Hi everyone,

This article (below) was posted on the Star Observer website today and features a few quotes from freedom2b President Michelle Kolev.

Christians stand against ACL

written by Benn Dorrington / 25 September 2012

Almost 16,000 people have called on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to meet with pro-gay marriage Christians to counter the Australian Christian Lobby’s influence in Canberra.

Melbourne’s Collins Street Baptist Church Reverend Carolyn Francis began her online petition in August which has now collected about 15,900 signatures.

She told the Star Observer the petition had just outgrown the Australian Christian Lobby’s estimated 15,000 members.

The petition started following he ACL’s announcement that the Prime Minister would be the keynote speaker at its national conference.

“I think there has been a sense that they [ACL] speak on the behalf of all of us and that their opposition to marriage equality is something that is a, or the, Christian position,” she said.

“I think it’s very dangerous for any of us to be claiming we speak on behalf of Australian Christians.”

Francis said the petition had grown faster than she expected and added it had collected more members than the ACL’s entire membership base.

While the PM has since rescinded her invite to the conference following offensive comments by ACL director Jim Wallace, Francis still wants to meet with the PM.

Initially, the PM’s office had not agreed to meet with pro-gay marriage Christians but Francis said she was hopeful for future meeting requests.

Some well-noted Christian federal politicians such as federal Opposition Whip Warren Entsch and Labor Senator Ursula Stephens have distanced themselves from the ACL’s comments.

Freedom2b Melbourne chapter leader Michelle Kolev agreed with Francis.

She said the ACL did not speak on behalf of all Christian Churches since churches like the Collins Street Baptist Church had spoken out.

“They’ve decided to stand up and say ‘we’re speaking on behalf of Christian Churches’ but they’re actually not,” she said of the ACL.

“They’re speaking on behalf of a group of very forthright Christians who hold this opinion and they’re entitle to this opinion but it’s absolutely unfair that they feel it’s ok to speak for the rest of the Christian majority.”

Kolev said there were many Freedom2b members who had been in long term relationships and wanted marriage.

“We pose no threat to the instituion of marriage,” she said.

“In fact, we’re long term partners, a lot of us own homes and pay taxes and do the same thing as everybody else so we think it’s our fair right to get married as well, or at least have the choice if we choose to.”

Read the full article here: http://www.starobserver.com.au/news/2012/09/25/christians-stand-against-acl/85552#

Signed

I'm sick and tired of anti-gay Christians speaking for everyone. It's those sort of people who make others roll their eyes at religion.

~Jordan

Hey Ben,

I suppose it's just the majority of churches in NZ that get to me sometimes. Some are completely anti-gay, but for the most part, where I am atleast, the churches *tolerate* gay people (which are babysteps I guess), or they say that gay people are welcome, but they NEVER touch on the actual homosexuality topic – which to me is insulting because there must be quite a few people (including myself) at church who feel alienated and unwelcome there despite them saying I'm welcome. Most churches in NZ never shed any light on the clobber passages (and if they do it isn't positive) or tell people that we're just as worthy as being on this planet as heterosexual people are, which is sad. In fact it's really sad. I wish more churches would take a theological sort of approach to the bible as Matthew Vines has, because it is vital in understanding it in all of its context.

I was reading in the newspaper today, one of the political party leaders, Colin Craig of the Conservative Party, being a complete bigot as usual, he was going out of his way to spread his hate towards gay people. He went on about how same-sex marriage is destroying everything (you know the typical garbage anti-gay people say, even when they know it won't effect them whatsoever). And to think I voted for him last election… URGH, I won't make that mistake again. But you see his party had great family values and all that at the time. If I knew he was so homophobic and anti-gay I would NEVER have voted for him or his party (and for the most part his party are full of Christians too – what an embarrassment!). Though after sending that email to all 121 MP's, I found out who REALLY cared for same-sex marriage, and I was impressed by quite a few MP's that I had never given a second thought of previously. I was extremely impressed by the Green Party, and Kevin Hague in particular, and the fact that the whole Green Party will vote for all stages of Louisa Walls Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill to allow gay couples to marry.

In conclusion anywho (I digress) I just see a lot of hatred coming from mainstream Christians who think they mean well by condemning gay people, which is why I posted earlier that I'm so sick and tired of them speaking for all of us, because not all of us hate people in the name of God as such. I'm so frustrated at how much hate there is in the world, especially coming from Christians. I can see and understand now why people end up rejecting religion – because it can cause so much hurt. There was this video the other day I saw on YouTube, it was really good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY