Politician abuses pro-marriage pastor over homosexual marriage
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| Kevin Rudd (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
- The Australian Courier Mail is reporting: LABOR won't win another election unless it learns from Kevin Rudd's astonishing performance on Monday's Q&A.
Want to understand Labor's fall? Then watch the Prime Minister abuse a pastor for holding an opinion on same-sex marriage which Rudd shared only four months ago.
That Rudd also trashed the Bible - holy book of the faith he ostentatiously professes - made him seem even more cynical and unprincipled.
What a metaphor for Labor's six years in office.
Matt Prater, a New Hope Church pastor and Christian broadcaster, was in the ABC's Q&A audience and asked Rudd about his decision in May to support same-sex marriage.
Said Prater: "Most of the listeners and callers we have had in our radio station have been saying they won't be voting for you because . . . you seem to keep chopping and changing your beliefs just to get a popular vote with regards to things like marriage."
Rudd's reply was outrageous. He immediately painted Prater as a gay-hating bigot: "[People] are gay if they are born gay . . . The idea that this is somehow an abnormal condition is just wrong . . .
"If your starting point is that homosexuality is abnormal - I don't know if that's your view."
Prater, who'd said no such thing, said his real objection to same sex marriage was that the Bible defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
"I'm just curious for you, Kevin, if you call yourself a Christian, why don't you believe the words of Jesus in the Bible?"
But having already slimed the pastor, Rudd, who likes to pose in front of his church, slimed his faith.
"Well, mate," he sneered. "If I was going to have that view, the Bible also says that slavery is a natural condition."
But the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Glenn Davies, says Rudd "misquoted the Bible" and was "profoundly wrong". Aristotle, not the Bible, defined slavery as a natural condition.
As Canon Sandy Grant, senior minister at Wollongong's St Michael's Anglican Cathedral, pointed out, the Bible actually ranks "slave traders" among "the ungodly and sinful".
Grant added: "I am appalled at how this national leader . . . misrepresented the Holy Book of the faith he confesses on its teaching on one matter (slavery) to avoid its teaching on another matter (of marriage) . . ."
But the Left-leaning Q&A audience applauded Rudd wildly for abusing the pastor and Christianity and the ABC's clip went viral, watched 330,000 times.
In fact, Rudd's rant perfectly illustrated how Labor has failed: how it confuses abuse with persuasion, Twitter for the public, fashion for substance.
Note how Rudd repeatedly made the pastor seem a bigot for holding an opinion Rudd himself held until last May.
In fact, Rudd used to argue - just like the pastor - "marriage is between a man and woman" and "it's just been our traditional, continuing view". Was he then a gay-hater?
But with a convert's zeal, Rudd showed no respect for the opinion he used to hold or for the pastor. He sought to win an argument by bullying, not persuading. Hasn't that been Labor's way? To denigrate people for holding opinions Labor itself once held or has since adopted?
Remember how Labor abused as "racists" those of us warning its lax border laws were luring boat people here? See how Labor has since decided, too late, its laws were indeed too soft?
Remember how Labor branded as "misogynists" those of us warning Julia Gillard was incompetent, preaching division and hatred? See how Labor has since admitted Gillard was too divisive?
Remember how Labor vilified as "deniers" those of us warning the carbon tax was a useless fix to a global warming that's paused? Remember how we were abused, but never answered?
This is the most important lesson from Rudd's attack. Given the chance to persuade even a fellow Christian, Rudd abused him instead and insulted his faith. He made an enemy of Christians who could have been his allies.
"I thought he was a bit rough," Prater later told The Australian.
"I was a bit shocked because I feel we have to have a reasonable rational discussion about this."
Yet Rudd's camp thought this his finest moment, wife Therese Rein retweeting, "You were bloody brilliant tonight Kevin".
No, he wasn't. And until Labor realises why, it's finished.
