A CHRISTIAN'S RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH
Christ
was a realist: the greatest realist that ever lived by my definition of Realism,
which is a concern with the immediate present, with facts as they are. "The
Kingdom of Heaven is within you," said Christ, and that to my mind is an
eminently realistic statement. It was Idealism that shoved Heaven up into the
sky, and that has persistently postponed human blessedness to any time and place
except here and now; when just here and now are all that we really possess to
work on… The Christian task, as I see it, is to attain the right attitude
towards life, to understand and carry out its laws as disclosed. What follows,
follows; and it is just here that faith comes into operation. It seems to me an
astonishingly foolish mistake; and one very frequently made, to confuse faith
with blind belief; they are in no way related.
Faith might be defined as an
unshakeable understanding that obedience to a known law must produce correct results…
The
Social Credit faith is of that nature, and, so too is the truly Christian, and
it is with that quality of faith that we need to inspire society."
-
Social Credit and the Christian Ethic Norman F. Webb, 1937.
Pastor
Danny Nalliah of "Catch the Fire Ministries," presented an exciting
and challenging address to his audience at the League's October seminar held in
Albury, New South Wales. Pastor Nalliah outlined the background to the 2004 court
case and the decision handed down in May this year in which he was convicted,
under the Victorian "Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001,"along
with his fellow pastor Daniel Scot. During the address Pastor Nalliah also outlined
the penalties the judge had attached to the conviction. The decision is being
appealed.
In December, 2004 Judge Michael Higgins
of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) had found that Catch
the Fire Ministries and pastors Danny Nalliah and Daniel Scot had vilified Muslims:
·
At a seminar in 2002
· In a newsletter
· And in a website
article.
The judge found that Mr Daniel Scot had made fun of Muslims in a way
that was "hostile, demeaning and derogatory", and that his conduct was
not for a genuinely religious purpose or in the public interest (which the Act
makes exempt). The penalties Judge Higgins
handed down included:
· A public apology to the Islamic Council
of Victoria.
· That Daniel Scot and Danny Nalliah be sanctioned from
speaking on issue's regarding Islam. They have previously spoken on Islam throughout
Australia.
· They must publish a formal apology to the Islamic Council
of Victoria in several Melbourne newspapers at a personal cost of $67,000. The
apology must include various aspects of the Judge's verdict.
· And Catch
the Fire Ministries to display the verdict on the front page of its website for
one year.
"We have objected to all the above and have now taken the case
to the Court of Appeal and have been granted leave to appeal," he explained. A
more recent VCAT finding:
It was most interesting to read the recent Victorian
Civil and Administrative Tribunal findings in the case between the paedophile
witch and the Salvation Army. Judge Morris (President of the VCAT) threw this
case out on the grounds that according to the specifics of the vilification law,
it's legal to vilify a religion but not a person.
What does this mean?
There
appears to be inconsistent judgments between Justice Morris and Judge Higgins
in VCAT. In our opinion Judge Higgins was mistaken in his ruling against Catch
the Fire Ministries and that is why we have taken the matter on appeal. The pastors
have vowed to unceasingly endeavour to pursue their right to freedom of speech
in a democratic society. Irredeemable bias:
According
to the documents filed with the Supreme Court the judge in Victoria's first religious
hatred case showed "irredeemable bias" and "idiosyncratic and erroneous
opinions".
The application, which claims the act is unconstitutional,
also lists 16 grounds, including the jurisdiction of the judge, errors in the
act and errors by Judge Higgins.
Lawyers for Catch the Fire Ministries and
the two pastors have asked the court to find the act invalid or to quash the decision
or hear the case again.
The application for a judicial review is not an appeal,
but if successful would have the same effect. It claims VCAT lacked jurisdiction
because Judge Higgins said he could not rule on whether the act was constitutional,
a federal matter and an important part of the defence.
It also lists 106 claimed
errors by the judge, ranging from "irredeemable bias" against Mr Scot
and denial of natural justice to misunderstanding the nature of religious conviction.
