Government Loosens Religious “Freedom” To Discriminate
29Sep. 09
The government has now given religion free reign to discriminate on your gender, martial status, sexual orientation, divorce, religion and if you have kids or not.
Well done.…Thank you! Thank you for dragging all social progress back to the 1920’s where women were marginalised and divorce deemed taboo. Where single parent’s children, were taken away because the government deemed them incapable of raising them. To say nothing of gay rights.
But religious groups still can’t discriminate over race or political view. Glad to know some social integrity survived the 60’s. Wouldn’t want religious groups pulling the strings on politics now would we… Oh wait!
Could you imagine a company who has all the normal discrimination laws saying, “We don’t want to hire Christians”. They would be in so much shit, as companies aren’t allowed to discriminate on belief. But religion is now allowed to, plus a host of other things?
Why does society make excuse for religion and tolerate it when it is pursuing political goals that destabilise social harmony. Why do we have to tolerate religion when it’s being intolerant? We have all been force-fed the bullshit about the benefit that religion brings to society and here we see them actively destroying social equilibrium. I’m sorry but it’s one law for all, keep your Bronze Age desert dogmas to yourself!
How can this even be justified? I just can’t wait for a some politically correct asshat to try and tell me we need to “respect” somebody else’s beliefs. I’m sorry but NO WE DON’T! Respect is for people not for the beliefs that they hold. Learn to know the difference.
I thought we were a secular nation, obviously not.
Tags: Alastair Tait, law, Politics, Religion, Secularism
September 29th, 2009 at 9:11 am
I wonder whether this isn’t actually a move which will prove to have long-term benefit (VERY heavily disguised, I admit), in that given the current trends away from faith/religion towards secularism, this move will simply serve to highlight just how staggeringly out of touch the mainstream religions are.
The scary thing is that the government keeled over on this one, and it would be interesting to know how much background pressure was applied to individual MPs. This is something which is going to seriously come back and bite them, and I can’t wait for the first serious challenge to these discrimination rules.
I have to admit, it’s made me think twice, as I work for an organisation with religous affiliations but who are so mild that religion barely rates a mention. Now I’m wondering whether certain hitherto unused muscles might start flexing.…
September 29th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Reading Max Wallace’s Purple Economy at the moment, very enlightening as to just how secular we are or aren’t. How I wish we would stop propping up the churches (the charitable arms I am more or less ok with) with education funding and tax free status.
September 29th, 2009 at 10:05 am
What is really scary is that this is actually a compromise… and religious groups are campaigning for their right to discriminate without the need to justify it. The absurdity hurts my brain.
There is some scuffling amongst the believers on this one too. John McIntyre, Bishop of Gippsland wrote this (http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/a-betrayal-of-the-faith-20090928-g95o.html) response in The Age today, suggesting that these laws are perhaps a little un-Christian, but he copped it in the comments… Apparently these laws allow us to “protect the institutions that have founded our society”, presumably by keeping those rabble-raising divorcees out.
September 29th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
This Christian is on our side: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/a-betrayal-of-the-faith-20090928-g95o.html
September 30th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Kevin Donnelly wrote an opinion piece today (http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/why-the-bishop-is-wrong-on-faith-and-rights-20090930-gbfe.html), clutching his pearls and fretting about the children who might be exposed to teachers of other faiths if the exemptions were removed.