Faith in open debate

Let that sink in for a moment. The truth is no defense. Then ask yourself the question - are we truly free? A robust democracy is one in which we have the freedom to debate, to discuss, to argue and even to vigorously disagree on what is right and true. And that’s just on political persuasions. Religious persuasions are even more polarising as by necessity each religion makes claims of truth. The ability to discuss, to compare, and yes, even to compare unfavourably, should be a mark of a free society.

There are many, many nations where this freedom is not afforded to its citizens and these countries usually end up on a human rights watch list somewhere.

I am a Christian. Last time I checked, that was still legal - even in Victoria. Part of my religious text says that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. This means, according to the Bible, that other religions are not the way to salvation. Now I know that Buddhists will vigorously disagree with this, as will Muslims, Hindus and Mormons. In fact, I would expect people of other faiths to argue that what I have said is not true. And so they should. In the arena of religious debate, disagreement is a certainty - and a healthy one.

Quite simply, Victoria’s legislation is dangerous and sets an appalling precedent for our Nation.

Amir Butler, the Executive Director of the Australian Muslim Public Affairs Committee, believes that religions must have the right to freely debate. He said, “All these anti-vilification laws have achieved is to provide a legalistic weapon by which religious groups can silence their ideological opponents, rather than engaging in debate and discussion...Who, after all, would give credence to a religion that appears so fragile it can only exist if protected by a bodyguard of lawyers?”

Now that is something, I am pleased to say, we can both agree on.