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Threats
to Ban Christian Book in South Africa
Tuesday,
22 January 2002
A new book co-authored by missionary Peter Hammond is being
reviewed for banning by the South African government’s
Film and Publications Board (FPB). The FPB has received
complaints from homosexual organisations against “The
Pink Agenda – Sexual Revolution and the Ruin of the
Family.” If the book were banned, it would be the
first non-porn book banned since the ANC took over in 1994.
The militant homosexual activist organisation, The Gay and
Lesbian Equality Project, has declared that the book “instils
hatred and prejudice” that they believe it is unsuitable
reading “for young minds that are still being formed”
and that it is “the worst homophobic hate speech
ever published in South Africa”!
A FPB official confirmed today that the Board will hold
a hearing on the book this Friday morning, 25 January. The
book publishers, Christian Liberty Books, are invited to
put their case, in defence of the book, to the Board at
10 am. The complaints are that the book contravenes the
“prejudice” and “hate speech”
clauses in the Film and Publications Act.
Co-author
Christine Mc Cafferty says that this attempt by The Equality
Project to ban the book is typical of the intolerance of
homosexual activism worldwide. “Our book shows how
homosexual activists’ constantly attempt to ban and
censor anything that disagrees with their view on homosexuality
or anyone who attempts to stop the promotion of homosexuality
in society. When they call for “freedom”,
it is only “freedom for their own agenda.”
Co-author Peter Hammond called on Christians to please pray
that freedom of speech will be protected in South Africa.
He said, “It would be a scandalous irony if all
types of obscenity are protected, but genuine research and
academic endeavour is banned. Pray that we will be able
to continue to distribute the book widely and to get the
truth out about the radical homosexual agenda.”
Please find below an article published on the Mail and Guardian’s
Q-online in January this year, and replies from authors
Peter Hammond and Christine Mc Cafferty. An official complaint
about the article has been made by Africa Christian Action
to South Africa’s press ombudsman.
PRAYER ACTION: Please pray for the outcome of the
Film and Publications Board hearing into The Pink Agenda
and against attempts by homosexual activists to ban the
book and so stifle open debate on the homosexual agenda
and its far reaching implications.
Pray
that the complaint ACA has made concerning the Mail and
Guardian’s poor and unethical journalism to the press
ombudsman be effective.
For
more information, please contact Jeanine McGill or Christine
Mc Cafferty on acaction@intekom.co.za. To order your copy
of the book (R58 per copy in South Africa; $8 overseas)
before there is any possibility of a ban on distribution,
please contact Christian Liberty Books at clbooks@global.co.za
(or in the USA contact ITMI, Tel: 1-888-918-4100 or e-mail
itmi@intouchmission.org).
MAIL
AND GUARDIAN Q-ONLINE ARTICLE (www.q.co.za)
15
January 2002
*****************************
Religious right attacks gays in new book
Reverend Peter Hammond, accused by the Sudanese government
of gun
running in 1999, has launched an attack on gays who are,
according to
him, on "The Slippery Slope to Paedophilia".
------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Own correspondent
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Johannesburg -- A new book regarded by many as the worst
homophobic hate
speech ever published in South Africa, has hit the shelves.
Sexual
Revolution in South Africa: The Pink Agenda The ruin of
the Family warns
that gays and lesbians are on "the slippery slope to
paedophilia."
The book, co-authored by Christine McCafferty, attacks gay
rights as a
human right.
Some chapters sensationally contain hate speech language
such as "The
Slippery Sloap to Paedophilia" and "Protecting
Society from
Homosexuality".
Evert Knoesen of the Lesbian and Gay Equality Project warns
that this
kind of language will be illegal under the Equality Act
that was passed
in 2000, but that has not come into effect yet.
"The book paints a picture of all gay men as paedohiles.
It suggests
that homosexuality is curable disease, and that lesbian
and gay people
are conspiring to destroy the church, the family and society,"
says
Knoesen.
Lesbian and gay people are being portrayed as a pestilence
and
inevitable victims of pestilence," he says.
