The divine comedy of religious hatred in New Zealand: A satirical revelation.
In a nation of progressive values, it seems a handful of zealots are determined
to drag us back to the Dark Ages. Fundamentalism in various forms, evangelical
Christian fervour, and the rants of Dr. Tamaki Evil himself are creating a
circus of bigotry that would be hilarious if it weren’t all so hideously harmful.
First up, let's qualify that none of this is about
having a pop at religion itself.
You see, I applaud anyone’s commitment to a belief as I was brought up in the
deeply boring and stern-faced world of the Church of Scotland.
While I wouldn’t say I have a spiritual belief today (probably the result of
the deeply boring stern faces), I will stand the barricades for the right of anyone to believe as
they choose. Plus, I adore the concept of community at the heart of most
churches. It’s wonderful and while the holy trinity might not be me, you be
you, go for it!
There is however, one crucial caveat.
I don’t believe back in the day, the big man stood atop Jerusalem’s Temple
Mount and talked of anything other than love.
Nope, I’m not buying he argued hatred of anyone. Or, that any member of our community
should not be embraced for anything less than precisely who they are. ‘Blessed
are those who are meek’ was the deeply diverse, equitable and inclusive chat
we're told.
Essentially, unless a citizen of Rome, in which case you likely missed out on
the infamously drunken JC Disciples Big Friday Karaoke night, you were alright by the son of God and
therefore presumably, the big kahuna by association. Nah, Jesus didn’t hate.
So to be clear, religious belief? Cool!
Using religious belief for your own aims and to justify a hatred of others? Not cool!
The Unholy Trinity: Fundamentalism, Evangelicalism, and
Tamaki
Qualification done, let's talk about fundamentalist
Christianity.
Ah, the good old days when men had penises and all the jobs. Women you see,
well they knew their place and anyone different was a target for sexual
assault, holy wrath or probably both.
Fundamentalists in New Zealand pine for a mythical past, clinging to ancient
texts, to the days of affordable housing, of free education, of when ‘underage’
was just a matter of a closed door, and all while ignoring the inconvenient
bits about racism, love, tolerance, and just not being a dick.
These fundamentalists have an almost magical ability to
twist the Bible to justify their prejudices. It’s like watching someone use
Shakespeare to justify bad grammar.
They cherry-pick verses to condemn just about everyone. LGBTQ+ people, women, other
religions heaven forbid, all the while rejecting any actual science that
contradicts their worldview. It's a buffet of bigotry, with extra servings of
hypocrisy.
Their version of the bible would be Reuters number one in unreliable data
sources right next to The Happy Wives of Donald Trump.
Evangelicalism: The Loudspeaker of the Lord
If fundamentalists are the metaphorical grumpy old cis-gender,
possibly straight white men of the religious world, evangelicals are the loud, overenthusiastic,
even more stroppy and irritating teenagers.
Their approach to spreading the Word is less about gentle persuasion and more
about yelling, pointing fingers very emphatically and believing anything that appears on that dodgy page on Facebook. And if you don’t like it, well ‘we’ll
pray for you’.
In Aotearoa, these zealots are all about fire and brimstone, railing against
anything that doesn’t fit their narrow view of morality. Trans people, eeeek!
Evangelicalism thrives on fear—fear of the other, fear of
change, fear of anything remotely fun.
They rail against secularism, gender equality, and, of course, the gays, as if
the very fabric of society depends on enforcing their narrow moral code. I
mean, if only they’d try it out! Might be the release they need.
But no, it’s as if they believe that by shouting loud enough, they can drown
out common sense and compassion.
Silence is golden.
The greatest weapon wielded by the mighty and powerful of
the extremist Christian world in Aotearoa, however, is silence.
Yes, not telling you directly they hate your very soul is normally first order
of the day as the extremist Christian mother of all bombs is to kill you through gossip. To asassinate your character with quiet and indirect reputational damage.
Yes, question the belief
system of the Christian right and you tangle with the worst of weapons. The hideousness
of poisonous gossip and societal exclusion.
If anything, these tactics are good reminder that while the rantings of your
average extremist may cause you to believe their IQ can be counted on one-hand,
they’re not dumb. Crazy dumb for sure and short of some self-belief, personality,
and an ability for reason, certainly. But they aint stoopid dagnammit, hic!
