21 April 2005

TRIBUNAL CONSIDERS CALL TO BAN ALPHA COURSE

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) met this morning to consider a call to ban Alpha, the well known introductory course to Christianity.

Robin Fletcher, a self described witch, called for the ban under the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act passed in the state of Victoria in 2001. This is the same law that pastors Daniel Scot and Danny Nalliah were convicted under for "inciting hatred" in December 2004. In that case it was hatred against Muslims; in this case, Fletcher claims, it is hatred against witches. "It constitutes a personal danger to my health and safety within the prison system," he said, citing negative references to witchcraft in the course material. He is currently serving a 10 year prison sentence for sexually abusing two teenage girls.

The government in the UK has tried to introduce similar legislation that will also ban incitement to religious hatred. However in order to pass an important bill through parliament before the general election, the government removed the hotly contested clause. Nevertheless, if re-elected, they have committed themselves to bringing it back in, and next time will use the Parliament Act to force it through. From the outset Barnabas Fund has claimed that such legislation presents unacceptable restrictions on religious freedom of expression in Britain. The usage of the law in Australia suggests that this will certainly be the case.

PRAYER ITEMS

* Pray that the VCAT will use sense and not allow the complaint to go any further.

* Pray the next British government will abandon plans to introduce a law banning incitement to religious hatred.

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