Thursday, September 1, 2011

Religious double standards


Walking into Charlestown Square tonight the first thing I was confronted with was, of all things, a Bible exhibition. Usually, Christian values are the last thing you'd expect to see there on a Thursday night. But yes, in the centre court for all to see and experience was a lovely display of God's work. Creation, miracles, the Rapture, it was all there. Along with the glazed over, blank faced peons handing out flyers.

But my problem is not with message of the bible. Well, it is, but I'll save that for something bigger than a blog. My problem is with the double standard that is applied to Christianity, and to other religions in some circumstances. But in suburban Australia, Christianity has one rule and everyone else has another.

Imagine on a Thursday night going to one of the biggest shopping centres in the state and seeing a Muslim exhibition. Well, outside of Lakemba anyway. There would be public uproar, protests, news coverage and riots. It would be shut down within hours. In fact, it would never even get the green light to go ahead.

Religion is a choice. If you choose to go to a church, synagogue, mosque or pub, that is your choice. When you go shopping and are faced with a billboard sprouting God's miracles and flyers being handed out saying the earth is 6000 years old that is clearly not your choice.

It's obvious that an Islamic group would not be allowed to do this, so there is no reason why a Christian group should be afforded this luxury. Regardless of whether the medium is right or wrong, it's definitely wrong to give one group of people an opportunity not afforded to another.

1 comment:

  1. Presenting fairy tales like it's fact. That's what gets to me. And in such a public arena. We are already burdened by Jim Wallace and Fred Nile in the media. Although, if they did a display of what they think of society (instead of pictures of Jesus playing with rabbits and lambs) maybe people would realise what a load of shit it all is.

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