things! God BLESS you and may your influence and voice reach many people here in Australia to see and hear the truth! in Jesus name!

  2. Jennette Rintoul 24 January 2021 at 10:35 am - Reply

    I’m academically educated in traditional Aboriginal culture and part Aboriginal myself, although grew up ‘white’ and did not know about this until I was 50!!! A very interesting article. Would explain the chaos and hate often displayed by “blacktavists”. Thank you for your input.

  3. John Hislop 24 January 2021 at 11:37 am - Reply

    One very sensible & knowledgeable man; as he says we are all Australians together ❤

  4. Elizabeth Abbottsmith 24 January 2021 at 12:53 pm - Reply

    So much wrong , right and at least interesting with this article.
    Love the 1 Corinthians 1:27 qualification…wisdom and humour!
    Also …how true is it that much Aboriginal law is revenge -based … not that other legal- systems are perfect!:)

    • Ken Moore 26 January 2021 at 12:23 pm - Reply

      Well written, seams to portray a very different aspect of the First Australian People. It is very interesting , if you really look at those performing the Dance, Smoking Ceremony and the MAIN VOICE ON TV, they are not BLACK, BUT VARIOUS SHADES OF A MUCH LIGHTER COLOUR. FOR THAT reason this ” White Fella” believes this version of events. The benifits given to Aboriginal Australians as described in this story is generous. Sure First White Settlers treated them EXTREMELY BAD, BUT ALSO REMEMBER MOST OF THE WHITES WERE FORCED TO COME HERE! SOME FOR STEALING A LOAF OF BREAD, BECAUSE THEY WERE JUST STARVING?
      BOTH SIDES WERE NOT TREATED FAIRLY.
      PLEASED TO READ THIS VERSION, SEEMS TRUER TO ME THAN THAT PRESENTED ON MAINSTREAM TV. WELL DONE.

  5. Augaustin Monoz Baroi 24 January 2021 at 1:08 pm - Reply

    Excellent material!
    People are exploiting Our Indigenous people for their darty interests and political purpose!

  6. Mary Lowis 24 January 2021 at 1:13 pm - Reply

    Well done good and faithful servant, keep up the good works the Lord has given you

  7. Phil 24 January 2021 at 2:22 pm - Reply

    Thanks Rodney! So much heartache and division would be avoided if folk would seriously consider your insights.

  8. Bruce Alchin 24 January 2021 at 4:05 pm - Reply

    Thanks for your contribution to this issue Rodney.

  9. sandra Shoesmith 24 January 2021 at 4:37 pm - Reply

    Amazing Rodney, I never knew this about the smoking ceremony. I have family in WA and lived there myself for a number of years. Very well said.

  10. Wayne K Denholm 25 January 2021 at 2:42 pm - Reply

    Very well stated Rodney, I never knew about the smoking ceremony either, this is very enlightening thank you for this article, it is about time the truth was told.

  11. Hazel Russell 25 January 2021 at 4:18 pm - Reply

    Excellent article

  12. Roy Markovina 25 January 2021 at 4:47 pm - Reply

    The young aboriginal guide for our bus tour group visit to Daintree Rainforest conducted a smoking ceremony. We refrained from walking through the smoke, which he stated, was to drive away evil spirits.Everyone else walked through. “Innocents abroad”!

  13. Aaron Nagas 25 January 2021 at 5:36 pm - Reply

    The majority of Aboriginal people and Aussies are not Christians, and lets be clear you don’t speak on behalf of the majority of either of those groups Rodney. That’s a pretty outrageous claim to make and how a Christian can lie so easy and be comfortable printing that is testament to the culture of money grabbing pastors/preachers all over the world exploiting people for their own good and their own ego….
    Why conservative black fellas think they speak for the silent majority when voting trends consistently show that Indigenous people vote progressive at a higher rate shows the ignorance Rodney has for reality outside his own religion because that’s who Rodney is speaking on behalf of his religion not his people and to claim otherwise is ridiculous…

    • Donald 25 January 2021 at 7:38 pm - Reply

      Our family came from a pagan worshipping culture (non Aboriginal) and I completely agree and understand what Rodney is saying. Many of these so called ‘ceremonies’ are steeped in demonic influences and truly open the participants up to the demonic world. Be warned and avoid them. Ignorance is not bliss. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”!

  14. Owen and Kay Yates 25 January 2021 at 7:20 pm - Reply

    God bless you Rodney
    pray you are super blessed by your Heavenly Father as you continue to speak out the truth
    thank God we are brothers and sisters in God’s family

  15. Wendy Maton 25 January 2021 at 8:22 pm - Reply

    So beautiful thank you. God bless

  16. Anna Soh 25 January 2021 at 8:48 pm - Reply

    I am not of Aboriginal ancestry but a migrant to Australia and now I and my family call Australia home. God has been telling me exactly what you have shared here for over 3 years. Please pray for more indigenous leaders and communities to rise up and speak this truth.
    This is so important for the future of Australia as a nation as we should be about building unity and not division. Praying for more to share this truth in as many ways as possible especially with their local Councils as that’s where most of the hypocritical acts take place and it needs to be stopped by the indigenous leaders and their communities.

