Many years ago Margaret Court was a halfway-decent tennis player with an illustrious career in the sport. Probably her only close rival ever in international women’s tennis would be current US star Serena Williams.
Unfortunately Court’s career since retiring from tennis has been less than illustrious. It has lately consisted of using her Christian ministry in an obscure Pentecostal sect to push unproven and debunked anti-gay so-called “conversion therapies”, treatments which consist largely of bullying and psychological manipulation similar to the brain-washing tactics used in torture.
Such “treatments” end up with many of the victims in sham marriages, distressing and cruel for the victims, and with the creation of new victims in the form of the partners and the children of such unions. Statistics from the Family Court on the success of these “marriages” would probably be truly enlightening if they were available.
How sad to see a once-great athlete and sports role model for women descend into advocacy for quack psychological theories and the expression of public bigotry.
Elsewhere
Margaret Court stirs controversy with anti-gay comments; protest planned at Australian Open
Tennis great accused of inciting gay hatred/3771854?section=vic
Aussie Open organisers distance themselves from unrepentant Court
you said it... 
She has the christian god of hate for all that’s not christian on her side. So beware.
You mean the one that smotes a lot WarriorTom?
Isn’t smoting a health hazard?
Margaret may want to rethink this.
More disgusting intolerance and bigotry exposed. A curse on both their houses!
Umm…who is the other “house”?
Hear hear OzProgressive! I hated the TV series anyway. Hugh Laurie was such a sell-out to take the role.
I’m not gay but I know it’s wrong to persecute people who are meant for different lifestyle. Like racism, this sort of bigotry should not exist in this day & age. Which cave does she come out from?
Go ahead, the bigger the protest the better.
Sporting heroes are human and fallible, and can espouse repellent views. There’s a big shock to the national psyche! If we didn’t put professional sports people and other entertainers on a pedestal and shower them with adulation, their views would only have as much public impact as the next person’s. Being a celebrity entertainer doesn’t confer either wisdom or ethical integrity.
Very true! Only shallow idiots place sports people & celebrity on pedestal.
I sometimes struggle to blame Christians (along with followers of other organised religions) for backwards views such as in this example.
When a person chooses to follow a religion which is premised on doing what you’re told without questioning it then how can you blame them for not questioning it.
By all means call her religion poisonous, call her weak for following so blindly and call her ignorant for not questioning what she believes. However, given that she’s chosen to follow can we blame her for espousing the “virtues” of her chosen dogma?
I guess the point I’m making is that she’s not necessarily a nasty person and her views might not necessarily be based on her own prejudices. Had she not been a follower of this particular religion she may be a supporter of same sex marriages.
I’m probably splitting hairs here.
Margaret Court was brought up a Catholic and changed over to fundamentalism as an adult.
Catholicism of course does not have a good track record on acceptance of gays and lesbians but I don’t think they try and push “cures”.
They had their own way of dealing with it in the old days – it was called having a “religious vocation” and men and women not inclined to marry and thus ensure the continuation of the family line could live out their lives honourably and outwardly chastely in a monastery or convent.
I agree, Greg. We shouldn’t be surprised when a Fundy espouses fundamentalist beliefs. Nor does it come as a shock that a member of the Court family should have reactionary right-wing views. You have at least to give them credit for being true to their beliefs, repulsive thought they be. Similarly, while I vehemently disagree with the Right To Life crowd, it must be acknowledged that, to a person who believes abortion is murder, there isn’t any acceptable moral alternative but to oppose and try to prevent it.
What I’m most curious about regarding Mrs Court is how she came to be the Reverend DOCTOR Court. I haven’t found any explicit reference to her having earned a doctorate, only to her having completed bible studies. Wonder if it’s the usual Fundy diploma mill “doctorate”?
Could be honorary. A lot of universities give honorary doctorates to significant figures. Both stephen colbert and billy connoley both have them.
She also could have earned her “Doctorate” through some scam online uni or courtesy of Madhatter Baptist College, located in Buttfuck Idaho.
Close, Tom. I found out that she was awarded an “Honorary Doctorate of Laws (PhD LLD Hon)” from Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma USA. A PhD AND LLD rolled into one! Doubly blessed, and well qualified for the Pay n’ Pray schtick.
An Honorary Doctorate from a fake university? How embarrassing.
Oral Roberts is about one step above Bob Jones University in South Carolina, which in turn has only slightly more cred than Universal Life Church in California which gives out theological degrees for $10…and at least has the decency to acknowledge it is a
scamspoof.I’ve been thinking about this some more. In Margaret Court’s case, she has not chosen a religion and followed its dogma: she has invented her own religion around her personal beliefs. She’s become a very successful Pay’n’Pray evangelist flogging her own rigid and bigoted formulation of what her version of a deity really wants from humanity.
I suppose you have to give her credit for her entrepreneurial skills, making a successful second career for herself selling salvation without sacrifice. Clap your hands, stomp your feet, shake all over and sing halleluiah! Tithe your income and give your children to the Victory Life Center and you’ll have eternal life, no waiting, no difficult creeds to learn, no lessons in humility or forgiveness. Repent now, no waiting, 30% discount if the whole family signs up. But wait, there’s more — if you are one of the first 200 punte….er, penitents to call, we’ll also give you this FREE indulgence for gay-baiting! Go and insult a homosexual and we’ll pay the price for you. Can’t do fairer than that, hey?
And a rebuttal from former tennis great Martina Navratilova.
Game,set and match to Martina 🙂
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/dont-deny-us-same-sex-marraige-laws-says-martina-navratilova/story-fn6bn88w-1226254744774