Well, isn't this calling 'the pot calling the kettle black'.

It is interesting that for example Pru Goward seems to totally unware of her own sexism against men.

Typically this author is just as manipulative.

So, work towards having tax exemptions for religious organizations removed. Governments get away with such things only because voters allow them to. Hilaly’s comment brought howls for the removal of financial help for Muslims to be removed (I wonder if this aid is different from that given to other religions), but that will not happen because voters will not demand the Government do that.

The average Australian is a whinger who will not exercise his/her vote properly, nor advise his/her representatives that his/her vote will be removed from that representative unless certain things are done by the government the local MP represents.

Stop contemplating religious theory, practice and other meaningless claptrap, and do something for yourselves

I take it the author would be horrified if Tony Abbot was appointed Minister of Women's Affairs. I take it also that if women had to compete on a level playing field at the Olympics that we would not see to many there. The author's views seem only to hold for selective areas where she perceives women as being disadvantaged.

I'm not quite sure how pregnancy status is equivalent to race in terms of religious discrimination. Many religions, which have existed for thousands of years before Australia's "sexual revolution" of the 60's, celebrate chastity and monogamy as moral values. If someone CHOOSES to break those values, is it really so contentious that a religion might choose to prevent that person from representing that particular religion?

"Sexism is just as eviscerating to the dignity, self-esteem, aspirations and opportunities of women as racism is to people of colour".

IF THERE IS ONE POST YOU READ, LET IT BE THIS.

Let's analyse this statement above, by the writer. I don't have anger towards you for it, for people grow up in different circumstances, but your comment "...as racism is to people of colour" is nothing short of disgusting.

Appalling, in every sense of the word.

It implies that racism is a phenomenon suffered exclusively by coloured people, which reveals your thinking.

Those of us who grew up in areas like Cabramatta, where Asian gangs used to target us for being "skips", that went "Aussie bashing", understand that you mustn't even consider us people.

It's the same as those at Cronulla, who suffered the same racial bashings, sexual harrassment, total intimidation, simply because your not of their tribe, by rampaging hordes.

You are a horrible person.

It is extremely depressing to see the return of religion as a political force. Unsurprising, I suppose when you consider the Australian lick-spittle attitude towards the U.S.A.
Research shows that the more religious a country, the more persecution, anti-social behaviour, suicides, crime, violence and so on that occur
As the influence of religion has increased in schools, homophobic bullying and sexism has also increased along with youth depression and suicide.
70% of Commonwealth funding for education goes to religious schools. Another ninety million dollars will go towards putting more chaplains into schools – thus putting more children at risk. What sort of support is a gay boy or pregnant teenager going to get from a fundamentalist chaplain? The mere idea is horrible. All religions persecute women and gays, because religion is about power. And power is achieved by dividing the population.
Its time people realised that religion has nothing to do with morality. Morality is a separate issue, to do with physical survival. Morality has been hijacked by religions to justify their nonsense about supermen in the sky that know your every thought and deed – their claims of supernatural creatures that get their kicks by sending tsunamis and letting us foul our nest to the point of extinction.
The only countries where democracy and human rights truly prevail, are the secular states of Western Europe, New Zealand and Canada. Why is Australia not following that lead? Why are we heading back to the dark ages of religious dictatorship and terrorism from which our forbears extricated themselves with great sacrifice?