Christianity has just been declared to be illegal in Victoria:
I have said it often enough: Victoria under Dan Andrews and the Labor government is becoming the Antichrist State. And a vote in the Victorian Upper House last night was the final nail in the coffin. There we had politicians formally voting to turn Christians and other concerned citizens into criminals.
And all the media headlines got it wrong. It is not “conversion therapy” that is now illegal in Victoria. It is Christianity, prayer, counsel, biology, common sense, and help for those struggling that is now banned in Victoria. Dare to live out your faith in this Australian state and you can be imprisoned for a decade!
Only nine brave and principled MPs voted against this diabolical bill. One media report said this about the vote, and it informs us of these courageous nine MPs:
Gay conversion therapy has been outlawed in Victoria following a marathon debate in the upper house on Thursday. The bill passed the Victorian Parliament 27 votes to nine after a 12-hour sitting in the Legislative Council, where Liberal MPs Bev McArthur and Bernie Finn defied their party’s position and crossed the floor to vote against the government’s legislation.
Crossbench MPs Jeff Bourman, Clifford Hayes, Stuart Grimley, Tania Maxwell, David Limbrick, Tim Quilty and Catherine Cumming also voted against the bill. Under the reforms, anyone found trying to suppress or change another person’s sexuality or gender identity faces up to 10 years’ jail or fines of almost $10,000 if it can be proved beyond reasonable doubt that their actions caused serious injury.
The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission will also get new powers to deal with complaints that do not meet the criminal threshold, and to launch own-motion investigations into systemic issues as part of a new civil scheme for victims. The Family Violence Protection Act will also be amended to make gay conversion therapy a form of domestic violence.
The Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Bill is the latest in a series of contentious progressive social reforms introduced under the Andrews government, and drew the ire of religious, medical and legal groups. The Law Institute of Victoria raised concerns on behalf of lawyers that the bill was overly broad and could prevent parents or caregivers from having conversations with their children about gender identity or sexual orientation.
The article continues:
Liberal MP Bernie Finn had described the proposed law as an “attack on basic freedoms” and described elements of the bill as “social engineering”. “None of us support some of the practices that have been used on gay men and lesbians, what can only be described as torture, in the past—just appalling, inhumane and, as I say, just straight-out barbaric,” Mr Finn said.
“We know that gender dysphoria is a condition that is dealt with very effectively by the medical fraternity. We do not need the sort of social engineering that this bill brings about. We have already seen a great number of children go to the children’s hospital, for example, confused about their gender … It has gone from half-a-dozen a year to well over 1000, as I understand it. That in itself is a worry. This bill is just going to add to that.”
The real question that remains now is how should we respond? Now that potentially hundreds of thousands of Victorians have been proclaimed to be criminals overnight, we are living in the darkest days since Australian federation. As former Deputy PM John Anderson put it late last year, this bill “is the biggest threat to our democratic freedoms in Australia’s entire legislative history.”
Indeed, if politicians wanted to officially ban freedom, democracy and Christianity, this is about as good a way as any of achieving that result. Cover it all in sweet-sounding words: compassion, fairness, equality, tolerance. Of course, there is no fairness or tolerance for Bible-believing Christians.
And there is no compassion or fairness for those struggling with unwanted sexual attraction. This is all about one thing: the criminalisation of Christianity, and an all-out war on heterosexuality. Now in Victoria you MUST support and endorse the radical homosexual and trans agendas – or else. That is the bottom line.
So which way do we go from here? Simply consider the political reality in Victoria. For all intents and purposes, it seems that the Liberal and National Parties are now dead – dead at least to real conservative and Christian concerns. Except for a handful of brave warriors such as Bernie Finn, these parties are now hardly any different from Labor and the Greens in far too many areas.
Many more questions remain. I have been writing numerous articles of late on anti-Christian bigotry and persecution. In one such piece I spoke about the doctrine of “the lesser magistrate” which deals with the matter of if and when we have an obligation to resist corrupt government: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2021/02/02/runaway-government-and-the-lust-for-power/
One astute commentator just sent in this remark, which we all need to ponder. It features the same sort of questions that I have. We all need to think carefully and prayerfully as we now proceed in the most demonic Antichrist state in Australia, if not the West:
I agree with what you have written above, and I would also add how the Huguenots in France also developed their very similar theory of resistance, following the great massacre of Huguenots in 1572. An anonymous Huguenot published a treatise, “Vindiciae contra Tyrannos” (A Defence of Liberty against Tyrants, 1579), which inter alia asserted not only the right but the duty of the lesser magistrate to lead resistance against a tyrant who usurped the laws of God and oppressed church and state. The ideas of this treatise influenced Samuel Rutherford in his treatise “Lex Rex” (1644), and in turn the treatises, sermons, and pamphlets which circulated in the American colonies prior to their revolt in the 1770s.
My question is this: what form should resistance take in our present situation? We have a premier (or premiers) who violate God’s laws, make laws (such as the one passed last night in the Victorian Upper house) for the benefit of homosexuals and “gay” activists, for abortionists, for unscrupulous medicos, etc., but penalise the righteous in every way possible. My own view is that Andrews’ government has lost all—and I mean all—legitimacy and must be resisted outright, not merely disobeyed in this or that point. However, unlike the Huguenots and Scottish Covenanters (and the American patriots for that matter), who took up arms in their resistance, we should resist in ways other than armed conflict. But in what ways? I propose this as a point for urgent discussion, as this tyrant will soon be coming after us, and I fear that you and your website will be near the top of the hit list.
Quite right Murray Adamthwaite. These are no longer mere theoretical questions. We are now living in an anti-Christian police state run by the most power-drunk political leader in the nation. The Rona has just been one excuse for this man to seek to become dictator for life. And as long as true Christians still exist, he will keep going after them until they are all silenced – whether by being imprisoned or wiped out of all their assets.
That is exactly how serious things have now become. What the prophet Isaiah warned about two and a half millennia ago is now fully upon us: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Is 5:20).
As Fr. Dwight Longenecker put it a year or two ago: “First we overlook evil. Then we permit evil. Then we legalize evil. Then we promote evil. Then we celebrate evil. Then we persecute those who still call it evil.” Yep, that is exactly where we are now at.
And Victoria is leading the way under the new Nero, Andrews. Heaven help us all as we seek to remain faithful to what is right and what is true while we live in a culture that celebrates what is wrong and what is false.
Declaration of intent
Here’s the scoop Dan: If troubled folks come to me to discuss their sexuality, and if they ask me for prayer, I will discuss these matters and I will pray. So crucify me already. Here I stand, I can do no other.
48 Replies to “We Are All Criminals Now in Victoria”
Praying for all who love God and righteousness to overcome these evils with wisdom, love and boldness to stand in these wicked days … come quickly Lord Jesus.
Very sad day indeed.
Whats even more sad is that some *christians* vote Labor or Green , so it’s a case of “you reap what you sow”
I tell you what brothers and sisters, we need to cement the fact that this world is not our home and that we have far outstayed our welcome here, in our minds.
