Robert MacCulloch
Robert MacCulloch is a native of New Zealand and worked at the Reserve Bank of NZ before travelling to the UK to complete a PhD in Economics at Oxford University.
Congratulations to One News in New Zealand, which has just spent around one million of taxpayers’ dollars in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, on a five-part investigation into a church which it refers to disparagingly as – shock, horror – “loud fundamentalist”. The church is called Destiny. It has many Māori and Pasifika as members.
What did One News discover? The church holds an “active stance against the LGBTQI community” with women not enjoying equal rights. One News’ Campbell found several women “who live in its shadows” and that the “premise” of Destiny’s support group for men, “Man Up”, includes “family values” and “anti-drugs”. He found “a culture of, at best, antiquated patriarchy”.
Journos at One News loathe traditional values, so decided to conduct thought-police busts of such groups. The question we pose is whether holding conservative beliefs about LGBTQI and gender matters is a feature of the world’s great religions? Should uncovering “antiquated patriarchal” beliefs justify a state-funded media search warrant costing one million dollars?
Does the Islamic faith hold relaxed views about being gay? It is strictly forbidden. What about the Catholic church? Much the same. Do these religions hold “antiquated” and “patriarchal” views about women? I’m no religious expert but understand that there is not one ordained priest in Catholicism who is a woman. Similar rules apply in Islam, where women are not permitted to lead men in prayer.
This blog has nothing to do with defending or critiquing any church or religion, whether it be Catholic, Islam, or Destiny Church for that matter. Unlike One News, we respect people of faith. We are critiquing how New Zealand’s state broadcaster has launched a costly investigation into a church only to discover that it preaches conservative values. Why doesn’t One News investigate Catholic and Muslim views about different sexual orientations and gender equality? Do the One News journos take the view that women who belong to those faiths live in “shadows”?
We all know what’s behind the One News investigation. Its journos hold different values to devoutly religious Muslims and Catholics. Its journos think their views are superior to those folks’ views. By the way, such people comprise half of the world’s population. One News considers the beliefs espoused by Destiny Church threaten the parties and politicians it wants elected in 2026.
The reason its journos don’t attack Muslims and Catholics for their beliefs is they don’t have the guts – there’d be consequences for them personally. Destiny is an easy target. There’s no place for a state broadcaster to insult the views of religious folks as being “antiquated” and “patriarchal”. Who is One News to play God? It should be wound up. It serves no purpose. It wastes money to create division in NZ society with dumb investigations into nothing to get its journos more clicks and help them sway elections.
This article was originally published by Down to Earth Kiwi.
