Conservative church leaders have sent an open letter to the leaders of both major parties asking them to protect religious freedoms when the same-sex marriage bill comes before the House of Representatives this week. We have heard rightwing politicians and Christian groups speak of “protection” throughout this debate – often claiming to be protecting “family values” – while feigning ignorance of the way their language hurts actual families and the individuals in them.

There is a pattern to this behaviour; first, claim to be protecting an institution, often “marriage” or “the family”, then attack a reform designed to protect actual people from exclusion, prejudice or a denial of equal rights.

This practice has a history in Australia. Rightwing politicians and some conservative Christians opposed no-fault divorce laws in order to protect the social value of the family unit. Fringe Christian groups resisted attempts to reform marital rape laws in this country – as did conservative MPs who cited defence of the family as their motivation – ensuring it took approximately 22 years for change to be fully implemented at a state level.

Not coincidentally, it took approximately the same period to decriminalise homosexuality across our nation, a process that was not completed in Tasmania until 1997. Again, rightwing politicians and conservative Christian groups delayed the process and battled against the reform, increasingly using language adopted from the religious right of the United States – note how the nebulous, and rather American, use of the word “freedom” has increasingly entered into the Australian conservative religious lexicon.

The freedom to exclude is to be protected but not the rights of those who suffer discrimination as a result.

These voices claimed to be protecting marriage and family but in the process waged war on changes designed to protect women and children from domestic conflict, wives from rape and abuse and LGBT+ couples from imprisonment. It wasn’t people they were hoping to protect, but patriarchal institutions, enabled by the law, that hurt and excluded people.

History shows us what some conservative Christians mean when they campaign to protect family values, but what does the biblical record suggest Christ had to say about the family?

Jesus is portrayed in the gospel narratives as challenging authority in patriarchal and religious institutions, preferring the equality of all believers (Matthew 23:8-9). Australia’s religious “no” supporters have been quick to point out that Christ affirmed marriage, but fail to mention that he also acknowledged there were valid grounds for divorce and that he ultimately concluded it might be better not to marry at all (Matthew 19:1-12). Rather than defend the institution of family at all costs, Christ claimed that his message would be divisive in families (Matthew 10:34-36).

Scripture suggests Christ had a complex relationship with the concept of family. His own family is depicted as questioning his sanity in Mark 3:20 – but that isn’t to say that he didn’t want woman and children protected. Christ is depicted as warning against harming children (Mark 9:42), advocating for women who were condemned by patriarchal law (John 8:1-11) and arranging for his mother’s care prior to his death (John 19:25-27).

Jesus saw family as an inclusive community, feasting with those who were excluded (Luke 14:7-24), and addressing social and religious outcasts and friends alike as “daughter” (Mark 5:25-34), “mother” and “brother” (Matthew 12:46-50).

It seems that Christ didn’t protect the religious institutions of family and marriage as much as he protected those who were hurt or excluded by religious institutions.

Religious freedom in this nation will not be destroyed by marriage equality. “Family values” – at least those modelled by the Jesus of the gospels – are more than safe. This open letter is religious assault on another reform that is designed to advance marriage and family as protective institutions in our society. We are used to Christian conservatives opposing reform in this country. The tragedy is the way this adds harm to the already hurt and excluded that Christ invites us all to protect and include as he did.