Senior church leader calls quake punishment for prostitution reform, civil unions, etc
Tumeke blog alerted us to the horrible views of some fundamentalist Christian types who are saying the quake is divine punishment for social reforms.
Below is an email sent to Max Legg but we are also asking people to come out this Sunday morning at 9.30am at Victory Church in downtown Auckland and give out leaflets promoting tolerance, understanding and respect to the Victory Church goers and asking them to censure their Church leaders.
It is important that we challenge these views and to give Victory Church's members an alternative point of view to that of their ministers.
Max Legg,
Senior Minister,
Victory Christian Church
Kia ora Max Legg,
I was dismayed to hear that hours after the Christchurch earthquake you had sent an email to MPs saying that the Christchurch eatthquake was divine punishment for among other things, Parliament allowing civil unions, prostitution law reform or outlawing physical violence against children.
Your views are abhorrent and disrespectful to the victims of the quake and their families. At a time like this we should be rallying around to support the people of Christchurc and express our compassion and solidarity with the people affected.
Disasters, such as this earthquake are terrible events that we cannot control but we can contol our reaction to it. Your attempt to twist this event to suit your own horrible and abusive views are disgusting.
Oftentime disasters can help us overcome bigotry or discrimination as terrible circumstances make us see that we are all one humanity and that we have more in common than we have in difference.
I hereby ask you to publicly retract your email to MPs on Tuesday 22 February. Show some respect for the victims of this tragic, tragic disaster. You are in a position of great influence and mana as a senior minister in your church and should have known better than to seek to promote hate and bigotry when the rest of the country are rallying around to show our love and compassion for the people of Christchurch.
Omar Hamed
Socialist Aotearoa
Below is an email sent to Max Legg but we are also asking people to come out this Sunday morning at 9.30am at Victory Church in downtown Auckland and give out leaflets promoting tolerance, understanding and respect to the Victory Church goers and asking them to censure their Church leaders.
It is important that we challenge these views and to give Victory Church's members an alternative point of view to that of their ministers.
- Natural disasters are caused by plate tectonics not divine intervention.
- It is disrespectful to the victims of the earthquake to say they are being punished for social reforms like outlawing violence against children.
- Religious leaders should be concentrating on leading efforts in solidarity with the people of Christchurch instead of inciting amongst their or followers hatred towards homosexuals, sex workers or social reformers.
Max Legg,
Senior Minister,
Victory Christian Church
Kia ora Max Legg,
I was dismayed to hear that hours after the Christchurch earthquake you had sent an email to MPs saying that the Christchurch eatthquake was divine punishment for among other things, Parliament allowing civil unions, prostitution law reform or outlawing physical violence against children.
Your views are abhorrent and disrespectful to the victims of the quake and their families. At a time like this we should be rallying around to support the people of Christchurc and express our compassion and solidarity with the people affected.
Disasters, such as this earthquake are terrible events that we cannot control but we can contol our reaction to it. Your attempt to twist this event to suit your own horrible and abusive views are disgusting.
Oftentime disasters can help us overcome bigotry or discrimination as terrible circumstances make us see that we are all one humanity and that we have more in common than we have in difference.
I hereby ask you to publicly retract your email to MPs on Tuesday 22 February. Show some respect for the victims of this tragic, tragic disaster. You are in a position of great influence and mana as a senior minister in your church and should have known better than to seek to promote hate and bigotry when the rest of the country are rallying around to show our love and compassion for the people of Christchurch.
Omar Hamed
Socialist Aotearoa
Comments
Good on you for bring his email to our attention!