The final vote was 27 for the bill and 9 against. However, I have attached the Hansard link for yesterday. (This is only a proof version. It may not stay up. Not sure of the Victorian Parliamentary website procedures.) There were approximately 5 amendments that the Liberal Party, Derryn Hinch’s justice party, the Sustainable Australia Party, the Nations Party and the Liberal Democrats supported. On top of this, the shadow attorney general Edward O’Donohue, on behalf of all of the above, attempted to refer the bill to a more detailed committee process as the first preference. (I watched most of the proceedings yesterday by live video broadcast while praying.) Unfortunately, those members opposing did not have the numbers. Attempted amendments were what really counted. And as stated above, there were approximately 5 of these. Most of the amendments were defeated in a much closer contest. These were mostly defeated 19 to 16; i.e. two votes from victory. So in fact there was a lot more opposition than just reflected in the final 27 to 9 numbers. I’m not saying the opposition was perfect. But the contest was significant, and it was closer than you might otherwise have thought.
How are we to proceed from this point? I read Psalm 143 this morning for my devotions. There is certainly grief in this outcome. An important part of the way forward is hearing from the Lord in the context these events.
Yes, dismayed, dejected, disheartened , disenfrachised, debilitated, debased and many other d words.
The current Premier may not be a bad man, as, like the current opposition leader in the vitriolic Victoria, went to a Catholic school!
What I do know from history and life experience is that individuals will sell their souls for a position of power. History tells us that Power over people is the ultimate drug. The murders of millions over history is a stark reminder of the potential of people in power positions to inflict distress on the proletariat.
Mr Andrews may wake up one morning soon and realise that he should go back to a life guided by his Catholic past and then he will be a true leader in whatever field he applies himself. Let us pray.
Thanks Ron. Of course if a person clearly and fully rejects his religious upbringing and spends his entire political life pushing bad, evil, Immoral and ungodly anti-Christian policies over and over again, that sort of means he is a bad person! Sure, we pray that God reaches him, that he repents, and that he turns his life around. But right now he is evil personified, and he is dragging countless people into the abyss along with him.
Don’t worry, they missed some crucial logic. It’s mainly their logic, but they forgot to consider it when constructing this bill. Take the following scenario:
• A biological girl wants to become a boy. By law we can do nothing except encourage her.
• The girl transitions. By law, the girl is now a boy. His birth certificate will say so. His pronouns will say so. There will be no record that he was anything else. What we see with our own eyes is irrelevant of course; he IS a boy.
• We can now safely encourage him to change his gender – to a girl. That is allowed by law. On the other hand, if we tell her to remain a boy we are suppressing her gender and should be thrown in jail like the evil bigots we are.
Of course, there is no chance this logic will be applied by our politicians, the human rights commission etc.
(I don’t mean to be light-hearted about this. Being in Victoria – but any other Australian state would do, given the reach of this new law – I’m scared even to post this comment).
Yes exactly right James.
Hi Bill
Copy of my email to the Premier (with a couple of typos therein!):
Dear Premier
I am a lawyer based in Mildura.
The purpose of this email is to inform you that I will unhappily disobey the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act 2021 it if there is occasion for me to do so.
To be clear, my professional work is unlikely to involve matters which the Act purports to cover. However, as a Christian, I cannot affirm a person’s so-called gender identity or sexual orientation in a way which conflicts with my faith.
I do not write this email to be provocative. Rather, I write this email because the Act seems to criminalise things that should not be criminalised. For example, the law seems to proscribe the act of praying with someone about their gender identity or sexual orientation in a non-affirming way (whatever that means). The overreach of this Act is shameful. Australia has never passed a law which attempts to modify how people are allowed to pray together.
And Christians are not the only people concerned. The Law Institute of Victoria expressed its concerns about the Bill but unfortunately their warnings fell on deaf ears.
I am disturbed by this law and felt that it was important that I not to hide my intentions concerning it.
Well done indeed Nick! Bless you heaps. We need many more champions like you.
I would like to try and come against all these things, how do I do so?
Thanks Luke. There is much we can do. However, we should have been doing much more decades ago, instead of waiting until it is almost too late. Some of us have been warning about these things for 30 years and more. But most of the warnings fell on deaf ears. But we can still all act. If you are a Christian, you can pray – and pray like never before. We can sound the alarm and alert others to what is happening. We can get really serious, and even run for office ourselves. There are so many things we can do. See more here for example for some generic thoughts: http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2010/09/19/but-what-can-i-do/
Just goes to show what power does to a person when he thinks he can do what he likes, once he has been given the power that Daniel Andrews has been given by his parliamentary colleagues. This is not good for the rest of the state. Why he has been given this power, just shows how weak his own side really is. It seems as though this has happened in Victoria, but they were helped by the opposition members backing him also. Will these opposition members should hand their heads in shame for showing their true colours and should be dropped from the party. Being a Christian myself I find these laws may be the downfall of the Andrews led Victorian government, and if that happens, then he has only himself to blame. Power is the poison of those who seek it, no matter what type of power they go after, as we have seen all through history. Maybe Andrews should look at history and see what will happen to him. Sandy Smith.
I suggest it is time that believers in freedom of conscience make a peaceful stand. Here are some ideas for consideration.
1. All those who cannot in good conscience comply with this law, organize to meet at selected police stations in sizeable numbers on designated days. Groups of 200? Groups of 500?
Each person has a sign with a single carefully selected message i.e. ” I pray for people who don’t want to be homosexual. This is illegal, arrest me”. Then, carefully organized volunteers stand up with a megaphone and lead the assembled in carefully worded prayers for people who are troubled by homosexual desires. If the police arrest one, then another stands up somewhere else some distance away from the police and does the same thing. The idea is that the police will have to arrest 100’s to enforce this evil law. A support network will be needed to help these people legally. The volunteers need to be carefully selected ie, not young parents,not naive about the potential harm, not heavily in debt and ideally, not wealthy people who could find the fear of losing their wealth from hefty fines a problem. Ideally, people who have nothing to lose except their freedom by being locked up because they cant pay their fines. Ideally. lawyers would need to be engaged to advise in the course of planning this protest activity.
2. Decades ago (1980’s) in Albury/Wodonga, a mysterious group of 12? men, dressed in sackcloth and carrying 2-3m high signs in the form of scrolls, walked down the main street in single file then stood silently in a line on the steps of a public building. Astonished passers by stopped to read what was written on their scrolls – quotes from the bible I think it was. The men refused to answer any questions – their message was written on the scrolls. After a period of time they banged their signs on the ground 3 times then called out 3 times in unison: “Repent, Repent, Repent”. They then walked off the way they came in single file. It was a very dramatic event that was peaceful and drew considerable attention – making the local news. Could we do something similar? For example;
2. Groups of 12, 20, 50? men and women, dressed normally, walk down the street in single file carrying 2-3m high signs each with the very same prayer written on it – a prayer for people struggling with transgender and homosexual desires. The group stand quietly in a public place so that passersby can read the prayer written on the signs. Because none of them speak, none of them can be arrested for being the leader or spokesperson. The police will in effect have to arrest all of them. Imagine groups like this appearing in major cities and towns every Saturday and Sunday for a whole month, two months, even 3 months. Open but peaceful resistance to an evil law. There will be repercussions. People will be arrested and fined, people will be attacked by rainbow brigade supporting haters. If you recall the film Gandhi and the infamous salt march, peaceful protestors were attacked and wounded. A support group came and collected the wounded, tending to their wounds whereupon some would rejoin the march. Following is a powerful video that I suggest could be inspiration for such peaceful action. We have been praying, we have been supporting conservative politicians, writing letters, signing petitions and sharing information to wake up as many as we can to this clear downhill slide. What is the next level of action? I suggest action such as what follows here.
