Oh NannaK,

Actually I had planned to give you a welcome, but unfortunately got carried away with my own agenda...so...Welcome.

No this isn't a forum of uni students. We're all mature nitpickers here.

Stick around, you'll enjoy it : )

And you're very welcome… Really! Please don't tell us you live in the south – I like the idea of thinking of you as NannaK of the North.

"You aren't really interested in atheism…" On the contrary, you couldn't be more wrong. Just check out the many commentary threads. They are all archived and available.

"I can only assume the rest of you bloggers are young…" On the contrary, in our imaginations you couldn't be more right! It's just our mirrors that are wrinkled and our photo IDs that are mocking.

Maybe you've not encountered david f yet? At a self-professed 86, he has one of the youngest minds I've ever encountered – and I say that with a complete absence of irony.

As with others, Pericles on the other hand, is 'experienced'. So too is Poirot – but not in 'that' way as you've not doubt guessed.

Feeling less nit-picked? Regards,

Well, thank you for the welcome - both Poirot and WmTrevor.

I definitely am from 'the north' - just outside of Brisbane. And I am a wrinkly 'senior' but not yet 86!

Yes, this does look like a nice, lively Blog.

The National Seniors Australia Blog was a very lively Blog, too, but unfortunately one particular, very prolific blogger was so vicious that the Blog had to be closed down. But then again, the NSA was overly sensitive too. I certainly enjoyed that very robust Blog.

This Blog looks like a nice robust one, too. I will hang around for a while until I get the 'feel' of it.

Once again, thanks for the welcome.

NannaK,

Fear not, there really is no battle going on. Some folk are posturing for reasons only they know and others can guess at.

The interference of religion in politics starts at the school level where children are influenced to accept as a reasonable idea that the Christian religion, in Australia’s case, has legs. This is happening in state schools with many parents unaware that their children are exposed to repetitious retrograde religious fundamentalist concepts. They may also not understand the ramifications for the future of their child or the wider community.

The two methods employed are Religious education in the curriculum and Chaplains on school grounds.

Petitioning governments to alter this have not been very successful but as religion in general comes under the spotlight to a greater extent, more of the population will realise the wrong going on here.

Events such as the 2012 Global Atheist Convention, AFA billboards, the campaign by the AFA to mark ‘no religion’ on the Census form, the AFA appearing before the Senate and the High Court Challenge about chaplaincy all help in raising the level of awareness that there is an opposition to religious interference in politics. There is a whole range of other actions the AFA is involved with to assist with this.

Other secular groups and organisations are also contributing to this worthwhile cause. Separation of church and state was a constant theme at the GAC because of its importance to good and fair governance.

Eventually the penny will drop about the ethical blunder that is happening in Government schools concerning religion and change will be the result. Politicians tend to take the correct course of action when they recognise the electors are not happy or run the risk of losing their jobs.

David

Richard Dawkins’ and Lawrence Krauss’ tributes to Christopher Hitchens

http://www.youtube.com/user/AtheistFoundation/feed

They both spoke after the short video tribute to Christopher Hitchens which is the fourth entry from the top of that page.

David

If atheists want to distance themselves from the Christian religion, it was indeed odd that they chose the Easter weekend on which to hold the GAC .

If those attending had taken their atheism seriously, they would not have treated Good Friday and Easter Monday, days of particular Christian significance, as public holidays.