The Australian Christian Lobby has removed a link to the homophobic document 21 Reasons Why Gender Matters from its website following the controversy over the brief appointment of Warwick Marsh as a men’s health ambassador two weeks ago.
The ACL had linked to the document (the cached version is here) and urged readers to “please pass it around your networks and use [it] as a family based resource for all concerned… We encouraged you to make use of the document in any way you can as together we make a stand for our children.”
Rod Swift of Gay and L-sbian Equality WA spotted the change. ACL Chief of Staff Lyle Shelton told Crikey the link was in an archived section of the ACL’s website and, following the controversy, he had asked for the document to be reviewed.
“We found that some of the claims in the document couldn’t be adequately substantiated,” he said.
As a consequence, the link had been removed.
Marsh, meanwhile, has used his Fatherhood Foundation’s newsletter to blame “an extraordinary outburst of hate and hetrophobia [sic] ” for his dismissal from the Ambassador position and claim he was defamed by The Australian.
“The totalitarian precedent that the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, set is quite extraordinary in a supposed democratic and free society. Accept the militant feminist government position or face the sack is the governmental message,” Marsh told his members.
“We are in a battle where we must out-love our enemies as Dr Martin Luther King used to say. Hate will never defeat hate, only love will.”
No mention of his claims that gays and l-sbians are predisposed to child abuse.
The funny things about many (though not all) Christians is how little attention they pay to the actions of Jesus.
Were he to return today, where would we find him? Listening to one of Dr Jensen’s sermons and nodding approvingly? Flashing his cash over at Hillsong? Lecturing the above mob on homosexuality? (possibly, but they wouldn’t like the message…) I suspect we’d find him at homeless shelters, at gay and lesbian events – not judging, possbly not condoning, but supportng the people; at the needle exchange; at AIDS clinics…
Like most atheists, I’ve read the bible. And I see a huge difference between what is said about it, and what it said.
Davo: Christians (ha, ha) hate atheists with all the bile and horror they should be directing towards abusers of the planet, poverty and other great crimes of our world. I suppose it is easier to believe in a fairy tale than it is to confront the big issues. So easy to toss a coin into the collection box; so hard to become a human being.
Cheers
V.