Leftists Cancelling Christianity and Freedom

Cancel culture is spinning out of control:

If you have a group of people who are constantly talking about the importance of inclusion, diversity, and tolerance, you might expect them to actually demonstrate these traits. However, that is exactly what we are NOT seeing happening with those who shout these mantras the loudest: the secular left. They forever drone on about how we must welcome everyone and reject no one, yet they are the most intolerant and exclusive mob around.

And Christians, conservatives, and especially conservative Christians, are their primary target. They will not be allowed to have a hearing, they will not be allowed to speak, and they will not be allowed to have a differing point of view.

In Germany last century the Nazis burned books that were considered to be a threat to the State. Today we have Big Tech Giants in bed with Big Government doing just the same. Thus, YouTube pulls videos it does not like; Facebook takes down pages it does not approve of; and governments ban groups from being allowed to freely meet.

The latest example of this comes from the Labor stronghold of WA. There the government has declared conservative Christian groups to be a real threat, and are therefore verboten. They will NOT be allowed to share their views in public, even though such discrimination is illegal in the state. As one news report states:

A West Australian government policy of refusing to lease its entertainment venues to groups with alternative views to the government has scuppered plans for a series of appearances in the state by the head of the Australian Christian Lobby.

 

The Perth Theatre Trust invoked the venue hire policy last month when it rejected the ACL’s request to book the Albany Entertainment Centre and the Perth Concert Hall for events featuring the group’s head, Martyn Iles, declaring the ACL had “politically motivated objectives”.

 

The venue hire policy was ­finalised just days after the state government’s emphatic March election win, and amended following its decision to ban the ACL from its venues across the state. It states the trust will not accept individuals or organisations “where the content of the event does not represent the views of the West Australian government or the vast majority of Western Australians”.

 

The updated guidance echoes a 2017 edict from WA Premier Mark McGowan. The ACL has found itself at odds with the McGowan government on issues including the Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation that came into effect at the start of July.

 

The ACL is now considering whether to take legal action against the trust, with the policy potentially in breach of section 62 of the Equal Opportunity Act. That act makes it unlawful for a person to not make facilities available to another person on the grounds of their religious or political convictions. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/mcgowan-venue-edict-bans-christian-lobbyists/news-story/d1eacd37df917019bb6ccf98eb6f416c

“Potentially”? It seems pretty clear to me! Here is section 62 of the WA Equal Opportunity Act:

Goods, services and facilities
It is unlawful for a person who, whether for payment or not, provides goods or services, or makes facilities available, to discriminate against another person on the ground of the other person’s religious or political conviction —
(a) by refusing to provide the other person with those goods or services or to make those facilities available to the other person; or
(b) in the terms or conditions on which the first-mentioned person provides the other person with those goods or services or makes those facilities available to the other person; or
(c) in the manner in which the first-mentioned person provides the other person with those goods or services or makes those facilities available to the other person. https://www.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-07/Equal%20Opportunity%20Act%201984%20-%20%5B07-f0-02%5D.pdf

That seems quite straightforward. So I do hope the ACL presses ahead with a legal challenge if the leftist government does not back down on this ban. This is clearly a case of anti-Christian bigotry and a blatant case of discrimination based on one’s religious and political convictions.

But of course conservatives and Christians are not at all surprised by this. It has been going on for years now and gets worse each passing month. All over the West war has been declared on conservative Christians, and the censorship, bullying, intimidation and cancel culture is getting out of control.

Thankfully a few sane voices have spoken out against this recent episode, most notably on Sky News. Last night a number of their presenters dealt with this clear case of injustice and discrimination. For example, Chris Kenny did a segment on this on his show: https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/chris-kenny/wa-government-policy-banning-acl-doesnt-pass-the-pub-test/video/7a69d953913814b2fbbae801c29aad14

A few other media outlets have reported it. Melbourne radio station 3AW for example ran with the story. Tom Elliott said it’s a sign that the government is “drunk” on power: “I don’t agree with the Australian Christian Lobby, but I don’t want to live in a society where a group like that is banned from hiring a hall because what they say might be at odds with government policy.” https://www.3aw.com.au/the-move-thats-left-tom-elliott-thinking-the-wa-government-is-drunk-on-power/

Even those who are not conservative or Christian can see just how wrong this is, and how bad the political left is getting to be. Indeed, when I looked at the Australian article on this, there were already over 1000 comments on the story.

People are getting sick of cancel culture and the war on our basic liberties and democratic rights. If they can ban Christians today, who will get banned tomorrow? Thankfully there is some fightback against the way Big Government and Big Tech are doing things.

