Myth: Jesus Never Said Anything About Homosexuality
Although Jesus does not specifically use the word “homosexuality,” it’s imperative to understand that the failure to use a term does not indicate a failure to teach on a topic.
New Attacks on our Freedom of Conscience
Last week the Federal Group denied service to a Coalition for Marriage gathering. The Plenary Hall at Wrest Point Casino was booked and paid for, and then cancelled forty-eight hours before the event. The University of Tasmania was approached. The Stanley Burbury Theatre was free, but the University also denied service. The event “did not fit within the terms of hire for university facilities.” Thankfully the Vice-Chancellor reviewed the refusal, and the evening went ahead. We could say a lot about the Federal Group’s discourteousness, cancelling very late a booking made in good faith. And we could say a lot…
The Moral Malaise in Public Life
In 1916 and 1917, during World War I, Australia went through two divisive referenda dealing with the issue of whether men could be conscripted for overseas service. In 2017 we have gone through a divisive plebiscite on the issue of whether only heterosexual couples can legally marry. One of the strange features of the whole business was the numerous expressions of moral outrage without any basis in a thought-out moral system. This is disturbing but hardly surprising. Unaccustomed as one is to agreeing with anything David Marr comes up with, he did recently point out in the Guardian that the…
The slope we’re already sliding down
Have you ever been scolded for using the infamous “Slippery Slope Argument” when debating Same-Sex Marriage? Do you remember the good old days when people naively thought that “love is love” and “equality for all” only counted for same-sex couples? Yeah, about that… Yesterday, the ABC introduced their readers to Andrew, a divorced man who felt “unable to express himself” in marriage. Andrew said, “I felt this whole expectation you will find everything in one person to be a little unrealistic.” After doing away with the “illusion” of the monogamous paradigm, Andrew discovered, what he described as “the most deeply…
Campbell Markham Speaks on Freedom of Religion
Campbell Markham speaks on Freedom of Religon at the More Than Marriage event held on Saturday 23 September 2017. “There are many people, perhaps in this room, who lament that the debate over marriage is not an even fight. Because those who want to redefine marriage – they’ve got the opinion polls on their side, they’ve got Facebook and Apple and Airbnb on their side. They’ve got the Prime Minister and the opposition leader on their side. They’ve got Fairfax and the ABC and SBS on their side. They’ve got Quantas and the AFL and the Wallabies on their side,…
Dr Pansy Lai speaks on Safe Schools
Dr Pansy Lai speaking on Safe Schools at the More Than Marriage event held on Saturday 23 September 2017.
Two mothers can’t replace a father. Two fathers can’t replace a mother.
Are mothers and fathers replaceable, or do they both play a unique role in the lives of their children? Can two fathers replace a mother? Can two mothers replace a father? Consider the following statistics which demonstrate the tragic outcome of fatherless homes: 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of the Census 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes. Source: Criminal Justice & Behaviour, Vol 14, pp. 403-26, 1978 71% of pregnant teenagers lack a father. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human…
Love is love: Nobody believes that
If “love is love” is a sufficient enough reason to redefine marriage for same-sex couples, then it’s also a sufficient enough reason to redefine marriage for throuples. If “love” is the qualifier, and if we dare not impose our definition of love on others, then how can we prevent anyone from calling anything “marriage” and demanding equal recognition? Should we allow siblings to marry, provided they love each other? After all, love is love. What about the man from South Korea who married a pillow? Should we recognise this as a true marriage, or do we deny him that “human…