Philo, tell me of your personal experience on missions and pastoral leases during the 50's, as the son a government official liaising with missions and pastoralists as I was.

My fathers notes and diaries, tell of the terror inflicted upon them, by the god fearing self righteous.

This included mental and physical abuse, violent condemnation of them when they wouldn't accept what they were being brainwashed with.

Threats of going to hell when they didn't wear shoes or clothes when we were playing together. Being constantly told how shameful and evil they were for not covering up. Forced removal of those that didn't toe the line.

The terrorism, vilification of their beleifs, the destruction of their way of life, that was forced upon these people by the religious and pastoralists, was typical of how religion conducts itself throughout the world. But the religious always blame others,

At least most pastoralists let them live their life when they weren't' working, but not the missionaries. Do what you are told or gods wrath will strike you down, was the line they would use.

I was assaulted by a missionary when I told my friends to not take any notice of them, really loving that was. But you are right about me philo your religious illness tells you so, just forget the facts they don't count in gods work, just the fantasy.

We then could turn to the terrorism inflicted upon those that were unlucky enough to find themselves in a church run home or orphanage, but your illness will just dismiss those facts as irrelevant to the work of your god.

I don't hear the church apologising for their actions, or the huge amount of terror they inflicted on the young with sexual abuse that is still going on in the name of god. It won't be long before the next set of evangelists is caught out, ripping of people and abusing them. You can bet your bible on that.

As to leaving them in the past, your mob is taking them back 2000 years

GreaZy TAN, I'm quite flattered that you've dedicated a whole post just to me ;-)

For those of you who are more interested in finding out about the substance of the anti-terrorism legislation, and less interested in prejudicial religious debate, I recommend you read Jenny Hocking's book, "Terror Laws: ASIO, Counter-Terrorism and the Threat to Democracy". She published the book two years ago, after the first passage of the new ASIO Terrorism legislation. At that time we had a few more thinkers in the Senate who were able to force the removal of particularly draconian sections, such as the indefinite, rolling detention of children. Even then the passage of the new legislation gave ASIO greater powers than the Patriot Act gives the Office of Homeland Security. Now our government is convincing a cowed public that they need even stronger laws. Only this time innocent people who "might" know something can be detained without access to legal representation. These laws become a victory for the terrorists who can now leave it up to our own governments to terrorise any citizen who disagrees with them.

Thankyou TF for your refreshing post. I agree. There's plenty of expertise here from some very (religiously) well-informed people but without any direction. Breeding Fear and Loathing in australia will only spread paranoia. By the way, my neighbour has some lebanese friends that visit from time to time. Maybe I should alert her to the fact that they all are under suspicion of being gang-rapists, and convince her to alert the authorities of their strange eating habits?

Dear lisamaree,
You are as naive as you're cute...

With love,
GZ

lisamarie - you are not Australian... you disrespect those grils who were gang raped.

keep on taking those valiums -

if 'friends of the neighbours' is the closest you have come to Lebanese Muslims, then I am laughing at you -

...just beacuase you have not seen the conflict of Islamic culture in Australian society, in particular in Sydney, it does not mean that it is not happening - i refer to the above post outlining 'some' of the publicised happenings - adress the content of the post or shut up!