If you missed Pastor Matt Prater’s spooky performance on ABC’s Q&A on Monday night and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s response, you might just want to take a peek now.
Although applauded for his comments in support of marriage equality on the night, Prime Minister Rudd has been widely criticised since by Christian writers such as Sandy Grant at Matthias Media’s The Briefing for ‘grossly caricaturing’ and ‘misrepresenting the Holy Book of the faith he confesses’. I have to say, I think Grant has some right to gripe. It would be difficult to honestly argue that the New Testament, at least, actually advocates slavery although the Book in general does seem to look upon it with a decidedly friendly eye. Still, Mr Rudd should have perhaps stuck with the biblical prohibitions against eating prawns and wearing mixed cloth, the guidelines for selling your daughter to her rapist or some other more well-established scriptural values like those.
And even Prater fans would have to admit, I think, that the pastor also rather ‘grossly misrepresented’ the PM’s change of heart on marriage equality saying Mr Rudd (or ‘Kevin’ as Prater addressed him) seemed ‘to keep chopping and changing his beliefs’ on the matter. As Rudd pointed out, he did indeed publicly admit to reversing his former position on same-sex marriage. It’s a backflip to be sure but just the one. Hardly the tumbling routine Prater was suggesting.
Prater went further and claimed insider knowledge with regard to Rudd’s motivations for changing his beliefs saying it was ‘just to get a popular vote’. I’m not a Rudd fan and could easily imagine that might be true enough. However it’s not a provable statement and to accuse the Prime Minister of such on live television was more than a little cheeky, I think.
But Rudd didn’t return the insult. While making it clear he doesn’t hold the Bible in the same esteem that Prater does, he didn’t suggest that God was disinclined to rail against slavery in his Book because (Rudd happens to know) God is a despicable racist fuck. See? Manners.
Anyway, it turns out Pastor Prater’s talents extend beyond insulting public officials, quoting select snippets from ancient texts, and impersonating a rabbit about to be mown down by a combine harvester. Pastor Prater, I’ll have you know, is also an artiste. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favour and take a listen to his performance on the audio track here. It’s ranty, homophobic, lyric-bludgeoning gold. Although I found the performance hilarious, it is unquestionably nauseating. But do listen if you can stomach it…and then don’t tell me white guys don’t got no rhythm.
Here’s my best effort to jot down the lyrics for you. There may be some mistakes but I’m totally not going back for another crack.
On the audio track, the first thing you might notice is that Pastor Prater uses the word ‘parody’ despite the fact that it does not mean what the thinks it means. Meh. An innocent mistake. He also seems to believe that media ratings battles are literally warlike and bloody. A misconception, perhaps. I suspect the homoerotic irony of suggesting that ‘bloggers ram it down your throat’ may have passed the good pastor by as well.
No matter. The real gist of this song is that it constitutes a laundry list of Everything Matt Likes and Everything Matt Doesn’t. American televangelists and Australian Christian hate groups? Yay! Labor politicians and two people with pokey-outy bits wanting to co-habit in legally-recognised monogamy? Boo!
It will seem almost unbelievable to sensible folk but Prater is not alone in popping these particular items neatly into Good Things/Bad Things baskets. Thousands of Australian Christians – in particular Pentecostal and other bible-believing fundamentalists – would share his views, even if most of them may have put it a little less hilariously. I once counted myself among them. With the fundies of Australia, I’d have been proud to see Prater ‘standing up for Jesus’ on Q & A, though I’d have acknowledged even back then that he made a bit of a tosser of himself.
