BOAZ_David

Thanks for last Tuesday's post. Quite moving. You raised a very pertient point.

kristos

I have enjoyed reading your posts. Don't be disheartened by others' responses. You need a thick skin to remain alive and well on OLO. Nit picking is common in most threads. C'est la vie.

I too have extensive experience in working with suicidal young people, and what an enigma they are.

Cheers mate
Kay

Australians hate an open public display of religion as we do not see it as genuine. It appears merely to be ritual and not spiritual ie involving the inner person. Especially when we hear vile attitudes and see agressive behaviours perpetrated against us in the name of their god.

1. For Australians prayers are in private and reflect the inner desires of our heart.
2. Wearing garments that identify one as religious in the Australian mind is: "I am pious", therefore more religious than you.
3. Australians are care responsive community contributing charity as in the 2004 tsunami appeal.
4. The Christian Australian has no sacred territory, so kissing stones, or stoning the wall of the devil, or sacred trecks these are seen as vain passions.
5 Australians do not see their beliefs being forced upon another against their will and conscience in a political way.
6. Australians do not believe Religion or ritual should set the day with first light calls to prayer from minerets.
7. Australian's lives and minds are not bound by ancient texts. They can read and reflect upon them but do not see them as mind controll authority without question.

Others can add more and clearer points of why this type of public religious culture is offensive to Australians.

With all these various brands of religion, and especially with the almost demonic conjunction of of Emperor George II of Texas, I had to have a response that treated all citizens in reasonable equity. As a graduate in religious studies it perplexed me. So here's my theology.

I am Australian. I believe that anyone; sixth generation, six-hundredth generation, migrant, refugee or whatever, on the electoral roll (this is an expression of Australian citizenship), can be truly Australian only when they have constructed a trinity of Oz. Being born somewhere is inevitable if you breathe, but that does not ascribe citizenship, its an accident of the geographic location of one's mother. The trinity of Oz does not give a damn about that accident, it simply demands knowledge of the uniqueness of this nation nation in three domains:

1. knowledge of how we are NOT American, European, African, Mongolian, Brazilian or whatever.

2. knowledge of the land and environment that is unique to Australia.

3. knowledge of the unique nations that first inhabited this land for countless generations prior to European occupancy.

From this, anyone can really be Australian, regardless of birthplace, and no one has any a-priori rights outside of an expression of good manners to first occupants.

My response to the; opus dei, muslim extremest, moral majority, right wing christian, and zionist or any religious extremist wanting to evangelise their myth, into my life, is the same for all of them.

"Listen Mate, we live in a democracy NOT a theocracy. If you want one of them and you want their; overseas policy/sociology/way of life/theology inflicted in Oz; sod off to Iran, Israel or Northern Ireland."

"But if you hang around, be mindful of our Constitution:"

116. Commonwealth not to legislate in respect of religion...

"So, you want to bash your book, your theology, your religious social mores, and inflict it on me and my fellow Australians? You've got one vote, so have I. Use your democratic vote if you chose, a vote that is no more or less than mine - or, like I said "Shut-up and POQ!"

Sapper K9,

Excellent comment. Secularism have no religous roots and she remain that way.

Those who want to force religious values on others whether Sharia or Judeo-whatever should consider Saudi, the Vatican and Israel.

Dear Philo

Thanks for your most recent post. Much food for thought!

Cheers
Kay

Sapper K9

Welcome to the forum!

I second Fellow Human's vote of confidence and agree that politics and religions make for antagonistic partners.

The only way to have religious freedom is to keep the government secular.

I am tired of being told how to live by any religion.

Philo - you post has made a very strong argument in favour of separation of church and state.