The book also claims that homosexuality is nothing other
than "a moral
choice" for immorality.
The Equality Project has responded saying that "The
book is nothing but
homophobic hate speech presented as scientific fact."
Christine McCafferty and Peter Hammond have links with the
extreme
religious right and McCafferty was the media spokesperson
for the ACDP
(African Christian Democratic Party) - the only party that
opposed the
Equality Clause in the South African Constitution.
Hammond himself has been accused by the Sudanese government
of
gun-running two years ago, being a vocal supporter of the
pro-gun lobby
in South Africa.
Knoesen points out that the Film and Publications Act also
prohibits
certain forms of hate speech and expects public complaints
being filed
with them because of the book.
"We are opposed to censorship in general. We do not
believe, however,
that this book makes suitable reading for young minds that
are still
being formed. We believe it instills hatred and prejudice,"
he says.
REPLY
FROM PETER HAMMOND
Dr.
Peter Hammond
P.O.
Box 74
NEWLANDS
7725
January
17th, 2002
Please
allow me the opportunity to respond to the Mail & Guardian
article “Religious Right Attacks gays in new book”,
as the article includes some slanderous accusations against
Christine McCafferty and myself as the authors.
The M & G article doesn’t deal with any of the
issues raised in our book: “The Pink Agenda –
Sexual Revolution in South Africa and the Ruin of the Family”,
but instead it proceeds to attack the persons writing the
book.
The “shoot the messenger and ignore the facts”
tactic is surely beneath any serious journalist. It is never
acceptable to attack the person instead of dealing with
the arguments raised by that person. Nor was there any attempt
to obtain quotes from those being attacked – to get
the other side and present a balanced and fair article.
Your correspondent describes our book as “the worst
homophobic hate speech ever published in South Africa”,
“hate speech”, which “instills hatred and
prejudice” and should be “illegal” under
the Equality Act!
All of these emotive comments seem quite excessive. Did
the person who accused us of all these things even read
the book? As we made clear in The Pink Agenda, we are not
against the individuals involved in homosexuality, but are
opposing the radical agenda of homosexual extremists, such
as turning our schools into homosexual recruitment centres.
The book actually promotes Christian love and concern for
people involved in homosexuality. The book ends with a testimony
of a homosexual who was converted to Christ. It has a positive
message of hope and freedom for people involved in homosexuality.
It is also quite bizarre that the author of this article
should have wanted to align itself with the Government of
Sudan, by making use of its slanderous accusations of “gun-running”
against myself. I’ve been a missionary to persecuted
Christians in restricted access areas for the last 20 years.
I have never been involved in any gun-running anywhere.
When arrested by the socialist governments in Zambia and
Mozambique in the 1980’s, these governments concerned
were forced to release me after thorough investigation.
If there had been any shred of evidence for these outrageous
accusations of gun-running, I would probably still be locked
up. I would not waste my time, disgrace my missionary calling
or displace 1kg of Bibles or medicines to take weapons of
war into these desperately needy countries. They have more
than enough weapons in Sudan already. What Sudan needs is
the Gospel of Christ and healing from medicines and the
Word of God.
I
have been responsible for smuggling in over 200 000 Bibles
and Christian books in 21 languages into Sudan. However,
the radical government of Sudan, which is involved in bombing
schools, hospitals and churches in the South, could not
accuse us of what we are really doing – smuggling Bibles
and medicines to their own citizens who are being subjected
to aerial bombardments by their own government. So, as one
would expect from a government, which came to power through
a violent, military coup, and stays in power by terror and
atrocities, they have manufactured a slanderous accusation,
which it would seem that your correspondent is eager to
believe. Does this mean, that the anonymous, “own correspondent”
supports the National Islamic Front government in Sudan
and its repressive policies towards, not only homosexuals,
but all the other people unfortunate enough to be under
their control?
Instead
of recklessly accusing well-meaning people, (who are actually
doing something positive to help the unfortunate) of “hate
speech”, it would be more constructive if your journalist
actually read the book to see what it really says.
