The Reverend Fred Nile

The Reverend Fred Nile is an Australian clergyman and politician within the New South Wales Legislative Council. He has clearly never heard of the separation of powers. He is vehemently opposed to homosexuality and is widely known for his spiteful, venomous, ongoing campaign against the law-abiding, tax-paying, gay and lesbian citizens of Australia. He contends that homosexuality is a “lifestyle choice” that is “immoral, unnatural and abnormal”. I wonder what Jesus - who never once mentioned homosexuality - would make of the bitterly misanthropic pronouncements of The Reverend Fred Nile and his ilk. 

Tony Abbott's Gorilla Gait

The Simian Peter Jensen

The Attention-Seeking Peter Jensen

Archbishop Peter Jensen is the Anglican Primate of Sydney. Among other things, he is opposed to the ordination of female priests and the consecration of female bishops. He also opposes gay equal rights and stem cell research. He is extremely outspoken in expressing his negative views.

Alan Jones Revealed

"Jonestown: The Power and the Myth of Alan Jones" is the unauthorised biography of Sydney radio broadcaster Alan Jones, written by highly respected Australian author and investigative journalist Chris Masters. To quote Alan Jones' Wikipedia page: "Extracts of the book published in The Sydney Morning Herald concentrated largely on Jones' sexuality, questionable behaviour while Senior English Master at The King's School and the 'cottaging' incident in a London public toilet. The book claims that Jones is a homosexual and that his denial of this is 'a defining feature of the Jones persona'." Not that Jones' sexuality should be anyone's business but his own. The operative word here, however, is "denial". His choice to remain in the closet, I guess. That is, of course, presuming that Masters' claims are correct. 

It's an abomination!

And it’s not only the keeping of slaves that’s endorsed by the Bible. Here are some other teachings of the Bible that you may not have been aware of:

* Children who swear at their parents should be put to death. (Leviticus 20:9)

* If a couple have sex while the woman is having her period, they should be deported. (Leviticus 20:18)

* It’s OK to keep slaves and make them your property. (Leviticus 25:44-45)

* Men are forbidden to have haircuts and trim their beards. (Leviticus 19:27)

* It is forbidden to eat pork. (Leviticus 11:7)

* You’re not allowed to plant two crops in one field and cannot wear combined fabric blends such as polyester/cotton. (Leviticus 19:19)

* It is an abomination to eat prawns (shrimp), lobsters, oysters and other shellfish (Leviticus 11:10-12)

* It is an abomination (same as eating prawns) for two men to have sex together (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13)

And we haven't even touched on the circumcision thing. I trust you’ve all been circumcised.

Why have we selectively discarded most of this and only retained the homophobic references?

Certainly, all of the above quotations are from the Old Testament. But Saint Paul also condemns homosexuality in the New Testament in his writings at 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and Romans 1:26-27. It must be remembered that Paul was not one of  the original twelve disciples chosen by Jesus. He never knew Jesus. Paul converted to Christianity after Jesus had been crucified. Up until then, he'd been actively engaged in the persecution of Christians. It would appear that his default personality type was discriminatory and persecutory. If he had known Jesus personally, perhaps he may not have been quite so quick to judge and condemn.

The four Gospels are the true jewel in the crown of Christianity. It’s in the Gospels that we read the authentic message and very words of Jesus himself. And let us not forget that Jesus NEVER once mentioned homosexuality. If it is such an abomination, as claimed in Leviticus, why did Jesus never mention it?

The Insightful Peter Jensen

Sydney's Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen has been making yet more of his inane, vacuous, homophobic pronouncements. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I wonder what Jesus would make of him.

Proud Ego

Jonestown

I drew a couple of satirical cartoons about Sydney radio shock-jock, Alan Jones, after reading Chris Masters' highly acclaimed exposé, "Jonestown - The Power and the Myth of Alan Jones".

Applause for Tony Abbott

I acknowledge Phillip Coorey's column in the Sydney Morning Herald on 16 May 2011 for giving me the idea for this cartoon. In the same column, Phillip Coorey also observed that if Julia Gillard got married, Tony Abbott would call it a stunt. 

Anglican Primate Peter Jensen

Archbishop Peter Jensen, the Anglican Primate of Sydney, is opposed to the ordination of women priests and the consecration of women bishops. He is also opposed to stem cell research, even when it provides sight for the blind and enables the wheelchair-bound to walk. And what he thinks of gays and lesbians probably doesn't bear mentioning in a polite blog such as this. I wonder what Jesus would make of him?

Tony Abbott's Statesmanship

Julia Gillard rests her case.