Many thanks for that Robert.
In 2012: Some opponents of gay marriage raised the spectre of the “slippery slope” .
“That’s a totally logical argument,” says Jim Wallace of ACL, “If you cross this line, you won’t be able to defend it.”
In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve. So, maybe the time has come to give Victoria completely over to Satan.
Christians, conservatives and whoever is sensible should all vote with their feet and move out of Victoria completely. What’s left over will be woke people voting for woke policies and agenda. In the end, Victoria will become a failed state, just like California is becoming a failed state.
The people of Victoria will have to learn it the hard way.
Dear Bill, through you, Bill to Robert Stephens. Your thoughts and proposed actions are valid. My take on this action in Victoria could be dangerous. The Premier has demonstrated his desire to quash Christians – everywhere. Last year he demonstrated his ability to squash/smash public resistance to his laws by using a police force no Victorian had seen before. The force used terrifying and the pretext for use was nothing as broad as this legislation.
It would seem to me that your action is precisely what the premier wants.
He can legally lock up Christians for ten years or fine them into no-existence.
I wish I had an alternative action but alas I do not.
Mark Bryant
Romans 1:18 – 32 God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV
Dear Bill,
Thank you for this article.
This is a truly terrible attack on Christianity. I also agree with Sandy, power goes to some politicians heads as we in WA have just found out.
Re Rom 1: the order of events is:
1. Suppress the truth.
2. Sexual revolution
3. Homosexual revolution
4. Depraved mind
Since when have Christians ever let evil governments control what they do? Christians will go on doing what they do because it is based on the rock of truth. The entire Labor party is insignificant compared to God.
I would be more than happy to look at the fifteen cases this statute is based on to see if things could be done better but no true believer could ever deny that these people are under the bondage of sin and that God would have them released from that bondage.
“…police state….”
“….My question is this: what form should resistance take in our present situation?…’
Divide and conquer.
“We support the Victorian Police Union and superintendents association and are no longer voting at state level.”
If civilians can’t seek legitimacy under the civilian arm of government then there is no other option but to seek protection from the police.
They can’t have it both ways.
Might it be time for Christians in Victoriastan to wash their hands of the state and seek refugee status somewhere that’s still open to Christians?
Oh a church will survive if Christ followers flee, but even in the Third Reich there was a church that cheerfully preached the government’s message. Now what form a Christian underground would take …
To deny the right of use of arms for self defence is foolish indeed. I’m not a gun lobbyist, but self defence is a basic right. Consider Abraham, who took an armed militia to rescue Lot. Consider also, Jesus Himself, who told His disciples to sell their cloaks. Not so they could take on the Roman army, but so they could defend themselves an angry mob of Jews.
Self defence is not armed aggression, this is not that! And let not forget the feast of Purim, which celebrates the victory of the Jews over evil ones in ancient Persia, despite their overwhelming numbers… Defending your family, your property and your neighbours is neither a sin or a crime.
Everything that blocks salvation from a person is evil. Everything that turns a person to God is good. So we need to pray for the destruction of everything that is stopping those politicians and voters in Victoria from seeing the truth, to be destroyed – whether it is their finance, sleep, possessions, career, health, friends – whatever.
I am in WA, and I fear we will follow soon. What has our prime minister said about this? Is he silent? Jesus taught “whoever is not for Me is against Me.” We need a Trump, who did not care what the media said.
I agree with what Robert Stephens says. Surely we must have 100,000 Christians who will go to goal, to keep you Bill and Martin Iles company? If you’re already in goal and pray for people, what can they do?
Quite so Rob. As to Australia needing a Trump, that certainly is the case. If nothing else, the Trump presidency demonstrated conclusively how deep the Deep State is, how swampy the swamp is, how far left the Far Left is, how radical the radicals are, and how anti-Christian the anti-Christians are. For simply exposing all this, Trump has provided us an invaluable service. Thank you Mr President. Australia needs someone just like this. Craig Kelly might be a contender. I prefer him as PM, and ScoMo as a back bencher.
As to 100,000 joining me and Martyn in prison ministry, it would be terrific, but I really wonder if even 10,000 could be found who would stand strong, regardless of the cost!
Well done Bill and commentators. This is also being pushed in Tasmania. Here is the letter I sent to our Attorney General:
I have recently read the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) conversion practises issues paper prepared by the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute, in order to complete a survey submission. I am absolutely horrified at the atheistic and baseless agenda this paper is blatantly pushing. Some issues are:
Community Consultation – page v – sentence 1
This paper does not provide sufficient community consultation on ‘SOGI’. As submissions are asked for over the Christmas holiday period most will be unaware of the issues paper. Many more will be totally ignorant of the negatively broad implications of changing the law.
Working Definition of ‘SOGI conversion practices – page 13 – 1.3.23
‘acts or statements that are aimed at changing, suppressing, or eradicating the sexual orientation or gender identity of another person and are based on a claim, assertion or notion, either express or implied, that non-conforming sexual orientation or gender identity is a physical or psychological dysfunction that can be suppressed or changed.’
This ‘working definition’ is completely baseless. Page 1 states that there is no agreed definition. Gender fluidity and identity has no basis in science, fact or reality – see below.
Where is the science?
• Gender fluidity and identity has no basis in science, fact or reality. Sexual ‘identity’ can be changed as those who have done so attest at the Australian site Free to Change (freetochange.org) and the US site Parents and Friends of ex-gays (pfox.org).
• Ex-gays at both sites state that the causes of their sexual dysphoria were child abuse, pornography or family trauma. We now have an abusive culture with programs such as Safe Schools which will further inflate numbers of young people trying these ‘lifestyles’.
• If ‘sexual identity’ is unchangeable how is bi-sexuality possible?
• If ‘sexual identity’ is unchangeable then why are taxpayers throughout Australia funding the teaching of ‘gender fluidity’ through the ‘Safe Schools’ and similar programs?
• 85% of adolescents who ‘identify’ as homosexual change their minds by adulthood
• Where are the examples of those who have been harmed? Where, why, when, under what circumstance and with what result?
Experiences of Change
The Australian site Free to Change has a survey of 78 (and growing) people who have left the LGBTQ lifestyle and have lived successfully in their birth sex for many years. Many have benefited from counselling and prayer and report reduction of depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse and suicide ideation. Two reported that a GP and a counsellor were not helpful as they ridiculed their wish to change.
