There is no such thing as a "right" to ordination, any more than there is a "right" to enter Murray Hunter's home without his permission. If women want to form themselves into religious congregations and carry out religious rituals and activities, they have every right - the true sense of the word - to do so, and it's got nothing to do with the law or the Constitution. Typical academic confusing consensual and non-consensual transactions at every turn, and mistakenly thinking that rights are whatever the most powerful and aggressive party forces other people into obeying.

Dear Jardine,

You ignore the fact that Thailand has a "Sangha act (1928)", free public-transport and other perks for monks and a law against "impersonating a monk". These must be the tip of the iceberg which Murray Hunter only mentioned in passing - who knows in which other ways the Thai state is colluding with organised religion?

I was expecting you to be the first to criticise such laws, rather than the poor nuns, their victim.

Whenever leaders of religious organisations rub shoulders with the state, religion is corrupted. Subsequently, nearly always the blame for the corruption is attributed to "religion", rather than to the state.

Yuyutsu, I think that both the State and religion(s) are about on par where corruption is concerned.

Wherever men are placed in positions of power, no matter what the organisation, there will always be the capacity for corruption in order for them to try and obtain even more power for themselves.

Just because some are religious organisations, does not make them immune to this.
Maybe more women in positions of power would lessen the corruption in these organisations?

We don't really know the answer to that yet, as women have never been 'allowed' to rise to the same status of men in most religious organisations.
Maybe that is the trouble...

Dear Suse,

I sincerely hope that you are right about women in positions of power.
I also hope that our experience with Julia was an exception rather than the rule.

Yet we need to look at the root of the problem:

What on earth brings religious leaders and state officials to even be present together in the same room (other than the confessional chamber)?

I fully agree with you that the problem of corruption is not unique to religious organisations, so we should ask ourselves in the same way: what on earth brings leaders of sports-organisations; cultural-organisations; art-organisations; professional guilds; corporations; trade-unions; etc. to even be present together in the same room with politicians?

Yuyutsu, one word...money.
All those organisations are out for as much money from the Government coffers as they can get, so therefore they have to get into bed with the pollies!

As far as the subject of Julia goes, as much as I am no Labor supporter, that woman had no chance right from the start.
Holding up the first woman to be 'given the chance' as PM as the blue-print for those that follow is not helpful.

They wanted her to fail, and she did.
So, no more female PM's for a long time now, I would think.
Those pesky feminist women had their chance...and the manly men can all bang their hairy, wise chests in happiness again.

Heh, heh, that is some of the mildest criticism Suseonline can manage regarding of one of her favourite hates, men.

Same old theme over and over for years on this forum and regardless of the patience of any who sought to redirect her with facts.

Suseonline, you are too easy to lampoon and you really shouldn't try to disguise your (ahem) lack of affection for men by regularly asserting that there are 'men in your life who love you'.

I should add that contrary to what you assert about 'wonderful womyn' there is a large Qld hospital where a lesbian mafia has allegedly run nursing for the local golf club for decades. Doubtless there are other examples where old girls networks rule, and don't rule OK.

As for your comments on ex-PM Julia Whatshername, she is doing very well thank you in her $2million bungalow on the Golden handshake, super and benefits courtesy of the Aussie taxpayer. All fully indexed and proofed from inflation. Not so the retired ex-military and public servants that her government refused to change the inequitable CPI indexed inflation that whittles away their reported average super of $27,000pa that they paid for in full over 40 years. Trust a Labor government to do its loyal public servants in the eye, including the families of soldiers who served their bidding in wars.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/greens-seek-fairer-super-deal-for-ps-pensioners-20130805-2rai7.html#ixzz2opNvEpaj