Julia Gillard's Pet Poodle

Before Julia Gillard became Prime Minister of Australia, when she was still the Deputy Prime Minister, she famously referred to Christopher Pyne, the Manager of Opposition Business in Australia's House of Representatives, in somewhat less than glowing terms. Under the banner headline "Gillard Labels Pyne 'Mincing Poodle'", here's how Australia's ABC News reported the event: 

The Federal Government has spent question time taunting the Opposition over its recent infighting. Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard mocked the Coalition for choosing Christopher Pyne as the manager of opposition business, rather than Tony Abbott, who did the job in Government. "In a choice between macho and mincing I would have gone for macho myself," she said. "The leader of the Opposition faced with the choice of a doberman or the poodle has gone for the poodle." 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/23/2499270.htm

Persona Non Grata Peter Akinola

Peter Akinola is the decidedly UN-Christian Anglican Archbishop of Nigeria. Another one who has clearly never heard of the separation of Church and State.


To quote from Wikipedia: In September 2006, the Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria, headed by Akinola, issued a Message to the Nation, taking up ten political controversies in Nigeria, among them a bill regarding same-sex relationships: "The Church commends the law-makers for their prompt reaction to outlaw same-sex relationships in Nigeria and calls for the bill to be passed since the idea expressed in the bill is the moral position of Nigerians regarding human sexuality." The bill in question, as well as criminalising same-sex marriage, also proposed to criminalise "Registration of Gay Clubs, Societies and organizations" and "Publicity, procession and public show of same-sex amorous relationship through the electronic or print media physically, directly, indirectly or otherwise", on penalty of up to 5 years of imprisonment. The proposed legislation was formally challenged by the United States State Department as a breach of Nigeria's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Some western supporters justify the legislation on the basis that it does not support the stoning to death of homosexuals under the Sharia code.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Akinola

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Fred Nile's Camouflage

The Reverend Fred Nile is a clergyman and also a Member of Parliament in the New South Wales Legislative Council. He has clearly never heard of the separation of powers! He is an outspoken homophobe, who has been attending Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras Parade for many years, in order to pray for rain (I'm not making this up!). In the past 30 years, I have known it to rain on only a couple of occasions. Mostly, the parade occurs on a gloriously starry-skied, clear,  full-summer night. I'm not sure whose  prayers God is listening to, but it certainly doesn't appear to be those of Fred Nile. Oh, and yes, he does have very big, bushy eyebrows.

Gordon Ramsay's Forte

Go sit on the naughty step, Gordon!

Gay or Androphile?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

Romeo & Juliet (Act II, Scene II)

William Shakespeare

Gordon Ramsay's Sex Appeal

Ah, "Celebrity Chef", my favourite oxymoron.

Gay Adoption

Elton John in Tobago

What a Dump!

Meanwhile, overheard at a somewhat lacklustre Roman orgy near you - The man is exclaiming in Latin "Quid gurgustium" ("What a dump"), to which the woman appears to be concurring by responding "Me transmitte sursum Caledoni" ("Beam me up, Scotty"). 

Papal Platitudes

Tony Abbott Under Threat

Tony Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives. He is known for his homophobic sentiments. Last year he infamously stated that he felt threatened by gay people. 

Consul Sarah Palin

Drawn at the time of the 2008 US Presidential election.

Desalination

In God We Trust

At the time, the entire world appeared to be holding its breath, in eager anticipation of the outcome of  America's 2008 election.  

Recycled Sewage

Sydney recently got it's own desalination plant. Before construction commenced, the debate raged in  Parliament and within the community as to whether the best way to solve Sydney's water shortage problems was via desalination or recycled sewage. I was always in favour of the former option myself. I mean, Australia is an island, surrounded by great oceans on all sides. The City of Sydney sits upon the very shores of the vastness of the South Pacific Ocean. It seemed logical to me that we should go down the desalination route. And besides, the prospect of drinking recycled sewage never did much appeal to me. Yetch!

Cops are Tops!

I found myself behind a police car at traffic lights the other day, when I noticed a "Cops are Tops" sticker adhered to the back bumper. "Hmm," I thought to myself, "Self praise is definitely no recommendation."

Damien Hirst's New Clothes

 

' "But he hasn't got anything on", a little child said.'

 From "The Emperor's New Clothes"

by Hans Christian Andersen

Homophobic Peter Jensen

Peter Jensen is the bitter, twisted, bigoted Anglican Archbishop of Sydney. Whether or not he could ever be defined as a Christian, however, is open to dispute. Certainly, his hatefulness would appear to know no bounds.