A submission by Tasmania Police states that the police have no experiences of SOGI and the existing law appears adequate if such were to occur. 025_Tasmania-Police_Redacted.pdf (utas.edu.au)
Bias
Survey questions are completely biased as they assume that respondents agree with the concepts of SOGI and that if they exist they are always bad. E.g. Question 1
‘After considering the background and working definition (see [1.3.23] on page 13), in your opinion, what are and are not ‘sexual orientation and gender identity conversion practices’?’
If you do not agree with the definition how do you answer the survey questions? One of the first rules of research is to as much as possible eliminate bias. This entire paper is biased!
On what theological, moral or foundational principles do the authors decide that SOGI changes to biological reality are bad? How do they decide what is good or bad, allowed or non-allowed?
Language is used to indoctrinate. The traditional Christian base of our laws is now described as religious fundamentalism. (Page 3) The term ‘conversion’ once a good and holy concept is being used as something evil. Encouraging a heterosexual to be LGBTQ however is not conversion, that is ‘coming out’ into a wonderful new lifestyle.
Results from SOGI legislation
• No freedom of speech.
• No freedom of religion.
• No parental authority.
• No freedom for Christian and other schools to set their own curriculum.
• Lack of agency.
• Those suffering gender dysphoria will be treated as children under the guise of protecting them.
• The increased promotion of medical and surgical castration practises.
• Children being separated from parents who do not agree to such torture.
• Increased incursion of government into our homes and personal spaces.
• Children reporting parents.
• An increased vulnerability of those who have disorders such as autism and personality disorders to change sexual identities and be given no support when they discover that this has not erased their difficulties.
How is it OK to indoctrinate/convert other people’s heterosexual children into ‘gender fluidity’ but remove choices for help to revert to their biological reality? The term ‘gender fluidity’ itself illustrates that there is no basis for this issues paper. If gender is fluid why is heterosexuality not an option?
This is bullying on a grand scale. Will those who push the safe schools and similar programs be prosecuted for indoctrinating heterosexual children and adolescents into lifestyles which do not match their biological sex?
It is a basic human right to have free speech and to exercise freedom of choice to access help. I agree with Christopher Brohier of ACL (Australian Christian Lobby) who stated in a submission to the SOGI issues paper,
‘Rather than consulting in relation to legislation banning so-called conversion practices, the TLRI should conduct a community consultation in relation to banning the teaching of gender fluidity6 in Tasmanian schools and the need to legislatively protect the internationally recognised rights of parents7. A Bill to this effect has been introduced into the New South Wales Parliament.8 Tasmania should follow suit.’
I also agree with John Anderson when considering similar legislation in Victoria,
“A law before the Victorian parliament seeking to outlaw parental, therapeutic or religious discussions on issues of sexuality and gender is the biggest threat to our democratic freedoms in Australia’s entire legislative history.”
I am very angry that the funds of tax payers are being used for this diabolical paper.
The community does not desire these draconian laws or the Marxist agenda which underpins them.
Well done and many thanks Gail.
James Nolet, interesting idea of encouraging transition of a trans. The only thing the doctors forgot to tell girls is that a deep voice is totally irreversible. Oh, sorry about that sweetheart, we can’t perform miracles.
Thanks Tim. What I’m talking about when using the word “transitions” is the choice to be called a boy (for example) when you are a girl – before the taking of drugs and the undergoing of irreversible surgery. These days, no drugs or surgery are necessary – you can be known as the wrong sex merely by choosing. That certainly seems to be the case for one girl at a nearby Catholic primary school, of all places. Once the girl has declared herself a boy, we are expected to accept her as such. It seems to me that we are free then to provide her counselling, prayers and encouragement to “transition” her back to a girl. If anyone complains we can point out we are merely biding by the law!
Most churches have been deathly silent. Our ‘Christian’ Prime Minister has been silent.
These are very dark days indeed.
The next step will be to classify any speech against this madness as illegal.
The step after that will be to ban the assembly of people who may be ‘likely’ to speak against the madness. They might be found guilty of a new crime, which could loosely be called ‘insightment’, or perhaps ‘breaching the peace’. Special police units would need to be set up to rapidly quash such dangerous gatherings and thinking…
A time will come when you, and us in America, WILL have to take up arms. I would rather go down fighting for my Christian rights my right to follow God over man than willing be lead to slaughter. The founding fathers didn’t want war just their rights but eventually war was inevitable. There came a point when the had no choice but to fight for the God given rights. They took the course of action that would allow them to follow God not man. How many of today’s pew warmers will do the same?? Or is 30 pieces of silver still an attractive offer???
My beef is with the Libs. We used to have oppositions to keep those in power honest. It seems we no longer do.
As I understand it this bill will prevent a parent from discussing with say a daughter the risks of having therepy to make her a boy. This is not merely a religious issue, I am not religious, it is a basic duty of a responsible and loving parent to point out the pitfall of such a dcision. It surely is the parents duty to warn the child, that attractive as the trans community is, in terms of social inclusion, there are long term risks attached. To ask atleast that the child delays irreversble drug treatment till a more mature age, and point out that many even most young trans people after a certain age wish to revert to their biological sex.
It is moral criminal negligence of the parent to not discuss these matters with their child, and a law which discourages even bans this is plain evil.
Yes exactly right Jeremy.
As far as I am concerned, Who Flung Dung Andrews can go play Hop Scotch on a Minefield. I WOULD RATHER BE BIBLICALLY CORRECT THAN POLITICALLY CORRECT!
It goes without saying AVOID voting for the following radical left brigade like the PLAGUE: the Labor party, the reason party (aka sex party), the greens party, the animal justice party and the transport matters party – this single member in the eastern suburbs region who says in his speech his voting record supports LGBTQ (clearly irrelvant to transport matters but no doubt seeking favours from you know who). This Bill passing is an ominous sign because it demonstrates the Labor govt has effective majorities in both houses – the upper house has 17 alp, 1 green, 1 sex party, 1 animal party and 1 transport party ie. 21 votes out of 40. God help us.
We must mobilize and organise next year for the 2022 Election. Take the motivation, energy and disgust we’re feeling now and join the efforts to oust Labor and the others – who completely ignore the majority of their electorate. Joining a political party, letterboxing, handing out how to vote cards at pre-polling and on the day, blogs, letters to the editor, donations, etc. I joined the Democratic Labor Party because they were the only Christian political party to introduce a pro-life bill into the Vic Parliament trying to save the unborn from abortion (in 2016). Their position on this anti-Christian bill is at their webpage https://dlp.org.au/victorian-anti-conversion-bill-raises-real-concerns/
Ooops, apologies, the spelling is important: its the Democratic Labour Party https://dlp.org.au/about/
Our child of 8 at school is one of two children out of 28 whose parents are still together!!! About six months I read the book THE SEXUAL STATE by Jennifer Morse which spoke of the enormous toll the sexual revolution has inflicted. It is akin to revolutions such as Lenin’s as it has wrought utter destruction. The latest gender ideology is simply another manifestation of it and revolutionaries resent the limits of human biology/anatomy. Divorce is an extremely high risk event for children. Adults pretty much say the children will be fine whatever the adults are doing and their tastes, desires and preferences take precedence.
