There has been a lot of noise over the last couple of days about the lobbying efforts of the ACL, Australian Christian Lobby, in their attempts to stop posters being displayed of depicting 2 fully clothed men embracing, as part of a safe sex campaign.
The company targeted was Adshel, who own most of the bus shelters you see on your travels, and therefore control the advertising displayed on them. I won’t go into the whole series of events, however the posters were going up, then they weren’t, and now they are. Below is a picture of the poster that all the fuss is about.
This brought up all sorts of social commentary regarding the power of the ACL, homophobia, freedom of expression, and the act of pushing ones beliefs on others. But so it should, these are issues we need to reflect on from time to time.
However, this campaign by the ACL does raise other issues, issues that most people seem to have missed.
Do the ACL have a right to behave this way?
Of course they do, they can say or do as they please… Do we not live in a free country after all?
To those of you who think that the ACL should not be allowed to protest about something they find offensive, remember this, by complaining about their protest, you are actually doing the same as they are, protesting that you are offended by their decision to air their beliefs.
I am not saying that their protest is right, but they do have the right to protest. If companies like Adshel crumble under the pressure, so be it. If we want freedom of religion in this country, then this is just what we have to put up with from time to time. And if we occassionally have to persuade companies like Adshel not to bow to extremism, then that’s just the way it goes.
Those of you who know my religious views may be surprised to see me sticking up for an organisation such as the ACL, but first and foremost, I do believe in equal rights.
In fact, I think that the ACL’s actions are fantastic and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Every time the ACL, or some other Christian Lobby group, or Christian Political Party does something like this, or tells people on ANZAC Day, that our diggers didn’t fight and die for gay marriage or asylum seekers, I smile.
I smile because it shines a light on what a bunch of arrogant, bigoted, and hateful people they truly are.
While I will fight for their right to a voice, I am hoping that each time that voice is heard, less people want to listen to it.
Anyway, is anybody really surprised about this? A Christian group not liking gays… really?
A Christian group not caring about Aids victims or promoting a safe sex message… Come on?
Can anybody remind me of where the Vatican stands on the use of Condoms? Or gays for that matter?
Why don’t people fire up about their blatant homophobia? I’m reasonably sure the Pope has a slightly greater influence than the ACL or Adshel.
But then again, The Catholic Church does tend to turn a blind eye to evil within its own ranks.
The other thing that people should be carefully considering, is how much political power they want to give organisations like this.
The parties that these groups, and others like them endorse, make up parties in the Coalition. They are pushing extra hard now as we have a religious nut as Leader of this coalition of crazy parties.
When the coalition were in power, we didn’t hear from them as much, but we did see their wishes being granted. Like John Howard putting the chaplaincy programme into schools, or even Tony Abbott as health minister, ignoring the lead of other western countries and banning the abortion pill RU486.
In fact, there is a fight going on currently in the electorate near to mine, Berowa, which is an example of the direction the Liberal Party is headed.
Phillip Ruddock, is fighting hard to hang onto his endorsement in his branch currently. He is fighting against two former Family First candidates for the Liberal endorsement. There have been close to a hundred new membership applications for this branch, with the Liberal Party saying that the majority of the applicants are members of Opus Dei, an extremist religious group.
Mr Ruddock, in a desperate bid to hang on to his seat, wrote a letter to the branch saying, “Contesting against the party and actively supporting candidates who do is against our party’s constitution,” in reference to the previously Family First candidates.
“It also undermines our ability to win elections and defeat the Labor Party. I am concerned at these developments, as I am concerned at the volume of new membership applications that have appeared for the Glenorie branch, suddenly and at the same time. I am aware that family members of both candidates are also attempting to join.”
Mr Ruddock urged Glenorie Liberals “to be rigorous in its scrutiny of applications” for membership.
Anyway, those of us from this area, know the relationship of the Liberal Party to these extremist groups. A party that used to pride itself on being conservative, is rapidly becoming a party of extremism.
Both John Howard, and Peter Costello, spoke on separate occasions at Hillsong, a religious cult with extreme views and dodgy financial arrangements. In fact there have been several Liberal Party MP’s as members of this cult. In fact, come election time, who does Hillsong ask its members to vote for? You probably assume Family First, or Christian Democrats??? No, Hillsong members are asked to vote for the party that the cult have the largest influence over, The Liberal Party. “How do I know this?” you may well ask, my sister is one of them.
So, if you are angry at the Australian Christian Lobby, and are sick of hearing their bigoted views, please consider how much influence you would like them to have next time you vote.
As an afterthought, I find it interesting that this act of hatred, and that is what it is, came from the Christians, but not Muslims…. After all aren’t we always being told that the Christians are all about love, and the Muslims all about hatred and fear???
Hmmm
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