  17. Jonathan 25 January 2021 at 10:41 pm - Reply

    Thank you Rodney for sharing your deep knowledge and experience and insights! May the only True Lord God, Creator of all of Life, Saviour (Jesus Christ our Redeemer) and The Holy Spirit – protect you and your loved ones as you speak Truth for our nation Australia (and others)… God bless you always, brother…

  18. Debra Mieth 25 January 2021 at 11:02 pm - Reply

    Keep talking about this. One trouble is that non-Christians will take no notice because they think they are honouring Indigenous people by letting them have smoking ceremonies. Don’t know how to get past that. Anyway, we should all pray against the practice.

  19. Keith Truscott 26 January 2021 at 10:56 am - Reply

    Well done Rodney. The last smoking ceremony in our local NAIDOC ceremony I walked away from. You are right. We have been l sold short. It is a worship of ancestral spirits and they mean to oppress and cause harm and hurt us in relationships of all sorts (business, family and community). We are being exploited for financial gain by greedy and uninformed peoples on both sides.
    I like the insight you have that many Indigenous celebrations are a celebration of Aboriginal “religion” not Aboriginal “culture” (mainly the language, hunting and food-gathering skills and knowledge). So true. As an Indigenous Pastor I say to all our mob, “It’s time to come home” to the One and only True God. The ancestral spirits have terrorised us too long. Since our forefathers left the Tower of Babel, the spirits and regional “gods” assigned to us by God have not treated us fairly but “confused” and “scattered” us and turned us away from true love, life and light. Come home to the supreme teachings and sacrificial death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He won’t exploit you or is greedy. “It’s time to come home” countrymen, come home to the true “God”, through the Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

  20. Catherine Philpot 26 January 2021 at 12:22 pm - Reply

    Hey Rodney, I have not walked in your shoes and so I will not question what has been real to you about the presence of the demonic in smoking ceremonies. I have walked in different shoes where I have been loved and ministered to by aboriginal Christian leaders (I myself am non-indigenous). Jesus is in their actions, in their words and yet they feel free to participate in smoking cermeonies. There is no question for them that it is Jesus that they serve when they use smoking ceremonies as a way of connecting and inviting people from indigenous background to worship Jesus with them. This conversation reminds me of the way modern day Christians have been accused of syncretism for allegedly integrating symbols associated with the worship of the Goddess Ishtar into Easter celebrations. But both conversations point back even further to the division that existed in the early church over the eating of meat that had been sacrificed to idols (Rom 14; 1 Cor 8). Paul’s advice here suggests to me that the most important thing for Christians, whether we participate in something that has been associated with other religious worship or not, is that we love, both God and one another. For this reason, the only thing that I would ask is that as you speak of what you have seen and believed you remember that others have seen and believed differently. Continue to work to find ways of loving them in your speech and your writings in the same way as I am hopeful you do in your practice. I pray that we all do the same.

  21. Donna 29 January 2021 at 7:25 pm - Reply

    Christianity and idolatróus practices do not mix. Thank you for ministering the Truth of God to these people made and loved completely by their Loving Father-Creator. You love them enough to speak theTruth and to deliver them through Jesus.

  22. Margaret Cullen 9 September 2021 at 2:51 pm - Reply

    Whites have been here for 250 yrs , indigenous people have been here for over 100,000 yrs. You only look foolish making assumptions on anything you know nothing about. Don’t.

    • Christine Crawford 19 August 2024 at 10:45 am - Reply

      Yes, when people make assumptions about time lines they make themselves look foolish. Where is your evidence of the arrival of the 1st Aboriginals, please.

  23. Richard L. Pike 29 September 2021 at 6:46 pm - Reply

    Hallo Rodney,
    I came across you unexpectedly. It is a long time since we met. Trust you, your wife and family are well.

    Pr. Richard L. Pike

  24. William van der Graaf 5 November 2022 at 12:35 pm - Reply

    A very sobering assessment.
    God’s own word, if taken seriously, also shows that our common ancestors are Noah and his family ( going back to Adam and Eve).
    We are one human race and none of our ancestors go back 40 thousand years.
    Don’t swallow atheist doctrine, especially unwittingly.

  25. Christine Crawford 29 December 2023 at 10:28 am - Reply

    Seems like this is a very contentious issue! Maybe the article should conclude with a Selah! (Stop and ponder upon this).

  26. Tony Overheu 24 May 2024 at 10:01 pm - Reply

    Have become aware of Creation Ministries International over past 8 years. Been on couple of geology trips. This mob are highly credible with a range of relevant trainings & expertise. Deepened my faith by getting clear what’s in the Bible can be entirely relied on, ie mankind was only introduced here about 6000 years ago. Carbon dating can’t be relied on.
    By understanding how DNA works we now know cells only ever become less not more. Evolution theory doesn’t stack up. Darwin & Al Gore (think climate alarmism) are 2 of history’s great charlatans.
    Sorry the 40 or 100,000 years is recent activist speak as is the borrowed Canadian first nations tag.
    Before 1788 there were numerous aboriginal groups pretty much all over Aus but nothing with the characteristics of a nation. That didn’t kick off in 1901.
    I’m 100% European/Oz, 4th generation white bloke. Over 150 years our mob have interacted with Aus Aboriginal all over WA. I have huge respect for them. So many’ve had a rough go since 1788 but life was even worse under the demonic many endured previously. Mum’s 1920s Marble Bar stories were grim.

    • Christine Crawford 19 August 2024 at 10:46 am - Reply

      Good onya Tony.

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