Peter Hitchens (UK writer, journalist) speaks often about the collapse of the West and the collapse of social/cultural norms. The West is seriously in huge decline. Marriage is almost becoming the rarity and is easier to get out of a marriage than a car lease agreement. Transgender youth of 7 or drag are performing in front of crazed adults and some of these 7 to 9 year olds are international stars. I think we are at the rock bottom of degeneracy, perversity and moral bankruptcy. We have activists celebrating abortions in public streets and simulating abortions with fake blood and people dressing up in lab coats pretending to perform abortions.
The transgender and gender ideology is seriously destroying children. The many stories I hear are tragic and gut wrenching.
Yes quite right Philippe. And yes, her book is excellent:
Bill, there is a slight revival happening in Canada with Christ’s Forgiveness Ministries. David Lynn is fighting censorship, the rights to freedom of speech and so on in Canada. Christianity has seen an increase in Canada over the past few years as with the more persecution occurring, Christianity often tends to grow.
I saw videos of ex transgenders and ex gays being severely threatened and despised by LGBT folk on the streets. They actually are fearful of reprisals and breaking ranks takes courage. Ex trans are despised by activists and they receive vicious death threats and often are in hiding. Two ex gay males were in Orlando night club during terrorist attacks and are now very committed Christians and speak all over the USA
I would find it of interest to canvas the opinion of main denomination leadership as to where they stand on this legislative change. Is the Aust Christian Lobby group or others undertaking this
1. Anglican
2. Catholic
3. Pentecostal groups
4. Baptist
5. Uniting Church
6. Greek & other orthodox churches
7. Muslim leaders (I expect they may have strong opinions)
It would be of interest to then publicize this to the wider societal audience to gain a ground swell of protest or allow members to voice concerns to their so called leaders. Sadly many churches have become apostate, entertainment or business orientated rather than articulating a Biblical foundation. However, I suspect our society is so spiritually diseased that apathy would be the norm. Maybe its time to have a Christian diaspora to other States & vote with our feet. We can still pray but if we hold the view of end times eschatology we would not be surprised as to Christianity becoming seen as an internal ideological terrorist organization & must be exorcised from society regardless of geographic location. My medical career was based on evidence based scientific foundations but now ideology dominates in so many areas.
Yes thanks David.
Well said everybody. I have declared simliar statements in my last two Sunday services (see: http://www.lighthouse.org.au/live) . The only thing I’d add is that the early church turned the world upside down under the most despotic rulers we’ve ever seen – Augustus, Tiberius, Nero, et al. the only answer for our world to become more Christian is a downright revival/awakening in the hearts of many thousands of Victorians – no longer can we rely on our government (whether Labour, Liberal or anything) to give us some Christian comfort. Our government is a refelction of our society. We’ve lived off the Christian ‘sheep back” for too long. It’s time for the Church to arise!
Praying for all who love God and righteousness to overcome these evils with wisdom, love and boldness to stand in these wicked days … come quickly Lord Jesus.
Very sad day indeed.
Whats even more sad is that some *christians* vote Labor or Green , so it’s a case of “you reap what you sow”
I tell you what brothers and sisters, we need to cement the fact that this world is not our home and that we have far outstayed our welcome here, in our minds.
The final vote was 27 for the bill and 9 against. However, I have attached the Hansard link for yesterday. (This is only a proof version. It may not stay up. Not sure of the Victorian Parliamentary website procedures.) There were approximately 5 amendments that the Liberal Party, Derryn Hinch’s justice party, the Sustainable Australia Party, the Nations Party and the Liberal Democrats supported. On top of this, the shadow attorney general Edward O’Donohue, on behalf of all of the above, attempted to refer the bill to a more detailed committee process as the first preference. (I watched most of the proceedings yesterday by live video broadcast while praying.) Unfortunately, those members opposing did not have the numbers. Attempted amendments were what really counted. And as stated above, there were approximately 5 of these. Most of the amendments were defeated in a much closer contest. These were mostly defeated 19 to 16; i.e. two votes from victory. So in fact there was a lot more opposition than just reflected in the final 27 to 9 numbers. I’m not saying the opposition was perfect. But the contest was significant, and it was closer than you might otherwise have thought.
How are we to proceed from this point? I read Psalm 143 this morning for my devotions. There is certainly grief in this outcome. An important part of the way forward is hearing from the Lord in the context these events.
https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/daily-hansard/Council_2021/Legislative_Council_2021-02-04.pdf
Yes, dismayed, dejected, disheartened , disenfrachised, debilitated, debased and many other d words.
The current Premier may not be a bad man, as, like the current opposition leader in the vitriolic Victoria, went to a Catholic school!
What I do know from history and life experience is that individuals will sell their souls for a position of power. History tells us that Power over people is the ultimate drug. The murders of millions over history is a stark reminder of the potential of people in power positions to inflict distress on the proletariat.
Mr Andrews may wake up one morning soon and realise that he should go back to a life guided by his Catholic past and then he will be a true leader in whatever field he applies himself. Let us pray.
Thanks Ron. Of course if a person clearly and fully rejects his religious upbringing and spends his entire political life pushing bad, evil, Immoral and ungodly anti-Christian policies over and over again, that sort of means he is a bad person! Sure, we pray that God reaches him, that he repents, and that he turns his life around. But right now he is evil personified, and he is dragging countless people into the abyss along with him.
Don’t worry, they missed some crucial logic. It’s mainly their logic, but they forgot to consider it when constructing this bill. Take the following scenario:
• A biological girl wants to become a boy. By law we can do nothing except encourage her.
• The girl transitions. By law, the girl is now a boy. His birth certificate will say so. His pronouns will say so. There will be no record that he was anything else. What we see with our own eyes is irrelevant of course; he IS a boy.
• We can now safely encourage him to change his gender – to a girl. That is allowed by law. On the other hand, if we tell her to remain a boy we are suppressing her gender and should be thrown in jail like the evil bigots we are.
Of course, there is no chance this logic will be applied by our politicians, the human rights commission etc.
(I don’t mean to be light-hearted about this. Being in Victoria – but any other Australian state would do, given the reach of this new law – I’m scared even to post this comment).
Yes exactly right James.
Hi Bill
Copy of my email to the Premier (with a couple of typos therein!):
Dear Premier
I am a lawyer based in Mildura.
The purpose of this email is to inform you that I will unhappily disobey the Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act 2021 it if there is occasion for me to do so.
To be clear, my professional work is unlikely to involve matters which the Act purports to cover. However, as a Christian, I cannot affirm a person’s so-called gender identity or sexual orientation in a way which conflicts with my faith.
I do not write this email to be provocative. Rather, I write this email because the Act seems to criminalise things that should not be criminalised. For example, the law seems to proscribe the act of praying with someone about their gender identity or sexual orientation in a non-affirming way (whatever that means). The overreach of this Act is shameful. Australia has never passed a law which attempts to modify how people are allowed to pray together.
