Australian Capital Territory Senator Zed Seselja will vote ‘no’ in the Turnbull government’s voluntary, non-binding, postal plebiscite because he believes that Christians and other religious people could be persecuted for their views on marriage and sexuality if the law is changed1. Statements like this are enough to make you consider that Seselja might have some form of mental impairment. However, he did state that he would vote ‘yes’ in the free vote in parliament if the postal plebiscite resulted in a majority favouring same-sex marriage.
He stated that in other parts of the world religionists can find it difficult when marriage is redefined, and that: “They can find there is persecution when they argue their view of marriage and sexuality. We should be protecting those kinds of things.”1 There is a simple way to avoid any perceived persecution, and that is to stop telling people they are not fit to have the same rights as you; that they are somehow inferior or less worthy of demonstrating to others their love for someone. The religious also need to realise that civil law trumps any wacky religious belief. I have never seen Jews or Muslims pontificating on street corners that the rest of us are scum because we like bacon. They can do what they like with regard to such products; they just cannot tell me what I should not be allowed to do, just because of some weird religious belief about cloven hooves and cud2.
The vague drivel uttered by Seselja is simply a religionist’s diatribe against giving other people rights he already has. Like many people of a religious bent, he thinks he has the right to tell others how to live their lives, just like the Taliban wish to do in Afghanistan. Senator Seselja seems unaware that giving someone a right that you already have is not an attack on you3.
Sources
- http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/samesex-marriage-could-see-christians-persecuted-act-senator-zed-seselja-20170809-gxt196.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_restrictions_on_the_consumption_of_pork
- http://www.blotreport.com/society/dashanne-stokes-quote/
Seselja should have been “prosecuted” for stupidity long ago. You’ll note he didn’t provide any examples of this “persecution”, nor did he specify which of those countries with marriage freedom have this undefined “persecution”. He’d likely suggest that it’s persecution when people lambast and lampoon views such as those of the ACL, yet he was one of the conservatives who wanted changes to 18C – on the basis of supposedly “free speech”. The hypocrisy is breathtaking, but what really defines these so called “christians” is their silence on hundreds of far more important moral matters – such as refugees for example.
Jon,
Agreed; as I state elsewhere using an example from the US, there seems to be a dichotomy among christians these days. There are those who would happily lock up someone like their eponymous carpenter, and a few who would recognise him and actually believe what he preaches. The latter seem to be getting fewer. I think this comes from desperation, as they can see the rapid decrease in the proportion of the populace being religious, so they will do anything to hold onto some semblance of power over people, even if that means endorsing bigots like Shelton, or narcissistic, misogynistic, racist liars like Trump. I really think that it will accelerate their demise.
I see Seselja is at it again with his unsubstantiated claims on the effects of non-discriminatory marriage laws in other countries.
“Senator Seselja, the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs, said: “I respectfully disagree with George Brandis on this issue. If you look around the world, issues of religious freedom has flowed when we’ve seen a change to the definition of marriage. ” (smh today)
Not one example provided, not one shred of evidence offered to back up his claim that “religious freedom” has been diminished as a direct result of legal changes to marriage laws. Just a thought but perhaps Seselja’s moral outrage might better be directed at his government’s treatment of refugees, their destruction of the foreign aid budget, and the corruption within the party he represents.
Jon,
Like most christians, it is probably the right to impose his beliefs on others that will be most impacted, and also the right to look down on people who are not like him. The latter is just bigotry. Refugees don’t matter to these people, because most of them aren’t christians and are a bit too brown.