Brian Tamaki: Dr. Evil of the South Pacific
Now, let’s turn our attention to the pièce de resistance of
this holy circus: Brian Tamaki, the self-styled/appointed apostle who seems to have
mistaken himself for a divine messenger.
Tamaki’s Destiny Church is a
masterclass in turning religion into a money-making, hate-spouting machine. If
televangelists are the used car salesmen of the religious world, Tamaki is
their grandmaster. Or TwatMaster if you prefer.
Tamaki's sermons are a bewildering blend of prosperity
gospel, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, and apocalyptic warnings. He’s like a bad soap
opera, always coming up with new ways to be outrageously offensive whilst
appearing villainously slimy and slobbering all over his brand of dog whistle politics.
Whether he’s blaming earthquakes on gay people or calling Covid-19 a punishment
from God, Tamaki never misses an opportunity to spread fear and intolerance.
But let’s not forget the tawdry opulence. While preaching
about humility and sacrifice, Tamaki lives with enormous privilege, flaunting power
held only through the smarmy faced bulldogs of his gang sourced bodyguards.
Sporting a combination of the threatening menace personified by Joe Pesci in Goodfellas, and
the sick-making offense of Mike Myers character ‘The Fat Bastard’ from the
Austin Powers films, Tamaki exudes vulgarity and quite horrid narcissism.
The whole thing is such an assault on humanity, it’s as if Tamaki and his ill-disciplined
followers skipped right passed ‘love they neighbour’ and went straight
to Mein Kampf.
The Consequences: Division and Hatred
Th real tragedy here is that religious hatred in all its
forms has real-world consequences.
It divides communities, fuels discrimination, and legitimizes violence against
marginalized groups. When fundamentalists and evangelicals spread their toxic
beliefs, they create an environment where hatred can flourish.
Let’s remind ourselves that millions have been murdered throughout history in
the name of extremism and we don’t have to look far to see fundamentalist religion inspired
violence in our communities today. 320 people were murdered in 2023 in the
United States when the motivation was simply that the victim was Trans.
Our young people struggling with their identity hear
messages of condemnation and suffer in silence, leading to higher rates of
mental health issues and suicide.
Aotearoa has the highest rate of youth suicide in the western world. Women feel they are to assimilate to a dominant culture or submit and stay silent, reinforcing outdated gender roles
that limit the potential of our societies. Science is dismissed, and reason
ridiculed, leaving society poorer and less informed.
The Ironic Crusade: Fighting Fire with Fire
Trouble is the right-wing’s solution to religiously inspired hatred is
often as misguided as the problem itself. They call for more police, more
surveillance, and harsher penalties, treating the symptoms without addressing
the cause.
Picture the scene. David Seymour in a Napoleonic war miltitary hospital camp in a dress, trying to treat a bullet wound with a band-aid. Yeah you got it!
But it’s just so easy not to see
the bottom of the cliff when you’re at the top and nowhere near the edge.
Inaction too is not acceptable. Recently, I saw a social
media comment from an aspiring Tauranga City Council candidate stating that she
was not a racist.
She makes sure apparently that racism didn’t exist in her
household. Well that’s excellent.
Sadly, she went on to explain that as she valued freedom of speech, she wouldn’t call
out racism or homophobia in public as everyone was entitled to their view.
We don’t need more division, but more understanding.
Instead
of condemning, or allowing the condemnation of entire communities, we should be
fostering dialogue and promoting education.
Religious freedom and freedom of speech is important, but it mustn’t come at
the expense of others. We must draw a line when that freedom turns into a
license to hate.
And despite what some might argue, we do have freedom of speech. But none of us are
free from the societal consequences of that freedom.
Conclusion: A Call for Sanity
The rise of religiously inspired hatred in Aotearoa New
Zealand is a dark stain on our otherwise vibrant and inclusive society.
Fundamentalism, evangelical Christian fervour, and the vitriol of Brian Tamaki
create a toxic brew that poisons our public discourse. It’s high time we call
out this madness for what it is: a dangerous, divisive force that has no place
in a modern, progressive nation.
So, let’s laugh at the absurdity sure, but we must act.
Challenge extremism wherever it appears, support those who are targeted, and
work towards a society where everyone, regardless of their background, can live
without fear of hatred inspired by religion or ignorance.
After all, if we don’t stand up to the Brian Tamakis of this world, we might
just find ourselves living in his theocratic nightmare. At that point I
guarantee, the only laughing you’ll hear will be that of your oppressors.
Sleep tight.
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