And Christians are not the only people concerned. The Law Institute of Victoria expressed its concerns about the Bill but unfortunately their warnings fell on deaf ears.
I am disturbed by this law and felt that it was important that I not to hide my intentions concerning it.
Well done indeed Nick! Bless you heaps. We need many more champions like you.
I would like to try and come against all these things, how do I do so?
Thanks Luke. There is much we can do. However, we should have been doing much more decades ago, instead of waiting until it is almost too late. Some of us have been warning about these things for 30 years and more. But most of the warnings fell on deaf ears. But we can still all act. If you are a Christian, you can pray – and pray like never before. We can sound the alarm and alert others to what is happening. We can get really serious, and even run for office ourselves. There are so many things we can do. See more here for example for some generic thoughts: http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2010/09/19/but-what-can-i-do/
And here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2020/11/19/what-is-your-area-of-influence/
Just goes to show what power does to a person when he thinks he can do what he likes, once he has been given the power that Daniel Andrews has been given by his parliamentary colleagues. This is not good for the rest of the state. Why he has been given this power, just shows how weak his own side really is. It seems as though this has happened in Victoria, but they were helped by the opposition members backing him also. Will these opposition members should hand their heads in shame for showing their true colours and should be dropped from the party. Being a Christian myself I find these laws may be the downfall of the Andrews led Victorian government, and if that happens, then he has only himself to blame. Power is the poison of those who seek it, no matter what type of power they go after, as we have seen all through history. Maybe Andrews should look at history and see what will happen to him. Sandy Smith.
I suggest it is time that believers in freedom of conscience make a peaceful stand. Here are some ideas for consideration.
1. All those who cannot in good conscience comply with this law, organize to meet at selected police stations in sizeable numbers on designated days. Groups of 200? Groups of 500?
Each person has a sign with a single carefully selected message i.e. ” I pray for people who don’t want to be homosexual. This is illegal, arrest me”. Then, carefully organized volunteers stand up with a megaphone and lead the assembled in carefully worded prayers for people who are troubled by homosexual desires. If the police arrest one, then another stands up somewhere else some distance away from the police and does the same thing. The idea is that the police will have to arrest 100’s to enforce this evil law. A support network will be needed to help these people legally. The volunteers need to be carefully selected ie, not young parents,not naive about the potential harm, not heavily in debt and ideally, not wealthy people who could find the fear of losing their wealth from hefty fines a problem. Ideally, people who have nothing to lose except their freedom by being locked up because they cant pay their fines. Ideally. lawyers would need to be engaged to advise in the course of planning this protest activity.
2. Decades ago (1980’s) in Albury/Wodonga, a mysterious group of 12? men, dressed in sackcloth and carrying 2-3m high signs in the form of scrolls, walked down the main street in single file then stood silently in a line on the steps of a public building. Astonished passers by stopped to read what was written on their scrolls – quotes from the bible I think it was. The men refused to answer any questions – their message was written on the scrolls. After a period of time they banged their signs on the ground 3 times then called out 3 times in unison: “Repent, Repent, Repent”. They then walked off the way they came in single file. It was a very dramatic event that was peaceful and drew considerable attention – making the local news. Could we do something similar? For example;
2. Groups of 12, 20, 50? men and women, dressed normally, walk down the street in single file carrying 2-3m high signs each with the very same prayer written on it – a prayer for people struggling with transgender and homosexual desires. The group stand quietly in a public place so that passersby can read the prayer written on the signs. Because none of them speak, none of them can be arrested for being the leader or spokesperson. The police will in effect have to arrest all of them. Imagine groups like this appearing in major cities and towns every Saturday and Sunday for a whole month, two months, even 3 months. Open but peaceful resistance to an evil law. There will be repercussions. People will be arrested and fined, people will be attacked by rainbow brigade supporting haters. If you recall the film Gandhi and the infamous salt march, peaceful protestors were attacked and wounded. A support group came and collected the wounded, tending to their wounds whereupon some would rejoin the march. Following is a powerful video that I suggest could be inspiration for such peaceful action. We have been praying, we have been supporting conservative politicians, writing letters, signing petitions and sharing information to wake up as many as we can to this clear downhill slide. What is the next level of action? I suggest action such as what follows here.
Many thanks for that Robert.
In 2012: Some opponents of gay marriage raised the spectre of the “slippery slope” .
“That’s a totally logical argument,” says Jim Wallace of ACL, “If you cross this line, you won’t be able to defend it.”
https://atributetoaustralianchristians.wordpress.com/category/if-you-cross-this-line-you-wont-be-able-to-defend-it/
In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve. So, maybe the time has come to give Victoria completely over to Satan.
Christians, conservatives and whoever is sensible should all vote with their feet and move out of Victoria completely. What’s left over will be woke people voting for woke policies and agenda. In the end, Victoria will become a failed state, just like California is becoming a failed state.
The people of Victoria will have to learn it the hard way.
Dear Bill, through you, Bill to Robert Stephens. Your thoughts and proposed actions are valid. My take on this action in Victoria could be dangerous. The Premier has demonstrated his desire to quash Christians – everywhere. Last year he demonstrated his ability to squash/smash public resistance to his laws by using a police force no Victorian had seen before. The force used terrifying and the pretext for use was nothing as broad as this legislation.
It would seem to me that your action is precisely what the premier wants.
He can legally lock up Christians for ten years or fine them into no-existence.
I wish I had an alternative action but alas I do not.
Mark Bryant
Romans 1:18 – 32
God’s Wrath Against Sinful Humanity
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV
Dear Bill,
Thank you for this article.
This is a truly terrible attack on Christianity. I also agree with Sandy, power goes to some politicians heads as we in WA have just found out.
Re Rom 1: the order of events is:
1. Suppress the truth.
2. Sexual revolution
3. Homosexual revolution
4. Depraved mind
Sound familiar?
Mike Lindell on the US elections
Absolute Proof
https://michaeljlindell.com/
Since when have Christians ever let evil governments control what they do? Christians will go on doing what they do because it is based on the rock of truth. The entire Labor party is insignificant compared to God.
I would be more than happy to look at the fifteen cases this statute is based on to see if things could be done better but no true believer could ever deny that these people are under the bondage of sin and that God would have them released from that bondage.
“…police state….”
“….My question is this: what form should resistance take in our present situation?…’
Divide and conquer.
“We support the Victorian Police Union and superintendents association and are no longer voting at state level.”
If civilians can’t seek legitimacy under the civilian arm of government then there is no other option but to seek protection from the police.
They can’t have it both ways.
Might it be time for Christians in Victoriastan to wash their hands of the state and seek refugee status somewhere that’s still open to Christians?
Oh a church will survive if Christ followers flee, but even in the Third Reich there was a church that cheerfully preached the government’s message. Now what form a Christian underground would take …
To deny the right of use of arms for self defence is foolish indeed. I’m not a gun lobbyist, but self defence is a basic right. Consider Abraham, who took an armed militia to rescue Lot. Consider also, Jesus Himself, who told His disciples to sell their cloaks. Not so they could take on the Roman army, but so they could defend themselves an angry mob of Jews.