Yours
sincerely
Dr.
Peter Hammond
REPLY
FROM CHRISTINE MC CAFFERTY
19
January 2002
To
the Editor
Read,
before judging
I
am disappointed by the unprofessional bit of emotive journalese
attempting to pose as an article on the newly released book
on homosexual activism, The Pink Agenda, in January’s
M&G Q-online. It was obvious that M&G’s ‘own
correspondent’ had not read the book or done any research
himself. He did not even quote from any source other than
the obviously partial Equality Project and even worse, he
did not even contact the authors for comment although he
felt free to make biased and unsubstantiated attacks on
them and the book.
Own correspondent’ incorrectly says that the book accuses
gays and lesbians of being on “the slippery slope to
paedophilia”. What the authors did in fact say and
document was that Western society has become extremely sexualised
and that the Western world is itself on the start of a slippery
slope to the acceptance of all kinds of sexual behaviour,
which includes paedophilia. In many politically correct
circles paedophilia is now referred to as “intergenerational
intimacy” and by homosexual paedophile activist organisations
as “man-boy love”.
An
Equality Project spokesman Evert Knoesen says that the book
paints all gay men as paedophiles. This is a blatant lie.
The Pink Agenda cites six studies, among the many that have
been published, that show that one third of child molestations
are homosexual, and that people involved in homosexuality
are 10-20 times more like to engage in paedophilia, but
it nowhere says that all people involved in homosexuality
are paedophiles.
Knoesen
also says The Pink Agenda suggests homosexuality is a “curable
disease”. A simple overview by the M&G’s ‘own
correspondent’ would have shown that the book goes
to great lengths to show that homosexuality is not a disease
and has no connection to any medical condition whatsoever.
Although ‘pro-gay’ researchers have tried for
over thirty years to show that homosexuality is caused by
hormonal, genetic or biological problems, they have been
unsuccessful. The fact is that homosexual behaviour, including
sodomy, is exactly that - a behaviour. And yes it is curable,
and for that there is scientific proof. World renowned psychiatrist
Robert L. Spitzer said after his study of 200 men and women
who left homosexuality, “.. I thought that homosexual
behaviour could only resisted and that no one could really
change their sexual orientation. I now believe that to be
false. Some people can and do change.”
And
that is the message of the book - there is a way out of
the homosexual lifestyle. 81% of the people interviewed
in Spitzer’s study left homosexuality because they
found that it was “not emotionally satisfying”
referring to widespread promiscuity and stormy, painful
relationships.
As
a result of Spitzer’s truthful, though “politically
incorrect” stand, he has been attacked and has had
to cancel appearances citing “concern for his family”.
Homosexual
activists typically attack anyone who dares disagree with
their narrow and claustrophobic ideas on homosexuality and
sodomy, and it is in this same spirit that Knoesen makes
his threats about ensuring that The Pink Agenda is not read
by the public and especially the youth - and that complaints
will be filed with the Film and Publications Board. There
are many books similar to The Pink Agenda published across
the world, including in the United States and Europe. It
would be a sad day for SA if it becomes the only country
to ban carefully researched books that seek to promote debate
on this very important topic.
Before
you judge the book, make sure that you read it, unlike the
M&G reporter.
Christine
Mc Cafferty
Co-author
of The Pink Agenda
ACA’S
LETTER OF COMPLAINT TO THE PRESS OMBUDSMAN
The
Press Ombudsman
PO
Box 47221
PARKLANDS
2121
21
January 2002
Dear
Mr Edward Linington
M&G
q-online article “Religious Right attacks gays in new
book”
We
hereby make an official complaint against the Mail and Guardian
as regards their Q-online (www.q.co.za) article entitled
“Religious Right attacks gays in new book” in
January 2002 (see attached). The article is about Africa
Christian Action’s newly released book about homosexual
activism, The Pink Agenda: Sexual Revolution in South Africa
and the Ruin of the Family. Our complaints are as follows:
1)
The writer of the article, ‘Own correspondent’,
did not quote nor cite the opinion of any source other than
the obviously partial Gay and Lesbian Equality Project.