It says Judge Higgins imposed "an irrelevant religious orthodoxy of (his)
own creation". The application says Judge Higgins indicated during the hearing
that he would not make findings about Islamic doctrine but abandoned that course,
using his "own unventilated views" and "idiosyncratic and erroneous
opinions" to judge the credit of the pastors. Pastor
Danny's background:
Pastor Daniel, better known as "Evangelist Danny,"
was born in Colombo the capital of Sri Lanka in 1964. At the age of twelve he
knew that the Lord had called him into ministry, when Pastor Frank Houston (from
Australia) prophesied over him in Colombo in 1976, but he did not take it up seriously.
At
a very young age he started playing for a band and spent 6 years in Night Clubs
and Hotels across Sri Lanka as a drummer. Pas. Danny said, "My Mum never
gave up on me, she kept praying for my salvation." Six years later her prayers
were answered.
Three months after experiencing salvation he came across his
first trial when he was confronted with a mob who wanted to kill his parents during
the communal violence in Sri Lanka. But praise God, his prayer as a new Christian
was answered, when the mob left without touching anyone. That day Pastor Danny
said, "Lord, I will serve you as long as I have breath."
He started
his church life wanting to serve the Lord. His first job was to clean the church
for 2 years, then he spent time with the youth and became a youth leader. From
here the Lord raised him up to be a Sunday School Superintendent, Cell Group Leader,
Cell Pastor, Regional Pastor, Church Board member and then into Church planting. Christian
worship a criminal offence:
In 1995 Pastor Danny along with his family,
through work commitments, moved to Saudi Arabia and soon started working with
the underground Church. In this nation, where Christian worship is a number one
criminal offence, Christians can be given the death sentence for even worshipping
at home.
His life story is recorded in his book titled, "Worship Under
the Sword". Pastor Danny saw God's mighty hand at work right in the heart
of Islam. He lived with his family just 40 minutes driving time away from Mecca,
and served the Lord there for 2 years. Here he received from the Lord a real love
for the Muslim people.
Pastor Danny and his family were most miraculously saved
from death and torture twice. He said, "If not for Jesus being alive, we
would not be alive!" His testimony has touched the hearts of many all over
the world. While in Saudi Arabia, following an encounter he had with Jesus on
21st July 1997 (from 3.40am to 6.00am), in obedience to this, he decided to move
to Australia and set up a base known as "Catch The Fire Ministries Inc."
Pas.
Danny was instrumental in securing the release of 31 Christians who were arrested
in Saudi Arabia in 1998. His work influenced the highest levels in the US Government,
when Bill Clinton personally requested the release of all prisoners.
He has
travelled to many countries in Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa,
USA and of course Australia and has ministered to crowds of more than ten thousand
people.
Now a citizen of Australia, along with his young family, Pastor Danny
ministers across this great land. He is the leader of "Rise Up Australia"
a national prayer movement sweeping across Australia, with more than a hundred
churches already involved and around one thousand people participating in the
prayer meetings. Some good news for freedom
of speech:
He shared some good news regarding the ongoing stand for freedom
of speech across Victoria and further afield in this great land! First, the media
(T.V, Radio, Newspapers) responded favourably in covering the penalty given against
Catch the Fire Ministries.
Following the media reports, the very next day,
the office received around 200 encouraging emails while the telephone lines buzzed
continually as messages of support were received. Among these calls were five
atheists who offered support as their stand for freedom of speech.
One atheist
stated, "Finally it is so refreshing to find a Christian who has some guts!"
Several others asked for bank account details to help fund the appeal! Following
are a few noteworthy excerpts from the nearly 200 encouraging emails received
from both Christians and non-Christians alike:
One 21 year old stated, "Pastor,
up to now I believed that Jesus was fake, as I have never seen a Christian who
has guts. But watching the news I was challenged to see a Christian standing for
our nation's freedom. This changed my thinking as I got on my knees and gave my
life to Jesus in front of the TV"
Another 23 year old stated, "Three
years ago I stopped attending church and promised myself I would never step into
a church again. Seeing you on TV standing for our nation as a Christian, it has
challenged my thinking. Good on you mate! I will be back in church next Sunday
as I know I need Jesus in my life to fight this battle for my future and my children."
