My father was a Christian. While not necessarily wedded to the Anglican Church, of which he was an active member, he believed in the virgin birth, the resurrection and the ascension. More than that, he believed in the 10 commandments - and strived to live according to what he saw as Christian principles

He is no longer a Christian, but still tries to live according to what he perceives as Christian principles, actively rejecting those teachings of the Church that he sees as flying in the face of those principles.

Read more from Philosophically Yours: How's your father? Part 4

For as long as I can remember, my father was a joiner. When I was at school, he was on the Parents and Citizens Association committee, often as president. As I have explained previously, he was an active member of Rostrum, the Anglican Synod, the State School Teachers Union, The Australian Labor Party and countless other community organisations. Today, as an old man, he is still a member of many, including a golf club and a retired superannuants group.

But there's little my father has been more passionate about than his association with the Australian Labor Party, his deep belief in socialist principles and his commitment to the importance of equality of opportunity. I would still describe him as an ardent socialist, despite no longer being involved in politics on any level.

These are all indications of my father’s commitment to values. The Church was a source of values and even though he is no longer a Christian, my father would still argue that, at its best, the Church could contribute to a more moral society. Certainly, he saw real merit in the last five commandments and the way in which Jesus Christ was reported to have lived his life.

Joining a raft of organisations was a reflection of my father’s belief in the importance of community. He feels that everyone with the means (intellect, money, time and/or skills) has a responsibility to engage with the community and help build a better, stronger one. To this day, he believes in community and in the importance of contributing to it for the benefit of all.

The belief in the socialist cause was driven by my father’s dislike of injustice and, in particular, inequality. One of the first philosophies I can remember my father sharing with me related to all people having the right to equality of opportunity. He would always draw a distinction between people being equal (which clearly, they are not) and people having access to the same opportunities.

For my father, the Australian Labor Party represents the best avenue for promoting the values he believes in, building community and driving equality of opportunity.

All of this reflects my father's commitment to his values. I can remember understanding from a young age that if you were not true to your values, you were lost. While I did not understand it then, I do now. One must identify his or her values and then do everything possible to live to them – ultimately, an individual’s happiness is dependent on doing just that.

This does not mean that my father and I shared exactly the same values.

While I was once a Christian, I rejected my faith at the age of 15, largely because I disagreed with most of the values that the Church communicated - and despised the values reflected in its behaviour, and that of its followers. I see nothing Christ-like in any church. I also see no evidence that there is a God and little evidence that Christ ever existed.

I understand the value of community, but despise being a part of them. I would rather be alone. Having said that, I understand that the world operates more smoothly when there is a sense of community. Unfortunately, given the self-centred focus of most people, community rarely works as well as it should.

I am certainly a committed socialist, but rather that equality of opportunity, I believe in equity. It's the idea that everyone should be lifted up to a level where equality of opportunity is a natural outcome. I was a member of the Labor Party for 25 years, but, unlike my father, I no longer view it as having any more soul than its conservative opponents. It is just an alternative road to power.

My father and I have different values and we have addressed them differently, but I have learned from him that there is nothing more important than values, other than living by them without making excuses.

This is another reason I have no time for Christianity. Christians are always making excuses for why they are not living according to the edicts of their teacher.

I know my values. While I sometimes fail to live up to them, I work hard at it and never excuse myself when I don’t.

I have also learned from my father not to judge people by their wealth, colour, gender, occupation, political beliefs or religious beliefs, but by their values and the effort they put into living by them.