Some news out of the imperiled World Congress of Families conference in Melbourne, Australia is that Australia's federal minister for families, Kevin Andrews, has pulled out of addressing the conference. He appeared to do so somewhat begrudgingly, saying:
Tolerance is a critical value in a western liberal democracy like Australia. It was for this reason that I intended to address the World Congress of Families meeting in Melbourne tomorrow. The calls for me not to attend demonstrate the intolerance of the Greens and the left - instead of arguing their case in the public arena they seek to shut down debate.
Minister, as pejorative as the statement "shut down debate" is, you are correct. And this is because not everyone and everything is worth debating.
If the Ku Klux Klan came to Melbourne, we wouldn't, and shouldn't, debate whether or not slavery is good.
If ISIS came to Melbourne, we wouldn't, and shouldn't, debate whether or not cutting off the heads of people who don't share your religion is good.
If a Nazi Party came to Melbourne, we wouldn't, and shouldn't, debate whether or not gassing Jews is good.
Remember when Hizb Ut-Tahrir tried to debate that honor killings are morally justified? People didn't engage them in the debate. They voiced outrage and the event was cancelled.
A debate is a discussion about two or more opposing ideas that could be valid, in an attempt to determine which ideas are indeed valid.
Debates are not for extremism.
I don't want to debate anyone whose beliefs are rooted not in facts, logic and reason, but a false reality.
I don't want to debate anyone whose views are rooted in hatred, bigotry, homophobia, sexism, and every other prejudice imaginable.
There's just no point. No debate will change anything.
If your beliefs are not based in facts and reason, then it is naive for anyone to think that the introduction of facts and reason could change one's beliefs.
If your beliefs are based in prejudice, then no debate can change that. No debate will remove your prejudice. Debates are rational. Prejudice isn't.
If hatred and prejudice is you, then you are not worth a debate.
If that's you, then you don't deserve the respect and legitimacy that a debate would give you.
If that's you, then you deserve nothing but scorn, mockery, condemnation, ridicule, shunning and shaming.
A debate over a subject that is not deserving is the number one fastest way to take any extremist belief and mainstream it as credible and worthy of consideration.
When that belief is presented alongside other, mainstream beliefs, then it starts to look like one.
When you take a group of ideas and put them together, it is understandable why people assume that they have been classified into a group of similar ideas.
Thus, if an extremist belief is put in a group of mainstream beliefs, it is not unreasonable for people to assume that the extremist belief is similar to mainstream beliefs. Similar in the manner that both are mainstream, possibly valid, ideas.
There's nothing even possibly valid about the World Congress of Families, Minister. And they shouldn't be treated as such. They shouldn't be given a debate that would treat them as such.
The only thing that these people understand is being confronted. We have to send the message that they are not welcome here.
We will not allow our city, state and country to become a breeding ground for the despicable beliefs that they hold.
The way to do that is to ensure that their twisted beliefs are sent to the margins of society, away from where anyone can give them any due consideration. And to ensure that, you have to do what we've been doing lately.
That's why Melbourne has risen up, Minister. That's why there will be protests. That's why there's been pressure on venues to cancel.
No civilized society can lend a voice to such hate. And a debate with this group would do just that.
P.S. The WCF has announced that the conference will be at Catch The Fire Ministries in the Melbourne suburb of Hallam. This is a long way from where I live, and coupled with my parents' concerns about safety, I unfortunately won't be able to attend. But I am very pleased with what we've already achieved. Many politicians have pulled out, four venues have cancelled, and a strong, unequivocal message that hate is unacceptable has been sent. Thanks to all of you who responded so positively to my posts about the WCF. You've all made a difference.