We put a fair bit of shit on Family First. You may have noticed, but there’s a good reason for it: they deserve it.

Think I’m just being a leftist reactionary? Well I’m not. Fundamentalists, of any stripe, are dangerous, in the same way that Pauline Hanson was dangerous, because they give a voice and a sense of power to an ignorant and bigoted minority.

Every time some gormless twat like Wendy Francis manages to get her head on TV and spout off about how “marriage is only between a man and a woman” the very few people who agree with her think are part of the mainstream, and they’re not. A galaxy poll in 2009 found that only 36% of people are against same sex marriage, and I’d be willing to bet that only a tenth of those people feel strongly enough about it to do more than grumble into their lamingtons if it became law.

Why are so many politicians kowtowing to a wingnut minority? Even Julia Gillard, our unmarried Prime Minister and Penny Wong, our only openly gay cabinet minister have trotted out the party platitude that marriage is between a man and a woman. I’ll bet my wedding ring that neither of them believe it, but God’s lobby group have enough influence in Canberra that both the major parties are too scared to state the obvious fact: there is no good reason to refuse marriage to anyone who wants it.

The statistical blip and iniquitous preference deals that gave Steve Fielding his seat in 2006 will not be repeated in 2010, his time is done (happy dancing) but Family First, who were given the illusion of legitimacy by his election, refuse to go away. Wendy Francis is playing Fielding-style attention seeking tricks in Queensland, the state that voted Pauline Hanson in to the House of Reps, and is hoping to become the next Family First senator with the balance of power and no mandate. The picture below is a screen dump from her twitter feed, there is no commentary I can add. Vote below the line and put them last

By the way (and I know I really shouldn’t let myself get dragged in to these things but sometimes I just can’t help myself) the biblical basis that religious bigots cling to as justification for their homophobia is tenuous at best. Jesus himself had nothing to say on the subject, he wasn’t in the least bit interested in people’s sexual behaviour. His concern, which is repeated over and over in the Gospels, was about how people treated each other, “love your neighbour as yourself”, don’t go around being a judgemental prick (I’m paraphrasing here, but only slightly), “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's”.

One final quote from the bible before I finish: Ezekial 16:49 “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister (city) Sodom, she and her daughter (suburbs) had pride, fullness of food and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hands of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me, therefore I took them away as I saw fit.”

The abomination mentioned was the original story on Geneis of the destruction of Sodom ang Gomorrah

In Genesis 18:2, God sends three men, thought by most commentators to have been angels appearing as men, to Abraham in the plains of Mamre. After the angels received the hospitality of Abraham and his wife Sarah, God tells Abraham that he will investigate Sodom and Gomorrah, because their cry is great, "and because their sin is very grievous." In response, Abraham reverently inquires of God if he would spare the city if 50 righteous people were found in it, then 45, then 30, then 20 or even 10, with God affirming he would not destroy it after each request, for the sake of the righteous yet dwelling therein. Two angels of God proceed to Sodom and lodge with Abraham's nephew Lot and his family.

Genesis 19:4-5 describes what followed: But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know” (translation is questionably, but “know” probably does mean have sex with them).

Lot refused to give his guests to the inhabitants of Sodom and, instead, offered them his two virgin daughters to "do to them whatever you like." However, they refuse this offer and threaten to do worse to Lot than they would have done to his guests. And they lunged toward Lot to break down the door. Lot's angelic guests rescue him and strike the men with blindness. Then, they command Lot to gather his family and leave, revealing that they were sent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. As they make their escape, the angels command Lot and his family not to look back under any circumstance. However, as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with fire and brimstone by God, Lot's wife looks back longingly at the city in defiance of the angels' specific command not to look back and she becomes a pillar of salt.

Biblically then, the sins for which Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed were pride, greed, ignoring the needy and attempted pack rape. I know quite a few gay people and I’m fairly sure that pack rape is as abhorrent to them as it is to anyone.

So, all you alleged Christians, why don’t you do what your messiah told you to do, remove the log from your own eye before you comment on the splinter in another man, render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's and SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Oh, and also, vote below the line in the senate.

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