Self defence is not armed aggression, this is not that! And let not forget the feast of Purim, which celebrates the victory of the Jews over evil ones in ancient Persia, despite their overwhelming numbers… Defending your family, your property and your neighbours is neither a sin or a crime.
Thanks Austin. Yes I agree with you. I have written on the right to self-defence before: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2012/12/20/self-defence-and-scripture/
And I have also written on the possibility of just revolution as well, in which armed resistance MAY be morally licit: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2013/07/11/is-revolution-ever-justified-part-one/
Everything that blocks salvation from a person is evil. Everything that turns a person to God is good. So we need to pray for the destruction of everything that is stopping those politicians and voters in Victoria from seeing the truth, to be destroyed – whether it is their finance, sleep, possessions, career, health, friends – whatever.
I am in WA, and I fear we will follow soon. What has our prime minister said about this? Is he silent? Jesus taught “whoever is not for Me is against Me.” We need a Trump, who did not care what the media said.
I agree with what Robert Stephens says. Surely we must have 100,000 Christians who will go to goal, to keep you Bill and Martin Iles company? If you’re already in goal and pray for people, what can they do?
Quite so Rob. As to Australia needing a Trump, that certainly is the case. If nothing else, the Trump presidency demonstrated conclusively how deep the Deep State is, how swampy the swamp is, how far left the Far Left is, how radical the radicals are, and how anti-Christian the anti-Christians are. For simply exposing all this, Trump has provided us an invaluable service. Thank you Mr President. Australia needs someone just like this. Craig Kelly might be a contender. I prefer him as PM, and ScoMo as a back bencher.
As to 100,000 joining me and Martyn in prison ministry, it would be terrific, but I really wonder if even 10,000 could be found who would stand strong, regardless of the cost!
Well done Bill and commentators. This is also being pushed in Tasmania. Here is the letter I sent to our Attorney General:
I have recently read the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) conversion practises issues paper prepared by the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute, in order to complete a survey submission. I am absolutely horrified at the atheistic and baseless agenda this paper is blatantly pushing. Some issues are:
Community Consultation – page v – sentence 1
This paper does not provide sufficient community consultation on ‘SOGI’. As submissions are asked for over the Christmas holiday period most will be unaware of the issues paper. Many more will be totally ignorant of the negatively broad implications of changing the law.
Working Definition of ‘SOGI conversion practices – page 13 – 1.3.23
‘acts or statements that are aimed at changing, suppressing, or eradicating the sexual orientation or gender identity of another person and are based on a claim, assertion or notion, either express or implied, that non-conforming sexual orientation or gender identity is a physical or psychological dysfunction that can be suppressed or changed.’
This ‘working definition’ is completely baseless. Page 1 states that there is no agreed definition. Gender fluidity and identity has no basis in science, fact or reality – see below.
Where is the science?
• Gender fluidity and identity has no basis in science, fact or reality. Sexual ‘identity’ can be changed as those who have done so attest at the Australian site Free to Change (freetochange.org) and the US site Parents and Friends of ex-gays (pfox.org).
• Ex-gays at both sites state that the causes of their sexual dysphoria were child abuse, pornography or family trauma. We now have an abusive culture with programs such as Safe Schools which will further inflate numbers of young people trying these ‘lifestyles’.
• If ‘sexual identity’ is unchangeable how is bi-sexuality possible?
• If ‘sexual identity’ is unchangeable then why are taxpayers throughout Australia funding the teaching of ‘gender fluidity’ through the ‘Safe Schools’ and similar programs?
• 85% of adolescents who ‘identify’ as homosexual change their minds by adulthood
• Where are the examples of those who have been harmed? Where, why, when, under what circumstance and with what result?
Experiences of Change
The Australian site Free to Change has a survey of 78 (and growing) people who have left the LGBTQ lifestyle and have lived successfully in their birth sex for many years. Many have benefited from counselling and prayer and report reduction of depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse and suicide ideation. Two reported that a GP and a counsellor were not helpful as they ridiculed their wish to change.
A submission by Tasmania Police states that the police have no experiences of SOGI and the existing law appears adequate if such were to occur. 025_Tasmania-Police_Redacted.pdf (utas.edu.au)
Bias
Survey questions are completely biased as they assume that respondents agree with the concepts of SOGI and that if they exist they are always bad. E.g. Question 1
‘After considering the background and working definition (see [1.3.23] on page 13), in your opinion, what are and are not ‘sexual orientation and gender identity conversion practices’?’
If you do not agree with the definition how do you answer the survey questions? One of the first rules of research is to as much as possible eliminate bias. This entire paper is biased!
On what theological, moral or foundational principles do the authors decide that SOGI changes to biological reality are bad? How do they decide what is good or bad, allowed or non-allowed?
Language is used to indoctrinate. The traditional Christian base of our laws is now described as religious fundamentalism. (Page 3) The term ‘conversion’ once a good and holy concept is being used as something evil. Encouraging a heterosexual to be LGBTQ however is not conversion, that is ‘coming out’ into a wonderful new lifestyle.
Results from SOGI legislation
• No freedom of speech.
• No freedom of religion.
• No parental authority.
• No freedom for Christian and other schools to set their own curriculum.
• Lack of agency.
• Those suffering gender dysphoria will be treated as children under the guise of protecting them.
• The increased promotion of medical and surgical castration practises.
• Children being separated from parents who do not agree to such torture.
• Increased incursion of government into our homes and personal spaces.
• Children reporting parents.
• An increased vulnerability of those who have disorders such as autism and personality disorders to change sexual identities and be given no support when they discover that this has not erased their difficulties.
How is it OK to indoctrinate/convert other people’s heterosexual children into ‘gender fluidity’ but remove choices for help to revert to their biological reality? The term ‘gender fluidity’ itself illustrates that there is no basis for this issues paper. If gender is fluid why is heterosexuality not an option?
This is bullying on a grand scale. Will those who push the safe schools and similar programs be prosecuted for indoctrinating heterosexual children and adolescents into lifestyles which do not match their biological sex?
It is a basic human right to have free speech and to exercise freedom of choice to access help. I agree with Christopher Brohier of ACL (Australian Christian Lobby) who stated in a submission to the SOGI issues paper,
‘Rather than consulting in relation to legislation banning so-called conversion practices, the TLRI should conduct a community consultation in relation to banning the teaching of gender fluidity6 in Tasmanian schools and the need to legislatively protect the internationally recognised rights of parents7. A Bill to this effect has been introduced into the New South Wales Parliament.8 Tasmania should follow suit.’
I also agree with John Anderson when considering similar legislation in Victoria,
“A law before the Victorian parliament seeking to outlaw parental, therapeutic or religious discussions on issues of sexuality and gender is the biggest threat to our democratic freedoms in Australia’s entire legislative history.”
I am very angry that the funds of tax payers are being used for this diabolical paper.
The community does not desire these draconian laws or the Marxist agenda which underpins them.
Well done and many thanks Gail.