Around
thirty percent of the emails received were from people who were non-Christians
or backslidden Christians making a personal commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ!
"I praise and thank God for this amazing response!" he said. He
saw this spiritual awakening as an unexpected bonus!
"I never thought
I'd hear reports of people giving their lives to Jesus as a result of this verdict.
If we had to go through this trial for no other reason, I am happy. Glory to God!
"The
nation is watching the Christian Church demonstrate love "with guts",
and not duck for cover! The Body of Christ must experience a paradigm shift in
its thinking - by speaking the truth and ceasing negativity. Let's lay aside our
personal reputation and fear of man to take a stand for Jesus." He
wanted to thank all those who have kindly supported them during this trying time
- with their prayers, finances and moral support. He asked for our prayers: "Please
continue to pray that the Lord God Almighty will provide everything we need throughout
the next season as we win this "spiritual battle" in the name of Jesus!" He
warned the audience:
"In recent days we have experienced a very big
push to make Australia a tolerant, politically correct society. I am not against
this as such, but when it begins to erode our Christian heritage we must surely
look carefully to discover if there is a hidden agenda.
Currently in many parts
of the world it is commonplace for interfaith communities to be set up. This is
happening so quickly that many governments and even Christian leaders are entering
into it. To many it seems to be very politically correct to do so.
But the
question needs to be asked, who are the main "pushers" of interfaith
and do they have the best interest for Australia at heart or are they merely "pushing
the barrel" to de-Christianize our nation? Are we looking at the beginning
of a move to erode our Christian heritage and replace it with "interfaith"?" Hosea
4:6... my people perish for lack of knowledge:
"The Lord has very
clearly shown me that this deceptive plan would make Australia lose her heritage
and as a result, her destiny. Ignorance is no excuse - we need to stand strongly
against these interfaith love affairs which have erupted and are spreading like
wild fire. Have you stopped to ask why it is growing so fast? Most like to keep
out of trouble and therefore choose not to speak up, even if a little troubled.
I can only declare that if good people continue to keep silent, evil will triumph
and all will be affected. We can no longer remain silent; we must speak up and
now! I issue a strong challenge to you to take a stand to protect Australia's
Christian heritage." What identifies
a true prophet from a false prophet?
If our 'busyness' in church, family
and employment causes us to remain silent our silence may prove to be a grave
mistake. A true Godly prophet prepares people for persecution and challenge. The
false prophet will avoid persecution and compromise values, primarily the Word. Warned
of compromising 'leaders' in the churches:
Recently in Victoria many Christian
leaders have spoken to their congregations on "how to avoid" vilification.
Knowledge demands wisdom - there is no question here. But should compromise enter,
you tread on dangerous ground. Political correctness is then chosen over biblical
correctness. And called for leadership:
My
solemn challenge to you is take your stand for your nation now before the interfaith
movement establishes its hold. We cannot lead our nation on the back foot, we
can no longer stay on the defensive; we must speak up and make our voice count.
It is imperative that Christians move into government and other places of leadership.
I
recently enquired of the Lord concerning the Scripture where it says, "The
government shall be upon His shoulders". I heard these words from the Holy
Spirit, "Son, who is the Head?" I responded, "Lord it is you."
He then said, "Who then is the body?" I replied, "Lord, the church
is your body". He then asked me, "Son, where are the shoulders - on
the head or the body?" I responded, "On the body." The words came
to me again, "Tell my people to carry the government upon their shoulders".
It
should not amaze us to realize as "righteousness exalts a nation," the
Lord is very clearly calling His ambassadors to move into government and take
up leadership authority roles. ¦ |