As I wrote about yesterday, in France President Macron has announced heavy-handed policies to deal with Covid, including what is effectively a mandatory vaccine passport system: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2021/07/14/revelation-13-are-we-there-yet/

But the French people have had enough of these assaults on their basic freedoms. They are now taking to the streets. Here is how one report on this begins:

Thousands of people have demonstrated in France against plans to restrict restaurants and cultural spaces to those that have been vaccinated or have recently tested negative for COVID-19. Police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators in several French cities, including the capital city, Paris, and Lyon. The measures, announced on Monday, were part of an attempt by President Emmanuel Macron to fight a new wave of infections and potential hospitalisations. https://www.euronews.com/2021/07/14/protests-in-france-over-bid-to-restrict-those-without-both-covid-jabs

And in Germany, the heavy-handedness of Tech Giants like YouTube is being challenged. Given that I have been subject to YouTube censorship and cancel culture, it is great that some fightback is now taking place. Here is how the story goes:

Google’s YouTube has been forced to pay a €100,000 fine for censoring a video from a protest against Covid lockdowns. The Dresden Higher Regional Court ruled that YouTube was wrong to delete the video, filmed in Switzerland.

 

The court first, in late April 2020, issued an injunction ordering the behemoth to restore the video immediately – but YouTube ignored the ruling for almost an entire month before complying on May 14, 2020. The German court found this behavior to be a “deliberate and serious violation” and fined the giant.

 

Regardless of the amount in question, which appears to be the highest on record in Germany but is insignificant to Google’s trillion-dollar business – the lawyer for the operator of the channel that was subjected to censorship, Joachim Steinhofel, put the stress in his comments on the legal precedent here, calling the ruling “historic” – because YouTube has to comply with court decisions regardless of whether or not it thinks its own “community guidelines” had been violated.

 

Unlike in the US, where Big Tech’s right to censor speech is granted to them as private internet operators, it seems that Europeans are ready to stop playing by those rules and start imposing their own laws. https://reclaimthenet.org/youtube-fined-100000-euro-after-german-court-rejects-its-misinformation-excuse-for-deleting-anti-lockdown-protest-video/

Sure, a €100,000 fine is peanuts for Google – but it is a start. And of course President Donald Trump is now involved in a class action lawsuit against some of these censorious and hyper-left Tech Giants as well. I hope he also succeeds and teaches these tyrants a few hardcore lessons about their war on free speech. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/11/trump-social-media-legal-action-499153

So with all these ugly incidents of the left’s totalitarian cancel culture, we are now seeing some resistance. It is about time. If you are a praying person, pray that the ACL wins in WA. Pray that the French people cause a turnaround with government policies there. Pray that more legal wins like the one in Germany will occur. And pray that Trump wins big time against these tyrannical outfits.

It cannot happen soon enough.

[1411 words]

11 Replies to “Leftists Cancelling Christianity and Freedom”

  1. Sadly , I think Legal action is the ACL’s only option here , or give-in to the Tyrants.
    Fight I say , Fight.

  2. As Bill says, “Cancel culture is spinning out of control”.

    Martyn Iles has been banned / deleted / scrubbed from Wikipedia.

    Wikipedia censors say he is ‘Not Notable’. Probably that is their code-words for ‘Too Notable’.

    For ‘Martyn Iles’ information, people can go to alternative sources, such as:
    https://atributetoaustralianchristians.wordpress.com/2018/06/21/martyn-iles/

    Remember, what goes on the internet says on the internet. The above website also contains links to the externally archived copies of the original ‘Martyn Iles’ Wikipedia entry.

  3. As someone who lives in W.A. and went through the frustration of the people over here being sucked in by Mark McGowan and his border policies, this comes as no surprise to me. To say that I am righteously angry would be an understatement. However not so much at Mark McGowan who acts according to his nature and his PROGRESSIVE SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT agenda, but rather at the institutes that we call our churches. This may seem hard for others to understand but I think it is are good thing that Mark McGown has now shown his true colors. He has now openly declared war on the church by what he did, and hopefully now the churches will start to wake up. “It’s illegal” cries out the ACL Leader. Really? Mark McGowan has been writing up illegal statues (I don’t call them laws because they are not the true Commonwealth Constitution laws which came into effect in 1901 through Queen Victoria and which still apply today thanks to those in Christ who were god fearing leaders and who wrote them for us so many years ago). The TRUE LAWS (put there for our protection for such are time as this) which were derived from the King James Bible. The devil comes to steal, lie and deceive, and he has successfully stolen our God given Freedoms and has been lying to us all the way along. That should be enough to make any God fearing Christians angry, but does it, or will they wait till their own churches are shut down if they do not go along with what our illegal Government tells them to do. Still after reading an article written I can see that ACL is going to be in the firing line now, and they are going to need all our prayers and I think it is important that we all get behind them in this regard even though I too like you Bill am not are fan. However I believe our prayers are best directed at those who are our own and choose to fight along side with us and not against us. There is no point in throwing pearls in front of swine by praying for those who clearly operate against God’s law. You will know them by their fruit, right? Just like Jesus needed are Judas we need those like Mark McGowan and Daniel Andrews. There needs to be darkness in order for the stars to shine. As I once tried to point out before, this has never been about unsaved Christians, it has always been about God’s church and the Shepherds who have failed to do what they have been called to do, which is not only to feed their sheep, but to also love them and protect them. Ezekiel 34 I think it is time that ACL understood that whilst it is admirable holding Rallies and Protests we have Rulers in power now who will not only ignore them, but who now have the power to shut them down and jail and fine them if need be. It is time we understood that WE ARE MEANT TO BE KINGDOM BUILDERS not just church builders, and for that to happen there has to be unity amongst God’s churches.
    ” I appeal to you, brothers and in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
    As Paul has informed the households of his day and now today called churches that there is quarrels among you. What I mean is this. Some say I belong to this household/church and I follow their teachings.
    We are all reminded that Christ is not divided. Did your households/churches called by different names die for you, or did Christ die for you? Where you baptized in the name of your church or in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
    The churches of today quarrel over doctrine and believe that only they have the truth yet are we not all called to love one another”.
    Jesus is coming back. Of that there is no doubt, but it is not his job to prepare the way for his return, it is ours. He is coming back for his nations, and if we want to see him come back, then we had better get his house back into order starting with those called by his name.