James Nolet, interesting idea of encouraging transition of a trans. The only thing the doctors forgot to tell girls is that a deep voice is totally irreversible. Oh, sorry about that sweetheart, we can’t perform miracles.
Thanks Tim. What I’m talking about when using the word “transitions” is the choice to be called a boy (for example) when you are a girl – before the taking of drugs and the undergoing of irreversible surgery. These days, no drugs or surgery are necessary – you can be known as the wrong sex merely by choosing. That certainly seems to be the case for one girl at a nearby Catholic primary school, of all places. Once the girl has declared herself a boy, we are expected to accept her as such. It seems to me that we are free then to provide her counselling, prayers and encouragement to “transition” her back to a girl. If anyone complains we can point out we are merely biding by the law!
Most churches have been deathly silent. Our ‘Christian’ Prime Minister has been silent.
These are very dark days indeed.
The next step will be to classify any speech against this madness as illegal.
The step after that will be to ban the assembly of people who may be ‘likely’ to speak against the madness. They might be found guilty of a new crime, which could loosely be called ‘insightment’, or perhaps ‘breaching the peace’. Special police units would need to be set up to rapidly quash such dangerous gatherings and thinking…
A time will come when you, and us in America, WILL have to take up arms. I would rather go down fighting for my Christian rights my right to follow God over man than willing be lead to slaughter. The founding fathers didn’t want war just their rights but eventually war was inevitable. There came a point when the had no choice but to fight for the God given rights. They took the course of action that would allow them to follow God not man. How many of today’s pew warmers will do the same?? Or is 30 pieces of silver still an attractive offer???
My beef is with the Libs. We used to have oppositions to keep those in power honest. It seems we no longer do.
As I understand it this bill will prevent a parent from discussing with say a daughter the risks of having therepy to make her a boy. This is not merely a religious issue, I am not religious, it is a basic duty of a responsible and loving parent to point out the pitfall of such a dcision. It surely is the parents duty to warn the child, that attractive as the trans community is, in terms of social inclusion, there are long term risks attached. To ask atleast that the child delays irreversble drug treatment till a more mature age, and point out that many even most young trans people after a certain age wish to revert to their biological sex.
It is moral criminal negligence of the parent to not discuss these matters with their child, and a law which discourages even bans this is plain evil.
Yes exactly right Jeremy.
As far as I am concerned, Who Flung Dung Andrews can go play Hop Scotch on a Minefield. I WOULD RATHER BE BIBLICALLY CORRECT THAN POLITICALLY CORRECT!
It goes without saying AVOID voting for the following radical left brigade like the PLAGUE: the Labor party, the reason party (aka sex party), the greens party, the animal justice party and the transport matters party – this single member in the eastern suburbs region who says in his speech his voting record supports LGBTQ (clearly irrelvant to transport matters but no doubt seeking favours from you know who). This Bill passing is an ominous sign because it demonstrates the Labor govt has effective majorities in both houses – the upper house has 17 alp, 1 green, 1 sex party, 1 animal party and 1 transport party ie. 21 votes out of 40. God help us.
We must mobilize and organise next year for the 2022 Election. Take the motivation, energy and disgust we’re feeling now and join the efforts to oust Labor and the others – who completely ignore the majority of their electorate. Joining a political party, letterboxing, handing out how to vote cards at pre-polling and on the day, blogs, letters to the editor, donations, etc. I joined the Democratic Labor Party because they were the only Christian political party to introduce a pro-life bill into the Vic Parliament trying to save the unborn from abortion (in 2016). Their position on this anti-Christian bill is at their webpage https://dlp.org.au/victorian-anti-conversion-bill-raises-real-concerns/
Ooops, apologies, the spelling is important: its the Democratic Labour Party https://dlp.org.au/about/
Our child of 8 at school is one of two children out of 28 whose parents are still together!!! About six months I read the book THE SEXUAL STATE by Jennifer Morse which spoke of the enormous toll the sexual revolution has inflicted. It is akin to revolutions such as Lenin’s as it has wrought utter destruction. The latest gender ideology is simply another manifestation of it and revolutionaries resent the limits of human biology/anatomy. Divorce is an extremely high risk event for children. Adults pretty much say the children will be fine whatever the adults are doing and their tastes, desires and preferences take precedence.
Peter Hitchens (UK writer, journalist) speaks often about the collapse of the West and the collapse of social/cultural norms. The West is seriously in huge decline. Marriage is almost becoming the rarity and is easier to get out of a marriage than a car lease agreement. Transgender youth of 7 or drag are performing in front of crazed adults and some of these 7 to 9 year olds are international stars. I think we are at the rock bottom of degeneracy, perversity and moral bankruptcy. We have activists celebrating abortions in public streets and simulating abortions with fake blood and people dressing up in lab coats pretending to perform abortions.
The transgender and gender ideology is seriously destroying children. The many stories I hear are tragic and gut wrenching.
Yes quite right Philippe. And yes, her book is excellent:
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2019/11/25/a-review-of-the-sexual-state-by-jennifer-roback-morse/
Bill, there is a slight revival happening in Canada with Christ’s Forgiveness Ministries. David Lynn is fighting censorship, the rights to freedom of speech and so on in Canada. Christianity has seen an increase in Canada over the past few years as with the more persecution occurring, Christianity often tends to grow.
I saw videos of ex transgenders and ex gays being severely threatened and despised by LGBT folk on the streets. They actually are fearful of reprisals and breaking ranks takes courage. Ex trans are despised by activists and they receive vicious death threats and often are in hiding. Two ex gay males were in Orlando night club during terrorist attacks and are now very committed Christians and speak all over the USA
I would find it of interest to canvas the opinion of main denomination leadership as to where they stand on this legislative change. Is the Aust Christian Lobby group or others undertaking this
1. Anglican
2. Catholic
3. Pentecostal groups
4. Baptist
5. Uniting Church
6. Greek & other orthodox churches
7. Muslim leaders (I expect they may have strong opinions)
It would be of interest to then publicize this to the wider societal audience to gain a ground swell of protest or allow members to voice concerns to their so called leaders. Sadly many churches have become apostate, entertainment or business orientated rather than articulating a Biblical foundation. However, I suspect our society is so spiritually diseased that apathy would be the norm. Maybe its time to have a Christian diaspora to other States & vote with our feet. We can still pray but if we hold the view of end times eschatology we would not be surprised as to Christianity becoming seen as an internal ideological terrorist organization & must be exorcised from society regardless of geographic location. My medical career was based on evidence based scientific foundations but now ideology dominates in so many areas.
Yes thanks David.
Well said everybody. I have declared simliar statements in my last two Sunday services (see: http://www.lighthouse.org.au/live) . The only thing I’d add is that the early church turned the world upside down under the most despotic rulers we’ve ever seen – Augustus, Tiberius, Nero, et al. the only answer for our world to become more Christian is a downright revival/awakening in the hearts of many thousands of Victorians – no longer can we rely on our government (whether Labour, Liberal or anything) to give us some Christian comfort. Our government is a refelction of our society. We’ve lived off the Christian ‘sheep back” for too long. It’s time for the Church to arise!
Well done Richard.