Scott Morrison should convert to Islam.
Of course I jest, but just as a thought experiment, it’s a delicious prospect. The left continually vilify Morrison for his religious beliefs (conveniently ignoring the number of Catholics on the Labor benches), while viciously attacking anyone who dares criticise, say, Mehreen Faruqi’s Muslim faith. Just imagine the self-implosions should Morrison start turning up to Friday prayers at the Canberra Mosque.
It would be even funnier than when the Nationals’ Barry O’Sullivan announced that he was identifying as a woman. The left went out of their tiny minds.
But, as we all know, a politician’s religious faith is a private affair – unless they’re conservative and Christian. Not to mention successful.
Exclusive polling in The Australian today reveals Scott Morrison leads his counterpart, Anthony Albanese, in the leadership stakes in almost all categories. The PM enjoys a higher level of support compared to the Opposition leader by a margin not seen since the post-election surge of support for Kevin Rudd in 2008.
Cue a drummed-up wave of anti-religious bigotry from the left-media echo-chamber.
Earlier this week, a video was released of the Prime Minister speaking to the Australian Christian Churches conference on the Gold Coast. The ACC is an umbrella association of Pentecostal churches in Australia. It no longer counts Hillsong as a member with the global megachurch preferring to go its own way in 2018 but it still accounts for a membership of 1100 congregations and an estimated 375,000 followers in Australia.
Pentecostalism is a renewal movement that sits broadly within Protestantism and places emphasis on a direct personal experience of God.
In the media much was made of Morrison’s speech, his reference to elements of social media being driven by the “evil one”, the practice he adopts of ‘laying on of hands” as a form of spiritual healing and consolation, and his belief that he and his wife, Jenny have been chosen for important work by God.
And just like that, the Left lost their minds.
Of course, the left losing what passes for their minds is their default position, these days – and has been since Tony Abbott did the unthinkable and defeated their far-left pinup girl, Julia Gillard.
But, even worse than Abbott, Morrison is not just a kind of low-key every-man like John Howard, but a member of the fastest-growing brand of Christianity in Australia. Australian leftists complained en masse when their media wing, the ABC, broadcast a Pentecostal service at Easter: “But what about mainstream Christianity?” they whined (somehow imagining that anyone would be fooled for an instant that they cared at all for Christianity of any kind). Yet, in terms of sheer numbers, Pentecostalism is mainstream. It especially seems to attract younger Australians.
Now Pentecostalism is less my idea of Christianity than boring old Anglicanism or Catholicism, but, hey, whatever floats their spiritual boat. We’re certainly not seeing Pentecostal terrorists stabbing folk in the streets.
But leftists who won’t hear a whisper against a religion whose adherents have a notable tendency to get all stabby-blowy-up, explode into spittle-flecked fury at the first note of a worship-song.
In the wake of the video of Morrison’s address, a million tweets were tapped out dripping in mockery followed by furrowed brow academics claiming Australians are leery of the assimilation of religion and politics which many Australians might be, but I would argue they are a lot more wary of religious intolerance[…]
While pews across the country may not bow by the sheer number of backsides on them on Sundays as they once did, it is the sense of fairness in middle Australia that condemns attacks on an individual’s faith, even a prime minister’s faith, though it may be expressed more simply as “none of your business and none of mine.”
Scott Morrison is riding a wave of popularity. The idea that he can be brought down by his faith is bizarre and more so, a reflection of the paucity of thought on the Left. If religion is a personal matter while politics is the public battle of ideas, the Left who more often than not proudly claim to have no truck with the former, are utterly bereft of the latter.
The Australian
As has been said, a sneer is not an argument. But sneering is all the left have got.
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