Homosexual motion promotes ‘abysmal moral standards’
This was a press release on June 15.  See here

I have posted this repugnant press release to show the kind of disparagement that gay and lesbian people suffer.  It is full of scare mongering and half truth.  This kind of attitude is of no loss to the church. Mr Nile's press release is in black, my comments are in blue. Jan, greatly ministered to by the gay and lesbians of the Uniting Church.

The Rev Fred Nile MLC, National President of the Christian Democratic Party and retired Uniting Church Minister, has used the words of the retiring head of the Uniting Church in Australia to accuse the Uniting Church bureaucracy of ‘abysmal moral standards’ in their attempt to legalise the ordination of practising homosexuals and lesbians in the Uniting Church.

“I strongly condemn both the deceptive Motion to ordain homosexuals and the deceitful methods that have been adopted,” said Rev Fred Nile MLC.

“The Motion disguises its purpose by avoiding the use of the word ‘homosexual’, which is its real purpose, and replaces it with the vague word ‘sexuality’ – (quote) ‘sexuality alone is no barrier to ordination’.

“Some naïve delegates may even think ‘sexuality’ only refers to male or female. In fact it covers every type of sexual deviation – homosexuality, lesbianism, transsexual, transvestite, transgender and bi sexual etc. In Fred's mind their can be nothing but sexual deviation. All the experience of the church has been discounted. Implicit in his statement "only refers to male or female" is the idea that some people are less than human.

“There is an even more dangerous possible interpretation that it includes adults whose sexuality attracts them to children! The Church has already been found guilty in this area. This is an outrageous statement. It is not true. The Uniting Church has been a leader among churches in mandating child protection in its children's work.  Even as a minister in good standing, if I wish to attend the annual kids campout here in SA I still have to get a police clearance.  Fred is engaging in the scare mongering politics and quasi truths of an un-Christian politician, not the debate of a good minister of the church.

“The method being used is also deceitful as it makes a major change to the national rules of ordination by placing the final responsibility on ‘presbyteries’, the regional grouping of Uniting Church parishes. It completely bypasses the important, historic authority of the Uniting Church STATE SYNODS. This is not true.  It is the presbytery who ordains.  He doesn't know his regulations.

“The pro homosexual lobby know they control the numbers at the National Assembly, but not the State Synods of NSW, Queensland etc. Assembly members are elected by the local church, in that year after year, local congregations send people to presbytery.  Year after year those Presbyteries people elect people to Synod.  Those elected people elect people to Assembly.  The conservatives have had over ten years to win the argument on this issue.  In the end it is plain they have not succeeded.   It is not under-hand.  It is not deceptive. It is simply that people like Fred Nile refuse to accept that the Spirit of God is moving the church in a different direction.

“Finally, some delegates at the Assembly may reluctantly vote for the Motion with the intention of banning homosexuals from their particular presbytery, however Uniting Church ministers frequently move from presbytery to presbytery and even Synod to Synod. Fred knows very well that a parish cannot be forced to take a minister. This is another innuendo that has no truth behind it.

“I urge the National Assembly delegates to support the 2000-year-old moral teaching of the Christian Church and uphold the clear, ethical teaching of the Christian Bible by voting against this deceptive Motion which will divide the Uniting Church of Australia” said Rev Fred Nile MLC.