"It took about 1700 years for Western Europe to move out off the dark ages, shackled by Christian religious intolerance"

I wonder what 'shackled' all the other civilisations that didn't have an Enlightenment? According to Paul it was Christianity that held the west back. But what held China back or India, the Aztec, the Inca, the Comanche, the Koori, the various caliphates?

Strange that the only civilisation to enjoy an enlightenment was Christian.

"Its all about respect and inclusion."

No, it's like the Nazi salute (another great invention of socialism). It's all about "Go along with it or else.", as that Victorian council worker found out after he lost his job when he didn't go along with wtc/aoc.

You could avoid prayers etc with little problem compared to wtc/aoc. That is freedom of speech and thought in action, and the process by which is came into being is transparent. Ask by what process wtc/aoc came into such widespread usage and you get nothing but bs answers like, "Oh, everyone thinks it's a great idea (except you).".

It's all about the authoritarian pastimes of coercion and weeding out the bad people. And don't forget that the silent socialists in the coalition are all for it as well.

Hi Trumpster,

Both the Arab world and the Oriental world, had periods of secular enlightenment, as well as periods of darkness, where learning and science were suppressed in favour of fear and superstition. In the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries AD, scientists and thinkers made massive breakthroughs in mathematics, medicine and astronomy. At a time when Europe was overtaken by unscientific superstition Baghdad was a major centre of learning. The Chinese Axial Age between 8th and 3rd Centuries BCE thinkers like Confucius, constructed deeply rational frameworks for governance, human nature, and societal development, a time when our European ancestors were still painting on cave walls. Not all was the same as the European experience of enlightenment, but they all had their peaks and troughs in social development.

But since the discussion was about Australia I didn't see it as necessary to bring up other places that had also experienced periods of enlightenment.

Methinks you misunderstand what The Enlightenment was.

Keep Religion out of politics & acknowledgement to country is happening every minute of the day by way of services & welfare & tokenism in employment !
So, both Religion & ATC achieve nothing in actuality !

Hi Trumpster,

Me thinks YOU are yet to be enlightened, and never will be! YOU confuse your rabid Trumpism with enlightenment. YOU could follow the course of the Buddha, enlightenment means waking up to the true nature of reality and achieving total freedom from suffering. Give it a go, YOU might like it.