Jesus Never Mentioned It

Those who have been following this blog will know that Peter Jensen is the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney. As well as being an outspoken homophobe, he is also opposed to the consecration of female bishops and disapproves of stem cell research. I have no doubt that the decidedly homophobic St Paul would approve of the Archbishop's theology, but I'm not so sure that Jesus would. 

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged

Julia Gillard's Coiffure

Kevin Rudd's je ne sais quoi

I drew this cartoon in 2007 at the height of Kevin Rudd's popularity, when he was elected Prime Minister of Australia. As it turned out, I must have had a premonition, because he rapidly became just about as popular as a bad case of herpes with the Electorate and was ousted from office by his own Party. His removal ultimately made way for the election of Australia's first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, in 2010.

Lesbian Dilemma

Perfection

Of Christians & Dieters

Abstract Fundamentalists

Westboro Baptist Church Picket

R.I.P. Ennis Del Mar

Further to the previously posted cartoon "R.I.P. Heath Ledger" (scroll down), I drew this cartoon around the same time. The "EDM" quoted here is "Ennis Del Mar", the character Heath Ledger played so memorably in the movie "Brokeback Mountain". In the original "Brokeback Mountain" short story by Annie Proulx, "Neither of them was twenty" is how the author conveys the ages of the central characters, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, when they first meet in 1963. From that description, I have estimated Ennis was probably born some time around 1944, as quoted in this cartoon. And the 2008 quoted here is, of course, the year when Heath Ledger died.

R.I.P. Heath Ledger

I drew this cartoon in tribute to Australian actor, Heath Ledger, following his tragic death at the young age of 28, on 22 January 2008. Though I do enjoy occasional outings to the cinema, I've never been what one would normally call a cinema buff. The one exception is the wonderful film "Brokeback Mountain" starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, which I first saw with my friend George Chamberlain at Broadway in Sydney, on the day of its Australian release, the Australia Day public holiday - 26 January 2006. It was to be a life-changing experience for me. I left the cinema in tears and found myself in tears, on and off, for weeks afterwards. I think it had such a profound impact on me because I could relate so intensely to the characters of both Ennis and Jack in the film. I saw myself as being very much like Jack in the "It'd be some sweet life" sense, and like Ennis following Jack's death, locking himself away from reality. I became obsessed with the film in those early days and saw it many more times at the cinema. I also bought the book, DVD, movie poster and music score, and joined an American-based "Brokeback Mountain" on-line chat forum called "Bettermost", where I was to become a Moderator. I've lost count of the number of times I've read the original short story by Annie Proulx. No other film has ever had such an enormous impact on me.

Collective Celebrity Chefs

I propose making "Baloney" the new collective noun  for "Celebrity Chefs". Yep, "A baloney of celebrity chefs"! Sounds good to me!

The Sin of Presumption

And while we're on the subject of Fred Nile, Peter Jensen and Peter Akinola . . .

Pitiful Fred Nile

The Reverend Fred Nile is a clergyman and also a Member of Parliament in the New South Wales Legislative Council. He has clearly never heard of the separation of powers! He is an outspoken homophobe, who has been attending Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras Parade for many years, in order to pray for rain (I'm not making this up!). In the past 30 years, I have known it to rain on only a couple of occasions. Mostly, the parades occur on gloriously starry-skied, clear,  full-summer nights. I'm not sure whose  prayers God is listening to, but it certainly doesn't appear to be those of Fred Nile.

Don't Ask Don't Tell

Good riddance to this despicable legislation.

Happy Gays!

Sex in the City

Sarah Palin's War

Let's send Sarah Palin to the Front for a tour of duty and we'll see then if she still thinks war is a "task that is from God". 

Tony Abbott's Budgy Smugglers

Tony Abbott is an Australian politician who enjoys nothing more than strutting about in front of the media and large groups of people, wearing only budgy smugglers. "Budgy smugglers" are what Australians call Speedos, primarily because it looks like the wearer is smuggling a couple of  budgies (budgerigars) down the front of his Speedos, especially when he walks or runs and the "budgies" writhe and bounce about. Now, you may very well argue that's not such a bad look. And it is a good look, if you're young and athletic, with a physique worth admiring. Alas, however, not when one is a rightist, conservative politician, like Tony Abbott, with decidedly bigoted, sexist, homophobic views. In the case of Tony Abbott, I'm strongly in favour of the reintroduction of Edwardian, neck-to-knee bathing attire. Cover it up, Tony! It's sometimes better to retain an air of mystery.