One of the things that we need to work on, continually, is preserving our sense of honour, decency and justice. Our sense that we are doing good, and that this world is worth it. The kangaroo courts can turn lethal, and we are all vulnerable to them. It may be that we can turn them against those of the left who are antichristian, but it is far better not to have such courts at all.
To clarify something from yesterday: I consider the Australian law on hate speech (18c) repugnant. I also know that the left love it enough to put posters defending it up.
We don’t have a Senate in NZ. We don’t have hate speech laws. Instead we have commissioners, who are converged, biased, and are mistrusted. It would be better if they were corrupt: we could then ensure that they went away.
With the Senate voting down the Coalition’s proposed reforms to section 18C, the battle lines for free speech have now been drawn: on one side we have the free speech true believers, and on the other we have those who campaign for government control over what we can or can’t say. The Senate decision is a blow to all who campaigned to reverse the destructive and chilling effect 18C has on public discourse.
To make matters worse, shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus QC gave an indication that Labor would be open to consolidation of discrimination legislation such that offence laws like 18C would also cover sexual orientation, gender, age and disability should they win government. If this were to happen, any chance of a public debate on same-sex marriage would go out the window along with the freedom for religions to speak publicly about their beliefs. Labor MP Anne Aly went further with her suggestion that there is scope for religion to be included in any extension of the legislation, which would in essence be a form of blasphemy law.
So, how then should we live?
The narrative wants us to be cowards, unable to speak truth for it will insult others, unable to admire beauty, divided, and isolated. Forget those commands.
Let us live in unity, truth, beauty and joy.
1Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
2I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
10I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it. 11Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. 12I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. 13I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
3Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
You can tell when a law is evil. It has a twitter hashtag. But twitter is not real life. Twitter is for virtue signals and trolls. And splinter groups, proclaiming that we should worship the neuroses of minorities, are not talking of truth, or honour, or beauty, or unity.
The billboard, to be rolled out in multicultural electorates in western Sydney and Melbourne from Thursday, is part of the activist group’s racial justice campaign, including its efforts to retain prohibitions on speech that insults, offends, humiliates or intimidates based on a person’s race.
But despite the majority of formal submissions opposing the repeal of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, the freedom of speech inquiry considering the provision has been inundated with 7,775 form letters in favour of repeal.
GetUp’s human rights director, Shen Narayanasamy, criticised the prime minister on his “weak response” to Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily banning travel from a group of majority-Muslim countries and accused him of “cosying up to One Nation”.
“The Coalition is trying to make short-term gains from Trump-style divisiveness … but we are determined to show that there are long-term electoral costs associated with victimising minorities.”
Guys, the racist card is stale. Your narrative is false. Your lies are apparent, and you clearly have too much money if you can afford billboards in the Western Suburbs of Sydney.
It is far better to look to Christ, who died for us all, regardless of our besetting sins, our tribes, and what sins our forefathers did. Our unity is in Christ. it is not in the spiral of virtue, and the current accepted hypocrisies.
None of us are perfect. We are all prone to the flaws of our fallen state. Turn to Christ, For he is the only healing of the nations: and the beauty in this world speaks of him. Perhaps that is why the left hate it so.