Atheist Age

Australia’s Religious Right: how we forget

So. A new year and a new decade. Now with Tony Abbott’s conservative front bench line up dragging skeletons from the closet Aussies should be distinctly uneasy. The real question however, is about Rudd.

Is he any better a leader than John Howard? Now that the honeymoon’s over, we can see how skilled Howard was in [excuse me] bitch slapping the theocrats, so Johnny always came out on top. But Rudd has overseen homophobia and bigotry not as tools to ensure he can call in favours, but as policy initiatives. Where Howard danced with the conservatives, Rudd seemingly did – and does – what  they want.

In 2009 for the first time in our nations history we offered “therapy for homosexuality” – via prayer in an arena of public health. That area? Parental fear of immoral behaviour in offspring. Namely drug use – the media staple diet. Not just faith healing, but Sin Stopping. Focus on the Family offer this bigoted archaism in a package of god-fearing conservatism that makes Scientology’s recruitment via Crimanon [prisoners] and Narcanon [drug dependents] look inviting.

I thought I might revisit some old episodes from prior incarnations and wonder…

• From December 12th, 2007:

The Religious Right in Australia has had a free ride under the previous Howard Government. Largely acknowledged as exploiting Australians ignorance of this dynamic it is not just the average Sport mad Aussie who must take responsibility for the gradual erosion of our lifestyle and the rise of USA Fundamentalism. Kennedy’s April 27th, 1961 Free Press speech is the opening piece to remind us what true leaders sound like.

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In this first of a three part series, Firesnake examines the main scam artists, the true believers, their steady rise and the dangerous game played by “the law and the prophets” Howard, in currying votes and pushing his 1950′s Leave It To Beaver image of our future. Suffice it to say, our new PM, Kevin Rudd, has long noted this unacceptable situation writing on the “hijacking” of values in early 2005. To say we came dangerously close to capitulation to corrupt and controlling zealots who did more to keep Costello out of The Lodge than Howard is a significant understatement.

It’s understandable Bruce and Sharon Oz are – well pretty dumb, when it comes to understanding hundreds of thousands of their neighbours crave biblical values, Book of Revelations observance and a return to middle ages values. Despite the silliness of what can only be described as bigotry, intolerance and intellectual cowardice we in Australia know this puerility as “Family Values”. From Marion Maddox’s review of God Under Howard – the rise of the religious right in Australia [Google Book here]:

Many voters had never heard of the Family First party before the 2004 election. When candidate Steven Fielding won a Victorian Senate seat (due to an ALP preference deal gone wrong), many Australians thought that a far-right, Christian-based morality had suddenly landed in our political system. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Since 1996, John Howard’s Liberal Party has been slowly importing US Christian Right values and our media has barely registered this profound shift in social and public policy. ALP Foreign Affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd recently wrote that the Liberal Party’s newfound message is that if you believe in “family values” and “moral values”, the Coalition is the only party for you. “It is based on the false proposition,” Rudd argued, “that somehow God has become the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Liberal Party.” Separation of church and state, the natural order under secular democracy, is being challenged from within.

It is further understandable because not only is this all done with deceptive skill, but our journalists and media outlets have been profoundly ignorant if not – in the case of Murdoch tabloids – compliant. There are 21 groups who tend to aggressively lobby for government favour in undermining progressive democratic values such as the choice of abortion, stem cell research, gay rights, equal rights for unmarried couples, human rights for refugees, disabled, addicted, immigrant – indeed any marginalised group not perceived to fit behind a picket fence with 1.4 kids and a “stay at home mum”. If it’s not in the bible, it’s not welcome.

And, who did you vote for dear reader – Family First [everybody else second], Howard, Labour or the guys with exponentially rising membership – The Secular Party, arriving to clean up the mess you have allowed to befoul our fine – if Human Rights breaching – economy worshipping nation?

Take this fairly run of the mill aim from Creation Ministries:

“to bring reformation by restoring the foundations of our faith which are contained in the book of Genesis.”

Or Exodus Asia:

“to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by proclaiming His desire and incredible power to release people from homosexuality.”

Or the innocent sounding Family First Party – better known as almost securing a Senate seat for  ["I can raise the dead"] Mr. Nalliah, who we all know and love for his Holocaust denying antics and racial vilification. Calling Muslims drug dealers and terrorists, claiming casinos are the “Home of Satan”, telling christians to bomb mosques, demanding we close bottle-shops, claiming visits from God and ranting on with fallacious claims to have personally advised Bill Clinton in the rescue of hostages from the Middle East.

So, what do Family First want?

‘… to make sure every piece of legislation helps every Australian family reach their potential’. In practice, the FFP promotes a strong Religious Right agenda, including opposition to school sex education, euthanasia and prostitution, and outspoken support for censorship’.

No surprise then, a member of one of these groups [The Australian Family Association] Bill Muehlenberg who refuses to publish non compliant comments on his own fundamentalist site considers it “fiction”. Readers comments at Online opinion seem to disagree with his views. The AFA is described thusly:
An off-shoot of the Catholic-based National Civic Council founded by Bob Santamaria. Bill Muehlenberg is the main national Spokesperson, but the group also has spokespersons in various States.

Now, one must wonder how here in the land of the Fair Go, we are 2nd in line behind the USA for loopy fruitcakes who also lie, scam and abuse traditional trust in “Christian” faith with tripe like the following, designed to justify why God misread the election result, after a quick visit and the “prophetic message” Nalliah passed onto Howard:

I kept asking the Lord, “DID I GET IT WRONG????…. Around 5.00 am on Sunday morning, I begin to hear the voice of God say, “Why are you so downcast, rise up and fight. The word you received was from Me. Did not I confirm it through many of My servants?

At this point I said, “Lord, why is it when the Body of Christ comes together to pray for rain, You answer our prayers so quickly?? The words from the Lord came to me, “For My people are united when they pray for rain.? At this moment I felt so prompted to read the prophetic word from the Lord regarding the election that I released on 11th August 2007.

As I begin reading the prophetic word from the Lord, I was greatly stirred in my spirit to read the following words that I had stated, “I will boldly declare that PM John Howard will be re-elected in the Nov election – ‘IF THE BODY OF CHRIST UNITES IN PRAYER AND ACTION.’
Again I heard the voice of the Lord, “For My people were not united in prayer and action for this election. If they were, they would have experienced spiritual revival under My freedom reigning in this nation, but now My people have chosen another way. They have not voted for My will, but for self gain and personal change?

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Tags: Audio, Church/State, Faith Healing, Morality, Podcast, Politics