Anti-Israel Folau Hysteria Reaches New Zealand

TVNZ (a state-sponsored propaganda channel) ran a few segments denouncing Israel. “I look forward to the day when everyone can accept everyone for who they are” said Matty, a “proud gay man” and TVNZ journalist, after he spends a few minutes trashing Israel for who he is. What Matty means is that he can’t wait for the day when everyone agrees with him. Or else.

In some interviews that NZME journalists ran on the streets, there were some awkward exchanges, like a reporter asking a Christian, “so he’s obviously taking Leviticus very literally.” Let’s take a look at the section from Leviticus that refers to homosexuality as sinful:

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. – Leviticus 18:22

I am not entirely sure what someone could “interpret” to be ambiguous about that. The Bible condemns homosexuality at least a dozen times, both in the Old and New Testaments. Sexual immorality, including homosexuality is condemned again and again in Romans, Corinthians, Peter, and Jude, to name a few examples. The prophet Ezekiel even mentions “gay pride” as the reason for the destruction of Sodom.

How does a journalist living in a majority-Christian nation not know any of this? Any real Christian (one who actually believes in the Bible) will agree with Israel Folau’s statements. That’s not an act of hate, it’s an act of truth. They’d say the same if you asked them about any other sin too. They’d tell you that everyone is a sinner and in danger of hell, unless you repent from you sin and believe on Jesus to save you from it. There’s nothing new about this. It’s been standard Christian theology for thousands of years.

Mike Hosking went one step further than some of the rest, and claimed that without the Bible backing you up, this would be “hate speech” and Israel should be fired. He added that we shouldn’t allow people to quote the Bible in public or have real free speech at all, as that would be dangerous. Before you know it, people could be fighting wars or blowing themselves up in the name of religion. Fancy that.

Labour MP Louisa Wall said that free speech doesn’t mean you get to put people down. It does: the point of free speech is that you’re allowed to say things that other people don’t agree with. She ended her interview by saying that Israel Folau was encouraging confused youth to commit suicide. Stay classy Louisa.

Would Israel have had this backlash had he said this as, say a Muslim? While we’re busy debating whether it’s OK to say that homosexuality is wrong, in Islamic circles they’re debating whether the appropriate way to execute a homosexual is by throwing him off a building or by cutting his head off.

NZME and TVNZ are, of course, big fans for bringing more Islam into the country. Even though I oppose this, it’s not really that big of a deal for me if we go Sharia. I can grow my beard out a little longer, marry a few extra wives, and secretly distil some gin in the basement. (It’s only haram if no one knows about it.) With all those degenerate entertainment channels shutdown, there will probably only be two channels owned by the opposing sides of this Islamic debate and you can have have pick of watching a gay get executed by being thrown off the Sky Tower or beheaded in Vector Arena. I think a few media employees would be getting the short end of that stick. But, who am I to say no to diversity?

These self-righteous journalists act like disagreeing with homosexuality is some outlandish new idea, but far from it, in 32 commonwealth countries it’s still illegal, with 74 countries worldwide having a ban on it. Here in New Zealand, those who engaged in the crime of buggery could be executed until 1861, and it continued to be illegal to engage in homosexual activity until 1986.

Now 30 years later, it’s almost illegal not to.

Dieuwe de Boer is editor of our New Zealand affiliate Right Minds NZ where this article also appears.