John Ryan,

<<What utter & complete RUBBISH>>

That's a merciless way to address a person who has presented an article for us to discuss.

You gave not one reason why it is 'complete rubbish'.

Pat,

<<What about the right of students, parents and teachers in faith-based schools to hold and manifest their belief, whether founded in biological science or in religious scriptures, that humans are immutably male or female?

What about the right of schools to maintain their religious ethos by refusing employment and enrolment to activists wanting to impose such policies on the school?>>

These are real concerns for those of us who are committed Christians. A group of Australian church leaders was motivated to compose letters for the Coalition and ALP.

Over what happened to Folau, ABC News reported: Israel Folau's clash with RA ‘over his fundamentalist religious social media posts’ motivated ‘nine prominent Christians to send letters about the protection of religious freedom to Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten’. These people included leaders from Presbyterian, Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Apostolic churches, Reverend Dr Hedley Fihaki, a Uniting Church minister and the national chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations as well as a number of religious school leaders', http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-11/israel-folau-religious-leaders-send-letter-to-shorten-morrison/11104094

Anna Patty, in writing for The Age, pointed out some of the apprehension of religious leaders:

"The letter to Mr Shorten details concerns that Labor Party policies do not go far enough to protect religious freedom and have the potential to impact on the free expression of traditional views of sexuality and marriage. It asks Labor for an assurance that religious institutions will continue to be able to hold such views and defend them in public….

"The Liberal Party has committed to introducing a Commonwealth Religious Discrimination Act, but the religious leaders asked the Prime Minister to go further by protecting believers in associations including churches, mosques, charities, schools and corporations", http://www.theage.com.au/federal-election-2019/christian-leaders-challenge-major-parties-on-commitment-to-religious-freedom-20190508-p51lgo.html.

Up to this point, Australia has been a country that allowed and encouraged religious groups to proclaim their ethos because of free speech and freedom of religion. With the Labor and Greens' policies, this threatens to be wound back. It will be to the detriment of multiculturalism and will spin our society into censorship, according to the left wing elite's values.

Has anyone ever noticed that whenever the vexed topic topic of religion and religious freedom comes up there seems to be a common assumption that everyone who subscribes to the mainstream religions are necessarily "conservative" as defined by News Weekly, The Australian Christian Lobby and the bloviators that infest the Australian "news"-paper.

This aint necessarily so because, surprise, surprise, many Christians, including "catholics" support liberal and/or progressive ideas and causes, including the very real phenomenon of human caused climate change.
For instance check out the essay "The Christian Left - a case study of value driven social progressives?" by Anthony Hogan on the Pearls and Irritations website.

Daffy Duck,

<<surprise, surprise, many Christians, including "catholics" support liberal and/or progressive ideas and causes, including the very real phenomenon of human caused climate change. For instance check out the essay "The Christian Left....>>

What is the title of this article to which you replied?

Pat Byrne called it, 'Religious freedom will be suffocated if ALP elected'.

He began with: "It is a sad reality that in Australian law there is an absence of strong protections for freedom of belief. Indeed, as some leading lawyers have commented, religious freedom has been reduced to tenuous exemptions in anti-discrimination laws introduced since the 1980s".

It doesn't matter whether you support Christian 'left' or 'right' values or an atheistic ethos. Will those values be protected if Labor comes to power?

Pat was not talking about Christians on left or right but warned about the censorship (my word) of a religious ethos if the ALP is elected.

Dear OzSpen,

«warned about the censorship (my word) of a religious ethos if the ALP is elected»

If I order a restaurant meal and instead they give me something other than what I ordered, then I am entitled to receive my money back. Yes, even if what I get is better recommended by the chef.

The same applies if an evil secular government pays/bribes you for indoctrinating your children into their filthy godless ethos, but fails to receive their intended result.

Look at the coin - it has Caesar's face on it, so give it back, avoid it like fire.

Yet another bogus-scare article from a rightwinger.

Why publish today? Because tomorrow we vote.

For corrupt, self-interested:

- Chequebook journalism Barnaby

- au pair Dutton, and

- wanna fight a war Abbott

Again?