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Commentary
When Andrew Thorburn was forced to step down as CEO of Essendon Football Club just one day after being appointed, he said: “Private Christianity is neither tolerated nor permitted in public squares”. I was.
Thorburn, who has an illustrious career in business, including six years as CEO of National Australia Bank, said he was forced to resign from Essendon because of his role as chairman of the church.
“I was being asked to compromise beyond what my conscience would allow,” he said.
“People have different views on complex personal and moral issues, and despite those differences, they should always be able to live and work with respect. Action is key. It is an important part of a tolerant and diverse society.”
Unfortunately, tolerance no longer seems to extend to Christian believers. His seven Manly Rugby League players who opposed wearing the “Pride” jersey were Polynesian and devout Christians, and were harshly criticized for their stance.
However, I cannot help but see a double standard in their treatment. That compares to the treatment of Muslim Hani Nzreika, who was an AFL women’s player and who refused to wear a ‘pride’ jumper and cricketer and practiced Muslim fawad her Ahmed. I came across it. He refused to put beer brand logos on his Australian shirt.
Accept Disagreeing Opinions
as a senator Matt Canavan said Channel Nine’s Today Show: “In our community, we need to be open to all opinions, even if we disagree.”
“Hurt feelings shouldn’t lead to losing a job. Andrew Thorburn bravely clung to his religious beliefs and gave up his dream job.
Thorburn’s church website features an article in 2013 titled “Surviving as a Christian and Homosexual”. It is a mainstream Christian belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. This belief is reflected in Judaism and Islam, among other religions.
Outrage was also expressed on a sermon on the church’s website comparing abortion to the destruction of life in concentration camps. The traditional Christian view of abortion is that it takes an innocent human life.
These facts are seemingly ignored Poorly informed but self-appointed moral judge Such as Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews and Channel Seven host David Koch. They say it’s perfectly fine to disagree with these views, but they forget that they are inherently prejudiced and regard hatred as grotesque.
In fact, issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and who can marry are by their very nature divisive. Because this is the essence of living in a democracy.
As Canavan put it, “many people” in Australia “disagreed with abortion” and admitted to being one of them.
“I think it’s the end of life. He said.
Seeking a liberal society, we became illiberal
In fact, the basic mission of Christianity runs counter to contemporary cultural trends, which is one reason why secular society finds its teachings so unacceptable.
According to the Bible, Jesus said to his disciples at the Last Supper (St. John 15:18-20): If you belong to the world, the world will know you as its own and love you. The world hates you because you do not belong to it, because I have chosen you out of it. “
Those who expressed such outrage at Thorburn’s views also forgot that it was Christianity that gave us the idea of the inherent dignity of each person, the idea of tolerance and equality before the law. increase.
As Greg Sheridan wrote in The Australian, our society is becoming more and more non-free. For Israel Folau, the issue was free speech. For Manly rugby league players who didn’t want to wear their pride jerseys, the problem was forced speech, and in Thorburn’s case, the problem was related to his nine-year-old sermon that preached traditional Christian morality. Guilt.
It’s a very unfortunate situation now that so few people see the underlying problem. reason for existence Injecting every detail of every past interaction or conversation in search of offense or hurt in order to “cancel” someone.
Thus, as a result, everyone now has to go through life in constant fear of being offended.There is no longer any room for independent thought or free and open debate.
Furthermore, while it is illegal to ask job applicants for their religious affiliation, dismissing them for religious reasons now seems justified.
The usual measure of success in sports clubs is whether you win more games than you lose. Essendon, who hired Andrew Thorburn, must have been convinced he was the perfect man to make it possible.
It is generally a decision made when a person is hired. That means that person is the best person for the job.
Now, it doesn’t matter how good your job is or how glorious your career is, if you’re a Christian, it doesn’t seem necessary to apply.
Views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Epoch Times.
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Rocco Loiacono is a senior lecturer and Italian to English translator at Curtin University Law School in Perth, Australia. His research in translation, linguistics and law has been widely published in peer-reviewed journals.
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