But here’s the thing: Pastor Prater’s public airing of despicable bigotry didn’t happen in a vacuum. And I’d like to have a few words with him about that. So here goes:
***
Dear Pastor Prater,
If I were still a Bible-believing Christian, and I were going to get just one 30-second crack at speaking direct to the leader of our nation on live television, I may have used the opportunity a little more wisely than you did. I may have said something like…
‘Mr Rudd, as a Christian, how do you countenance forbidding entry to our country to some of our planet’s most vulnerable people? How can you justify sending refugees – men, women, children, the elderly – to a lawless, dangerous place like Papua New Guinea? And have you considered what effect that may have on PNG society? What about Christian compassion? What about Christian charity? What about upholding the rights of ‘the stranger within your gates’?’
or, perhaps…
‘Prime Minister, if re-elected, what will your government do to address the problem of child poverty in Australia? Will you reverse your decision to pitch thousands of single parents off the Single Parent Pension thereby driving them and their children into terrifying penury?’
or, even…
‘Mr Rudd, Australia is one of the richest, most generous nations in the world. How is it that in 2013 we still have people living on our streets, sleeping rough night after night? What will your government do to ensure these people can live their lives in dignity and safety?’
You had one chance, Pastor, and gay folk wanting to get hitched was your big Bible-honouring issue? You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Most of us don’t give a rat’s eyebrow what you think your deity said 2000 years ago. We don’t either deny your right to construct yourself as Prater the Hater if you choose. But many of us have gay friends and family and so we do care that your publicly aired ‘opinions’ and ‘beliefs’ encourage homophobic hate to flourish. Real people in the real world are harmed by your views, Pastor Prater. Some of them die as a result. And some of those who die are children and young people. So with all the respect I can muster, and on behalf of the many gay people I know and love, I ask you to please shut the fuck up. Please keep your poisonous bigotry inside your church walls where fewer and fewer Australians choose to visit.
Very sincerely,
Jane
putting her oar in 
Very un-Christian of the good Pastor to cherry-pick which parts of his bible he will follow and which parts he will ignore.
This sums up very well some of the parts he is ignoring http://evolvefish.com/blog/Dr%20Laura%20Letter.htm
Unless he takes his own advice, and adheres to his bible in full, then he is nothing but a HYPOCRITE.
“Unless [Mr. Prater] takes his own advice, and adheres to his bible in full, then he is nothing but a HYPOCRITE.”
There is a distinction to be made, however, between the Old Law’s (or, for that matter, any positive law’s) declarative precepts–those which merely declare something which the natural law commands, forbids, or permits–and its determinative ones–those which command, forbid, or permit acts which are, considered abstractly, morally indifferent. Mr. Rudd is aware of this distinction (the distinction between “continuing principles” and “those which change in terms of historical circumstances” as he calls those categories here), though I’m puzzled as to why he thinks that marriage’s heterosexuality belongs in the latter, rather than the former, category–puzzled, given Our Lord’s teaching in St. Matthew’s Gospel, the beginning of Chapter XIX.
Reginaldvs Cantvar
Dear Pastor Matt
If I rape one of your daughters will you marry us or do I have to get another minister to do that ?
Whether misquoted or not, the Bible HAS been used many times to condone slavery
Jane ~~ This letter to the hating pastor is nothing short of bloody marvelous. I love it . . . “Put a sock in it dumbfuck”.ROFLMAO
The dogma of religion is cause for concern in my view from a mental health perspective. The absolute certainty of knowing what is right or true and then demanding that others should agree is dangerous. The idea that people can ‘be good’ or can ‘be bad’ seems to give those who believe they ‘are good’ some kind of moral superiority. Pastor Prater believes in the absolute authority of the bible, accepts its literal pronouncements and judges all from his perspective. The world is good or bad, right or wrong and nothing in between. Pastor Prater can’t it seem accommodate views that don’t fit his worldview. I believe he would be a frustrated and angry person (just surmising) because he will never get what he must have- everyone agreeing with him and believing he is a ‘good primate.’ Someone else recently said that people in a country far away were made up of ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies.’ A ‘good Christian’ no doubt. How convenient to see things in such black an white, good and bad, wright and wrong terms. Thank you.
All the best. 🙂
Brilliant as always. I love your biting wit and I’ll have my manners lessons from you any time. 🙂
Yes, priorities tell you all you need to know about a person. Well done, Jane.