"All that needs to be said, has been said, but not everyone has said it"... I'll leave Squeers and others to debate nationalism, which I despise, racialism, which undoes us, and the deconstruction of language, and restrict myself to what I thought the author was trying to say.

There should be no such thing as 'faith' schools in any nation-state that likes to pretend it is part of the 'modern world', although the author did not say that, I am.

But what he did seem to say, was that schools (in general I think he meant) should not be allowed to cram 'religion' down the necks of children, to which I say Hosannah!

The proselytising that passes as RI, CRE, SRE and whatever other states call it, is a crime, or it should be in public schools.

So too, the outrageous use of pretend Xtians posing as 'school chaplains' being forced upon students in schools, particularly state schools, should never have been allowed, never mind 'under Howard' because people like Rudd went out of their way to sneak them into public schools long before Howard did...oh yes, and Beattie.

Seems the ALP is unable to live without its 'spiritual lead'.

So, good on yers Mr Author... you are quite correct when you call for an end to the special privilege granted, unquestioned, to a few groups within the world of 'religions' over others.

Leave it to parents to abuse their children if they want to, since that is not illegal, or even frowned upon.

Now, I am indebted to the poster who advised we watch Jensen trying to demolish Pell's beliefs while also trying not to sound too much of a goose himself.

Amazing! That one totally unbelievable crew should dare to criticise another equally dodgy pyramid scam was well worth the visit.

But maybe Jensen does not know that the Catch The Fire crew are now rounding up Anglican vicars and getting them to talk in tongues...see Danny's latest email on his tongue-wagging trip to Bellingen NSW.

Bravo Glenn. You have finally stumbled on what is wrong with our world.
We "domesticate our children". We train them in the same way as we train our dogs and cats. Reward for behaviour that pleases us, punishment of one sort or another if they displease us.
All of us were brought up by being taught a series of lies about what will make us perfect..... then when we realise how much of our belief is based on lies we spend the rest of our lives trying to find out who we really are and what are we doing here.
Remember Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy... lies

@ Proxy, Sunday, 25 April 2010 4:17:55 PM

Whether a homosexual person has a high risk of contracting HIV/AIDs depends on his behaviour, not whether he is homosexual.

To say “No one is encouraging experimentation [with homosexuality]” is not legitimising homosexuality to children, and is not fantasising it, or denigrating it unnecessarily, either.

Your reference to smoking pot is a red herring.

"secular travesty" is an oxymoron.

Nairbe
My wife outlived my daughters’ young adulthood; just! I cannot begin to imagine how I could have coped as a single father. I think I’ll go and buy a lid so I have something to dip.

"5.In their place, implement a compulsory primary school course in ethics, critical thinking and comparative religion that will ensure that all children in Australian schools learn a. the beliefs that define each major world religion and the influence of its holy books on the belief, culture and literature of its followers,
b. the moral rights and responsibilities of all Australians towards each other, their country and the world at large,
c. a core set of ethical principles.
"

As a Muslim I'd support this and predict Atheist would come up second best.

Well, don't leave us gasping 'grateful', enlighten us all on what you mean, please.

Why would an atheist come up 'second best'?

And, since you add your religion into the mix, would 'an' atheist come up second best to Islam or Christianity, to Judaism of Sikhism, to a Bahai or a Hindu?

As far as I can tell, they, and many more, all compete with their own particularly spurious claims to be preaching, or peddling, the TRUTH.

They cannot all be correct, even within each of these pyramid scams there is division... see Jensen trying to out-do Pell with his chat on 'saints' for one example...and neither of them would give you two bob for your beliefs.

In fact, Jensen's mob would probably tell you that you will burn in Hell for backing the wrong mob, as my son's 'Christian' school chaplain told the Buddhist students.

Ah yes, tolerance, the hallmark of the faithful and religious.

Or might the atheist just cop a Biblical stoning?