  4. Praying with you Bill!

    It is Almighty God, Creator of us all, who is in fact hated by these whom He created . . . And those who love and honour our God and King are hated for our allegiance to Him.

    Jesus warned us this would be so (Matt 10:22).

    Truly, as for their eternal destiny, they know not what they do!

    Meantime, we must remain steadfast in prayer for justice in the matters you have highlighted, Bill, and against much other persecution, injustice, and oppression also that is happening in very many situations at this time, as this cosmic battle between good and sheer evil plays out through the nefarious agenda of those who are determined to destroy freedom and seize control of our world.

  5. It is outrageous that Martin can’t speak in WA and yet have you seen the leaked
    WA PUBLIC HEALTH ACT 2016 where evil has agreed that ‘they’ can legally (yeah right) administer a poison to their people – by the DEFENCE force.

    PUBLIC HEALTH ACT 2016 (WA)
    INSTRUMENT OF AUTHORISATION.
    AUTHORISATIOIN TO SUPPLY OR ADMINISTER A POISON
    [SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) VACCINE AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE]
    (No. 2) 2021
    1. l, Dr Andrew Robertson, Chief Health Officer (WA), acting pursuant to sections 197 and 198 of the Public Health Act 2016 (WA) [the Act] that gives power, for the purposes of emergency management during a public health state of emergency, to authorise a person to supply or administer a poison, …
    2.
    3 This, instrument of authorisation shall take effect from I March 2021 and shall remain in force until the public health state of emergency is no longer in force or until otherwise amended or revoked.
    4. This instrument of authorisation is additional to the instrument of Authorisation – Authorisation To Supply Or Administer A Poison,. [SARS COV-2 (COVID- 19) VACCINE] (No. 1) 2021

  6. Dear Bill,

    Mark Mc Gowan discriminated against religion once before. He lifted restrictions on places of entertainment before places of worship at the end of a lockdown.

    It was a stupid thing to do when voters handed his government unprecedented power in a landslide victory after the last state election.It was partly because there was literally no opposition and partly because he had managed to frighten people into thinking he was ‘keeping West Australians safe’.

    According to a Sunday Times report, the public health system in WA is in chaos so perhaps now people will begin to wake up. My parliamentary representative told me that Labour inherited the problem from the last Liberal government but they have had four years to improve it and have done nothing so no wonder they had to use fear tactics and locking up the state everytime there are one or two cases of covid. The health system can barely cope now so it could hardly cope with much of an increase in covid patients. The state of the public health system came to the public’s attention when the poor little girl died in the children’s hospital emergency. department

  7. The point of turning your other cheek is to give people the opportunity to prove just how wicked they are and the ACL, by writing to the authorities, is in fact doing exactly that. If they are slapped again it simply proves the wickedness of the Labor government and their immorality promoting cronies. After that it is clear that, for the sake of all of society, further action is obviously required.

    I don’t believe the Labor governments in either W. A. or Victoria won their elections but that the Liberal parties in both those states, by refusing to stand up for L.P. policy and properly point out the obvious immorality and deficiencies in Labor policies, simply handed power over to them. It should be blatantly obvious that we need a party to stand against Labor, which was always meant to be what the Libs. we’re for but these days they simply want to be Labor light, which, of course, is virtually pointless.

  8. Thanks guys. Good news: this just in from Martyn Iles:

    The WA Government has backed down. Their policy to cancel those who disagree has been rescinded in its entirety, pending a full review. In short, we’re going to the Albany Entertainment Centre and whatever other government properties we choose. THANK YOU for calling, emailing, and acting. This was not just a media effort – it was your effort.

    Also, thank you to the Human Rights Law Alliance who represented us so well in this matter. Most of all, we’re grateful that God has kept this door open for us to take The Truth of It LIVE to public places in WA. A statement out today by Minister Templeman is very unkind to ACL, and keeps the door open for the new policy to have major problems, but I guess we can’t make everyone like us.

    We can, however, ensure that taxpayer funded, government owned facilities are not permanently closed to Christians. We are able to achieve these things because we act together, as a combined and significant voice for truth.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *