Christian Lobby enlists usual suspects

Christian Lobby enlists usual suspects

The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) is urging supporters to petition the Labor Party against changing its policy on marriage at its National Conference next month and has produced a video featuring “prominent Australians” to support it.

The ACL enlisted former Nationals leader John Anderson in the video to lobby Labor. The only Labor politician willing to take part was Tasmanian senator Helen Polley.

“Having been in public life for a long time I think there are certainly limits to the ways in which the state should interfere in people’s private lives,” Anderson said.

“However, I think it’s critical that the state stand up for those that are too young to speak for themselves.”

Polley said she had been married for 35 years and that marriage was “the cornerstone of our society” and where children learned about morality.

“With all the discussion and debate over the issue of marriage and the definition, I’ve heard no arguments from the community to want to change my view on why it is so important that we keep marriage as what it is currently,” Polley said.

Also appearing in the video were Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association national secretary Joe de Bruyn, Sydney Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen, and pastors Darlene and Mark Zschech of Hope Unlimited Church.

The ACL has called on members to sign the petition following its own national conference, where de Bruyn said Labor was under intense pressure for change.

“Mr de Bruyn said that the only hope of stopping such a change is to demonstrate that it would be electoral suicide to do so,” the ACL website said.

The petition so far has around 35,000 signatures and the ACL is hoping for 100,000 signatures by the end of November.

A GetUp! petition in support of marriage equality has been signed by more than 76,000 people.

18 responses to “Christian Lobby enlists usual suspects”

  1. We are fortifying the front lines and digging the trenches for the next LNP onslaught in Darkest Queensland.

  2. Thanks for that post Peter and the history.

    The time has come when the majority of people in Australia are demanding for us to have equal rights. Christian hate groups are a dying bunch, as so many Christians are taking great offence to the cruelty of those groups. My first great love paid with his life for being openly gay, and sadly some people still do. But the times are changing! We can all look to a very bright future now ;-)

  3. Good on you Dave for your continual support!

    Oliver seems to think that Gay citizens are also treated equally by the Police.

    In Queensland before the ’89 State Elections, there was a group of elderly Gay’s with not much time left on this earth, (rest their souls), who meant business, who were preparing to confront their bigoted detractors, and not just with sharp tongues or sticks either.

    You see, these wicked, wicked religious were calling for the Whips and Stocks for Gay’s and one, (Buckle Of The Bible Belt) LNP Politician from the Deep North of Queensland, wanted to exile all Gays to a desert island.

    Just a small but significant, unwritten piece of Gay history from Darkest Queensland.

  4. Oh a big Moo from Oliver! Bit of a long fart also, keep Mooing Oliver, no person is stopping you.

  5. Dave, I was wondering when you would come out with your usual “millions of christians support Gay marriage” routine, like youve said in many many previous posts. Gay marriage may come about in Australia one day, doesnt mean that I agree with it, and I dont.

  6. Perhaps the Australian Christian Lobby has more chance of selling sand in the desert, then it does of stopping equality for Australians.

  7. Things must be getting desperate in the Happy Clapper land.

    Millions of Christians across Australia support equality as the polls show us, so the only conclusion I can see is that the Australian Christian Lobby are not speaking for the dominant Christian position in Australia- that same-sex couples be allowed to marry.

    I am sorry but one Bishop, an ultra-conservative Catholic Unionist, and two happy clapper pastors, does not compete with the millions of Christians who support equality including my local Bishop. Even a local Priest was on the front page of our local paper arguing for Same-Sex Marriage, and it was a Priest who at the Rudd 20/20 Summit, argued for Same-Sex Marriage, and the report showed 99% of people agreed.

    So Anderson can moo like a cow all he wants, but he has not convinced me discrimination is valid, nor the vast majority of Christians. But keep mooing all the same, and I will sit back and smile.

    This is a total laugh!

  8. Dont be fooled people, the ACL’s talk of “showing compassion and respect to same sex attracted people” is just a front. These are the same people that would still be burning us at the stake if they had the chance, you dont have to go far beneath the surface to see their true convictions. They are worthy of nothing but contempt for promoting discrimination and hatred of gay people. These are the same people who have stoked the fires of hatred against us that has seen many of us bashed, abused and worse, murdered.

  9. A right-wing bigoted piece of propaganda window dressed with “concerned looking heterosexual famillies” and god botherers totally contradicting themselves every time they open their mealy mouths. The fight isnt over bigots, not by a LONG shot :)

  10. Archbishop Jensen’s claim that the law states that marriage is between a man and a woman conveniently ignores the fact that definition was made by a change to the Marriage Act in 2004 by Howard’s government with the support of, sadly, the ALP.

    I thought John Anderson’s bit was very middle of the road and could almost be used in pro-gay video especially one about youth self-harm.

    That teenage number on the right hand of the group in the opening group shot looks kinda fem to me. Hope is Christian Taliban parents aren’t too upset in the future. Perhaps we should send them PFLAG leaflets now.

  11. “The ACL enlisted former Nationals leader John Anderson in the video to lobby Labor.”

    Oh thanks that is the best laugh I have had in ages, Anderson telling Labor what to do is bound to have a marked effect on many delegates :-)

    I would love to watch the video.

  12. Dear Senator Polley;

    Your participation in the Dominionist’s ACL advert opposing same sex marriage is an abhorrent attack on the principles of the ALP. Opposing equality is not something to be proud of. Your stating that you have not heard any arguments to convince you is unsurprising given the people that you are willing to be associated with in public indicates that you have not been looking at the wealth of published peer reviewed research available but rather resort to listening to people with invisible friends that believe in fairytales. You have successfully mobilised enough disgust towards you that you will not be able to get a winnable position on the Senate list for the next election.

    Derek McCue

    A copy of the email I sent

  13. Hey, bigots: look around. You are too late. The horse has already bolted. Marriage has already changed in many countries around the world. It is only a matter of other more enlightened parts of the civilised world.

    This notion that sectarian bigots and unrepresentative lobbyists for the supernatural seem to cling to – of an isolated ‘Australian’ version of marriage fossilised in amber – is made to look foolish and totally unrealistic when the likes of Conservative UK Prime Minister David Cameron stands up in favour of same-sex marriage as a conservative ideal and civil good.

    Bigots, your tired circular self-justifying dominionist arguments are a furphy; your evident devotion to this pinnacle of discrimination against same-sex couples is offensive and disgraceful.

  14. Way pst time the gay community drew a line in the sand with regards to people with invisible friends. Lets take the gloves off now. There are no healthy or safe levels of belief and religious belief has repeatedly been demonstrated to be a risk factor for depression and suicide in same sex attracted young people. Gay’s that believe in god are the enemy within.

  15. To those who are opposed to same-sex marriage because of their view that “marriage is the cornerstone of society” and similar BS I only have two words to say:

    KIM KARDASHIAN

  16. What a sanctimonious, selfish bunch of god-bothering wankers. I can’t believe the increasing dislike I feel for ‘Christians’.

    You would think we were campaigning to have Christianity abolished.