2)
He did not contact the authors for comment although he felt
free to attack both them personally and their book. This
is a violation of journalistic ethics as the subject of
accusations should be given an opportunity to respond.
3)
There were a number of blatant falsehoods in the article,
none of which the authors of The Pink Agenda were given
opportunity to respond to. ‘Own correspondent’
falsely states that the book accuses gays and lesbians of
being on “the slippery slope to paedophilia”.
What the authors did in fact say and document was that Western
society has become extremely sexualised and that the Western
world itself is on the start of a slippery slope to the
acceptance of all kinds of sexual behaviour, which includes
paedophilia. This was not an attack on people involved in
homosexuality per se, but a comment on Western civilisation
in general.
4)
‘Own correspondent’ writes that the book is “regarded
by many as the worst homophobic hate speech ever published
in South Africa…” He however never qualifies who
the “many” are and never cites any other source
in the article except The Gay and Lesbian Equality Project.
5)
Christine Mc Cafferty did not “attack gay rights as
a human right”, but in the book questions whether rights
should be granted on the basis of certain types of behaviour,
whether sexual or non-sexual, as opposed to rights being
based on innate inborn characteristics. This is not “hate
speech” but is a standard legal argument and one that
was accepted by the courts in the United States, for example,
(Bowers v. Chadwick, 1986) when the sodomy laws were unsuccessfully
challenged in the US Supreme Court.
6)
‘Own correspondent’ also did not seek comment
on The Equality Project Evert Knoesen’s statement that
“this kind of language will be illegal under the Equality
Act..” The statement is not challenged nor is further
comment sought even though it is in blatant contradiction
to Judge Albie Sach’s ruling in the Constitutional
Court decision on sodomy that “those persons who for
reasons of religious or other belief disagree with or condemn
homosexual conduct are free to hold and articulate such
beliefs.”
7)
Equality Project spokesman Knoesen then proceeds with at
least two blatant lies: that the book “paints all gay
men as paedophiles” and that homosexuality is a “disease”.
The Pink Agenda cites six studies, among the many that have
been published, that show that roughly one third of child
molestations are homosexual, and that people involved in
homosexuality are 10-20 times more likely to engage in paedophilia,
but nowhere does it say that all homosexuals are paedophiles.
Knoesen says The Pink Agenda suggests homosexuality is a
“curable disease”. A simple overview by the Mail
and Guardian’s ‘own correspondent’ would
have shown that the book goes to great lengths to show that
homosexuality is not a disease and has no connection to
any medical condition whatsoever. Although ‘pro-gay’
researchers have tried for over thirty years to show that
homosexuality is caused by hormonal, genetic or biological
problems, they have been unsuccessful. The book states that
homosexual behaviour, including sodomy, is exactly that
- a behaviour and not at disease.
8)
‘Own correspondent’ cites accusations against
co-author Peter Hammond involving gun-running to Sudan without
seeking him personally for any comment. When the Government
of Sudan made the unsubstantiated accusations in 1999, and
the Mail and Guardian printed them, Peter Hammond’s
refutation was published in full - without further comment
- by Mail and Guardian the week after. The accusations were
not printed again in Mail and Guardian until this article.
9)
‘Own correspondent’ quotes Knoesen saying that
the book “instils hatred and prejudice”, and once
again does not allow the authors to explain their intentions
as regards the book, or the positive feedback and reactions
they have had from readers of the book.
We
are concerned that the Mail and Guardian reporter has not
read the book and the inferior style of journalism does
the institution of media in South Africa no justice. We
are concerned about the violation of journalistic ethics
that includes not allowing the subjects of the article’s
criticism the right of reply. We look forward to your response
to this official complaint.
Yours
sincerely,
Charl
van Wyk
Africa
Christian Action Director
Other
related articles:-
The Pink Agenda
Africa
Christian Action Website - More information on the 'Threat
to ban Christian Book'
(please
scroll through press releases)
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