You know that things have really spiralled downward when Princeton atheist and bioethicist — Peter Singer — is defending Israel Folau and his freedom to express his Christian convictions. Singer writes:
[Folau’s] post no more expresses hatred toward homosexuals than cigarette warnings express hatred toward smokers.
The only rational reason that anyone would get so upset about Folau’s post is if you actually believe that he is speaking the truth about heaven and hell. Singer continues:
[Folau’s beliefs] do not trouble me, because there is, in my view, no god, no afterlife, and no hell. Nor do I differentiate, ethically, between homosexual and heterosexual relationships.
And for all those who suggest that Folau’s Instagram post will lead to an avalanche of mental health problems for those engaged in homosexual relationships, it is only logical to conclude that the other seven categories of people will suffer from the same consequences.
As Singer continues:
[Folau] even tells homosexuals that Jesus loves them, and calls on them to repent so that they can avoid burning in hell for eternity. That doesn’t sound like hate speech.
In fact, Singer is exactly right. It sounds a lot more like ‘love speech’ than ‘hate speech.’ Just as a tsunami or earthquake warning is a blessing, so is Folau’s post, if it is indeed true.
And shouldn’t we be listening to Folau’s perspective if he is indeed a member of an ethnic and religious minority?
- Israel Folau is ethnically an islander — The 2011 census recorded 9211 Australian-born Tongans living in Australia (0.004% of the Australian population).
- McCrindle research suggests that only 9 per cent of Australians are strongly active and practising Christians.
Israel is not only an ethnic minority but also a religious minority. And yet he is being attacked left, right and centre for his beliefs, which are protected by legislation.
Article 27 of the Australian Government Civil and Political Human Rights Covenant states:
In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of the group. to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practise their own religion, or to use their own language.
We have descended to a point where any perspective that differs from your own can be considered ‘hate speech.’
As we’ve come to see, the Israel Folau case is the tip of the iceberg. The social climate has been brewing like this for nearly a decade. What started off as a campaign to legalise same-sex marriage progressed to being a campaign for the endorsement of homosexuality.
It has gone one step further now — the secular Left must censor any perspective that does not accord with their radical ideology.
Things have gone so downward that the Princeton philosopher —who has been renown for open advocation of homosexuality, bestiality and infanticide — is now openly defending Christianity.
When atheists start to defend Christianity, you know the world truly has gone mad.