Comments
From: Cardinal Pell On Bills of Rights
  • "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

    We may have officially abolished the church as the second estate, (well, less so in Britain), but the Church is far from out of the "government equation".

    There are the subtle things. Faithful politicians pandering to churches at election time. Parliaments adopting faith based stances of things like stem cell research, euthanasia, RU486...

    Then there's the tax breaks.

    But the real role the Church is adopting in the modern government equation is that of subcontractor. Think government funding to religious schools, religious charities bidding for all and sundry government contracts, and in doing so profiting by taking on the role of the state in welfare and education.
    • Felix the Cassowary . # .
      Why am I unable to comment?
      • Felix the Cassowary . # . 1/1
        Do forms here expire? That's really really nasty, especially when there's no explanation given.
    • Felix the Cassowary . # . 1/1
      Just to be contrary and difficult, I don't understand why people complain that politicians listen to churches as if that is somehow an ethical challenge. Politicians are free to listen to groups of workers and employers, and weigh their opinions in parliament when making law. Politicians are free to listen to groups of scientists and those who follow them, and weigh their opinions in parliament when making law. Politicians are free to listen to groups of people who have certain hobbies and socialise in common.

      Why can't they listen to religious people? They do comprise a significant proportion of our population, after all. Is it just because you don't agree with them? That's only a good reason not to vote for them, not to wish for them to be disenfranchised.

      And especially in the case of Tony Abbot and other "faithful" politicians, would you prefer them to be dishonest? If their opinions cause you offense, don't vote for them. But don't ask them to lie.
      • Felix the Cassowary . # . 1/1
        I suppose my point, much more concisely, is that any polity that excludes people and opinions on the basis of religion is fundamentally unfree. I would prefer to live in a country with freedom of religion for everyone, including politicians and voters and lobbiests, than one which denies people political involvement just because they believe certain shared myths.