Good to see Gary Bouma defending the social responsibilities of the Church.

...I did this article the service of reading reports in associated links it presented, but to conclude anymore value to it than another bleat for human rights, I couldn’t: When the old “dead horse” of sympathy, for occupants of the endless boat-loads of foreign criminals arriving on Christmas island was ushered out, I found myself reflecting on a reality much more appropriate, the life of our own prisoners rotting in conditions more inhumane than those of Christmas Island.

...If anybody wants more proof of a country so devoid of ideas as Australia for solving social problems with imprisonment the only apparent option, then here is a quote from John Lawrence of the NT Criminal Lawyers assn., John Lawrence says, in response to the building of a proposed new $500million dollar Darwin prison:

…”the new prison will not make the streets of Darwin safer”.
"They are no safer now, by virtue of jailing so many people, than they were 20 years ago," he said.
"Arguably, they are less safe.
"This continual policy of just jailing everybody, it is really not the way to go."

...Now, why not some bleating from those so attached to the welfare of foreigners, towards our own citizens, “since charity begins at home”.

A well structured article.

"One of the duties owed to 'Caesar' by the church is to be accountable for what it does to civil society, social cohesion and the wellbeing of the larger community to which the church is one contributor."
by Gary Bouma

As Gary has noted, there are several "churches" interacting under the banner of 'the church'. They are all subsets of society (society under Caesar?). They all must interact with people who do not follow their faith - people of different faiths, and no faith.

"Giving to God what is due to God and to Caesar what is due to Caesar raises a complex network of accountabilities ..." is true. While that might "not separate the church[es] from society", it does not mean the State is equally beholden to the churches the way the churches could be considered beholden to society and the State that administers that society.

GB261011

Gary Buma,

How can anyone believe what you say?

By now, many people have realized that the union between State and Church cannot be separated, being it an association for the purpose of indulging in criminality.

The two institutions are complementary; the first installed to bully their victims out of the fruit of their labor and ‘The Church’ as instrument for keeping the despoiled hypnotized.

Many thinking people, deep in their heart, Sir, do know that you preach Submission not Peace and that submission to the State is the insanity that is driving humanity to an early grave.

But you close your eyes and, not unlike Nero, enjoy all you can get from your pedestal, leaving the bill to your children.

.

When one of the first paragraphs tries to imply a Hitler policy into the separation of church and state, you know it's going to be an awkward read.
And it sadly got worse from there;

All in all, by bleating about asylum seekers and waffling on about primitive forms of autocracy (monarchs and Caesars) in reference to modern governance, just reinforces my belief that the church is indeed completely out of touch with modern Australians and refuses to acknowledge it.

Perhaps if the Church would stop demonizing gays, abortion, atheists, euthanasia, contraceptives, stem-cell research- and would kindly stop conspiring to cover up misconduct by a handful of their priests, perhaps people outside (including non-practicing Catholics) might start to care what you say.

GB261011

Gary Buma,

How can anyone believe what you say?

By now, many people have realized that the union between State and Church cannot be separated being it an association for the purpose of indulging in criminality.

The two institutions are complementary; the first installed to bully their victims out of the fruit of their labor and ‘The Church’ as instrument for keeping the despoiled hypnotized.

Many thinking people, deep in their heart, Sir, do know that you preach Submission not Peace and that submission to the State is the insanity that is driving humanity to an early grave.

But you close your eyes and, not unlike Nero, enjoy all you can get from your pedestal, leaving the bill to your children.

.