Indeed, I have been warning for years now that the main way in which biblical Christians will be silenced is not by direct persecution, but by incremental legal and social changes. I have said for two decades now that the various discrimination laws, vilification legislation and equal opportunity rulings will more and more be used to squeeze the lifeblood out of evangelical Christianity.
And of course we have seen these governmental groups (human rights commissions, equal opportunity bodies, and so on) already busy at work undermining the faith. The most blatant example was the way in which the Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission went after two Christian pastors.
The pair went through hell – five years of legal proceedings which cost them over a half million dollars in costs. And in the end an appeals court threw out the case, saying that the original finding of a guilty verdict was replete with numerous serious mistakes.
Yet this same body, the VHREOC, now wants even more powers to go after offenders – and Christians will surely be on top of the list. In an extremely worrying – and largely overlooked article – in the Australian on January 14, it was reported that new draconian powers are being proposed for the body.
And who do you suppose is behind all this? You got it - Victoria's most radical social engineer, Attorney-General Rob Hulls. He has been pushing his radical, secular social activism for years, and this is just more of the same.
Here is what the Australian article says in part, "Victoria's human rights commission would be empowered to conduct wide-ranging discrimination investigations, compel witnesses to testify and conduct searches and seizures under proposals to dramatically boost the organisation's powers. The state Government is considering plans to overhaul the Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, taking it from a complaint-driven conciliation body to a proactive discrimination-busting agency."
"A current review into equal opportunity laws is expected to consider scrapping exemptions that allow exclusive private clubs such as the Athenaeum or Lyceum to bar male or female members. The recommendations for a major upgrade to the commission's powers came in a review conducted by veteran social justice campaigner and former public advocate Julian Gardner on behalf of Attorney-General Rob Hulls. 'The power to conduct an inquiry could include the power to compel the attendance of a person to provide information and/or produce documents,' Mr Gardner's report recommends."
"'These powers could be supported by the power of entry, search and seizure to obtain necessary evidence and documentation.' The Government is considering the recommendations and is believed to be supportive of boosting the commission's powers. It has referred the issue to a parliamentary committee, which will report in April, before it goes to state cabinet. Mr Hulls has described the state's equal opportunity laws as 'outmoded', saying 'reform in this area is long overdue'."
This is scary stuff. Now they are going to start coming after us. VHREOC "chief executive Helen Szoke told The Australian yesterday the investigatory powers could be backed by the ability to issue enforceable undertakings. 'The commission's view is that what we have now is not enough for us to fulfil our charter of reducing discrimination,' she said. 'These are powers that other states and the national human rights commission have had for some time. (But) a good regulatory body would use its 'stick' powers, as opposed to its 'carrot' powers very sparingly.' Currently the commission can act only on individual complaints and offers conciliation services to the parties, as well as performing its research and education roles."
Let's get a few things straight here. In a multicultural, pluralistic society we are told we should all get along and accept one another. But there has always been a double standard here. One group has always been targeted in such tolerance-promoting circumstances: biblical Christians. Who was targeted by Victoria's notorious ant-vilification laws? Biblical Christians of course.
And notice Szoke spoke of her concern about "reducing discrimination". That phrase covers a multitude of sins. In the secular humanist worldview (which HREOC ably represents), this usually is code for the view that Christianity is discriminatory in its beliefs and practices.
Homosexuality is a key issue here. The discrimination bodies have largely been about promoting the homosexual cause, and whenever we hear talk about discrimination and inequality, invariably the homosexual agenda is really what is in mind.
So if these changes proceed, I can see the thought police knocking on my door and that of other concerned citizens, taking away our computers and documents, to find proof of our "hatred," "vilification," and "discrimination".
Indeed, at least one legal expert cited in the article could see the danger. This is how the Australian article puts it: "Melbourne QC Peter Faris likened the proposed powers to those of a crime commission, and described the changes as a blow to free speech. 'They would have to prosecute Prince Harry,' he said, referring to the prince's recent 'Paki' jibe to an army colleague. 'It's a big step. They are going to need lawyers and what would amount to police to conduct raids. It's difficult to see why it is necessary â€" there hasn't been any great outbreak of criticism'."
All around the Western world these unelected and unaccountable quasi-governmental bodies are conducting witch hunts against Christians and those who dare to oppose the homosexual agenda. Many countries now have laws against "hate speech crimes" and the like. Thus if a homosexual activist hears you publically reading from Romans 1, for example, he can accuse you of inciting violence, of promoting discrimination, and of making "hate speech".
This approach has been steadily moving along for several decades now. It shows no signs of slowing down. Bit by bit and inch by inch basic freedoms – such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion – are being chipped away. Indeed, at this very moment the Federal Government is conducting an inquiry into freedom of religion in Australia. A careful look at what this is all about reveals that it is really concerned with freedom from religion.
It too speaks about discrimination and vilification, and its real aim, again, will be to silence those who stand up for the biblical Gospel, and those who seek to promote biblical values. So at the federal level as well as the state level, various government bodies are working overtime to slowly erode our freedoms as Christians to preach biblical truth and stand up for biblical morality.
Perhaps the only other thing more worrying than this is the incredible ignorance and apathy of the Christian community. Most believers don't know anything about these moves, and don't really want to either. As an example, these government inquires are nothing new. We faced similar problems just over a decade ago. This is what I wrote back then:
"The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has just released its report, Article 18: Freedom of Religion and Belief. The report is the result of public comment made to a 1997 discussion paper called Free To Believe? At the time I strongly encouraged all of us to put in submission. Unfortunately, the Christian community appears to be apathetic, indifferent or asleep at the wheel: the Commission received only 255 submissions, and many of these were from cults, non-Christian religions, or from groups like the Atheist Foundation of Australia, the Humanist Society of Victoria, and the Pagan Alliance. Once again it seems we are allowing anti-faith and anti-family forces to set the agenda, because we couldn't be bothered getting involved in the debate."
I am afraid things have not changed much in the ensuing years. I and others of course are urging all Christians to put in a submission to the current federal inquiry. Yet if anything more than a tiny fraction of one percent even does so, I will be surprised. We are allowing the secularists to slowly turn this nation into not just a post-Christian country, but an anti-Christian country.
It really is time for believers to wake up and realize what is happening all around them. The other side – including the homosexual activists and the militant secularists – are working incessantly to achieve their goals. But we, like Keith Green once sang about, can't even get out of bed, or pry ourselves away from the TV.
The side which is most committed to its cause will prevail. And at the moment it sure does not look like the Christian community will be the winner. I will continue to warn, and act as a watchman. But we must all get involved if we want to retain basic religious freedoms in this nation, especially the freedom to proclaim the gospel without hindrance.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,,24910221-643,00.html