tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693742778563780070.post6755125337504952496..comments2023-07-28T01:11:06.534+10:00Comments on Only the Depth Varies: Sticks & StonesSal Pirachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12020333218958938969noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693742778563780070.post-2091019556216030192012-06-20T01:11:41.331+10:002012-06-20T01:11:41.331+10:00The ACL will say that they don't hate gays. Th...The ACL will say that they don't hate gays. They will say, like many other good Christian folk, "Love the sinner, hate the sin". It's a popular saying in Christian circles. And when they say these words, they truly believe with all their heart that they are being loving, enlightened, hip and Christ-like! They have absolutely NO CLUE that the mere mention of the words "sin" and "sinner" immediately places the gay person in a category that makes them feel inferior, unacceptable, ashamed and dirty. Inferior, unacceptable, ashamed and dirty because they LOVE someone who happens to be of the same sex. Work that one out!Sharonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693742778563780070.post-64162544309430524622012-06-15T14:20:59.838+10:002012-06-15T14:20:59.838+10:00Thanks for your thoughtful contribution, Chris. It...Thanks for your thoughtful contribution, Chris. It's very much appreciated.Sal Pirachahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12020333218958938969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693742778563780070.post-29130832822210182622012-06-15T11:14:39.843+10:002012-06-15T11:14:39.843+10:00They wouldn’t be able to hide behind religion or c...They wouldn’t be able to hide behind religion or claim that Aboriginals chose to be that way and would for once, no matter the ACL’s connections and financial contributors, they would be held accountable for what they have said or at least they would finally be portrayed for what their lobby group are and who they actually represent by the main stream media. <br /><br />If this happened, it wouldn’t be long before they stopped being looked at as the voice of Christian or Moral values and they would be left out in the fringe where they belong. No amount of victim card playing would help them then.<br /><br />But they aren't talking about Aboriginal or some other rights issues and sadly it just reinforces how far we as a country have to go on the issue of gay rights. <br /><br />Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want Jim or any member of the ACL censored, far from it. They deserve the right to have their voice heard just like everyone else. What should happen is their voice should be heard in the proper context, not shrouded by the guise they operate under today. <br /><br />I hate to be so blunt, but I’ve never felt luckier to be an Australian-born white heterosexual male in my life. Nobody has stopped me from marrying the love of my life and I grew up without having to face any issues about “going home to my country” and was reasonably unscathed from bullying. <br /><br />I wish that wasn’t how the world worked and I know that I can’t change that, but it won’t stop me from doing all I can in the pursuit of equal rights for all. <br /><br />At first, as a Christian (please don’t dismiss what I’m about to say after using that phrase) I was uneasy with the notion of opposing the ACL, but a quick fact check and a read of their website (at the time on the matter of Internet Censorship) and seeing the level of deceit and dishonesty used in their campaigns it was clear very quickly that they didn’t represent the majority of Christians, not even close. And certainly not me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17585880278200170159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6693742778563780070.post-81745080024809091762012-06-15T11:14:09.093+10:002012-06-15T11:14:09.093+10:00Jim's problem is that he is so used to being s...Jim's problem is that he is so used to being surrounded by people that blindly accept what he says (be it later in his military days or his tenure at the ACL) that his comments are not only accepted but applauded and any kind of claim he makes is gobbled up quickly as fact to support their position. <br /><br />When he makes the same comments or claims on say Sunrise or media releases on their website where he doesn't have this security blanket of yes men things get interesting (laughable but at the same time outrageous).<br /><br />I believe things like the Nazi comment, the Anzac Day tweet, his blaming gays for child abuse in the churches @ FORT, supporting church schools rights to expel openly gay students etc, the reactions he gets to these comments outside his circle must genuinely surprise him because he's not encountered that kind of resistance or thirst fact checking when he's made those comments privately.<br /><br />It's got to the stage that I don't know if he is playing a publicity game or he honestly believes that he and the ACL are the victims and aren't gay haters (despite the long list of public comments/campaigns to the contrary). That to me is the scariest thing of all. Are the ACL really that deluded or just incredibly dishonest?<br /><br />I'm still waiting for him and the ACL to be held accountable for the hate messages they spread, but scripture and religion is apparently a wonderful shield. That and gay rights still have a long way to go in Australia. <br /><br />If it was any other issue that, like gay marriage, didn’t affect the ACL in the slightest yet they had inserted themselves into the debate, like say Aboriginal rights, Jim would be stopped and fact checked at every step and when his claims are found to be unsubstantiated, incorrectly extrapolated or just plain false and he would be held accountable. <br /><br />Imagine what would happen if Jim or other vocal ACL members had applied some of the comments they’ve made on the issue of same sex anything to Aboriginal Rights (supporting the expulsion of students from church schools for being openly Aboriginal, Aboriginals adopting children is child abuse etc).<br /><br />Cont…Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17585880278200170159noreply@blogger.com