Isn’t it curious that those same ‘good’ Christians who believe our kids need to be inculcated with ‘Christian’ values via the National School Chaplaincy Program are quite happy for the Federal government to defy the High Court and spend taxpayers’ money in contravention of the Constitution (according to High Court rulings in Pape and Williams (1)) so long as their own interests are served.
What kinds of ‘values’ are these?
Do we really want our children told that it’s OK to break the law as long as you gain an advantage from it?
How about using a public sign to bully, threaten and publicly shame someone whose perfectly legal actions you’ve taken issue with? Is this the kind of ‘Christian behaviour’ being modeled by the chaplains who, to date, have cost Australian taxpayers half a billion dollars (and to whom another $250 million has been promised in tonight’s budget).
And, what about when your bad behaviour is ‘outed’ – is it ‘Christian’ to apologise for a lapse of judgement or do you just change the sign so it looks like the meaning was misconstrued?
Who me? No! I didn’t do anything bad – LOOK!
But the Eiser Street Baptists shouldn’t think that they’ve put the wind up Ron Williams. As they say, threatening a non-believer with hell is like a hippie threatening to punch you in your aura.
When I spoke to Ron this morning he was nearly weeping with laughter and rushed right out to get a happy snap.
But, still, shame on you, Eiser Street Baptist Church, Toowoomba. This is Baptist bastardry stripped bare.
Chrys Stevenson
Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear 
“Good Christian”? Oxymoron… moron being appropriate at times.
This is the kind of thing one sees when binary thinking prevails. It’s all ‘us’ v ‘them’. Unfortunately, the more one opposes them, the more secure they feel in their position since by disagreeing you have identified yourself as other and proven them to be the chosen ones. A very neat and personally convenient way to live, don’t you think? No need to ever re-evaluate, or to think deeply at all. Very biblical – a book that stands as its own proof of veracity. Why is the bible ‘the truth’ – because it says so. Why is it ‘god’s word’ – because it says so. No getting around that one with your fancy-schmancy reasoning or your so-called logic.
This is why, whenever possible, it’s best to just ignore these religious nut-bags. Any argument with them is entirely circular and utterly futile. The more effort you put in the quicker you sink into their quick-sand of faulty logic and flawed reasoning. And on a good day, if you manage to find a chink in their armour there’s always their fall-back position of ‘faith’. Here be dragons.
But all the same, I do hope that reason will hold the day (whenever it comes) in this high court finding. Its always a good day when good people stand up for the right thing to do. Well done.
Pat you talk sense. My only issue is that religion if it is not resisted it will continue to be in a position of privilege in society. By exposing its bad behaviour and showing there are better ways to address reality we can disabuse them of their sense of entitlement. I fight it everywhere I can. I might look like an ass sometimes but I can live with that if I am showing ppl that religion is a flawed and evil poison. Religion is in decline as more and more ppl reject it. That is because of education and activism. In particular good representatives for reason like Chris do most of the heavy lifting.
I’m of the strong opinion that bad behaviour deserves a spotlight shone upon it. This is not with any hope that the fool in the spotlight will see the error of their ways. But perhaps those in close proximity, perhaps caught at the edges of the light’s reach, might find it rather uncomfortable to be caught within its arc.
The problem we have in this country is that Christianity is so noisily represented by a fundamentalist mob of red necks and liberal, fair-minded Christians are, generally, too timid to make a stand and tell our government that they are outliers, an embarrassment to the wider Christian community, and that their views do not reflect those of the majority.
I know many good Christians who can see the fault in putting chaplains into schools – especially fundamentalist evangelical chaplains. But where is their lobby? Where are their voices? Where are their donations towards Ron Williams’ on-going fight?
This is why I highlight this bastardry – because I hope that liberal Christians will reach the point of such embarrassment at being associated with this mob they will finally take a strong and united stance against them.
You are quite right about the noisy minority of rat-bags embarrassing the mainstream christians. It’s a mystery to me why they (the mainstream-ers) aren’t more vocal. But in the meantime, shine on, baby, shine on!
The garbage bin under the sign says it all. Christianity is garbage.
threatening a non-believer with hell is like a hippie threatening to punch you in your aura. — hahah that’s funny!!
Not a line for which I can claim credit, I hasten to add!
🙂