I've never felt it unexceptional to have seen through all this religious poop at about eight years of age although perhaps i may have come endowed with reasonably sensitive crap detectors. When one looks around today it just seems so absurd to have let the world fall sucker to these religious deadheads with their weird psycho brain problems, ........ that get themselves into politics.

e.g.
We see the twisted smirk dancing with dillsong, the stooopid wabbit who sets up a fund for honesty in politics and promptly lies to everyone about it, and then this large bunch of dangerous loonies on the religious redneck right wing who say choice when they know it means no choice and fair when it means not fair. Add to that the hoodwinking going on with Family Fist Fielding in the Senate or the appointment of Ian Harper to head the Fair Pay Commission who says he will enlist God to set the minimum payrate, and we see more lazy minds living in ratbaggery. It's not surprising that Kevin Rudd now has come out and nominated himself as an official goofball too.

It's depressing however ......
Yesterday it was a breath of fresh air hearing a down to earth Tony Windsor in question time, questioning the mining industry that doesn't give a hoot about drilling into ancient aquafers on prime farming land in his electorate. Today it was Dr David Susuki at the national press club address with governments and the media for the economic meme, saying to hell with the environmental consequences and the good of society into the distant future.

Surely this religion of the cruel on our own world has to come to a bitter end soon.

Let's get one thing (ahem) straight: no-one here is claiming that there are packs of christians running around bashing gay people.

However the fact is that gay people are being beaten up. A NSW Attorney General’s Department study in 2003 found that 56% of respondents had been victims of homophobic attacks or harassment in the previous twelve months, and only 15% said that they had never been victimised (http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/cpd/ll_cpd.nsf/pages/CPD_glbt_publications).

If christians or red-headed people or left-handers were copping this level of abuse, governments would be toppling. However declared christians in this forum argue “the benefit to the homosexual of the Christian discrimination with regard to homosexuals,” and deny that homophobic abuse takes place because (a) it’s illogical to hate homosexuals, and (b) such abuse is against christian teachings. Somewhat naïve?

The churches continue to fight every tiny advance towards equality for same-sex attracted people, and their insistence on the right to arbitrarily discriminate against homosexuals creates the environment in which anti-gay violence can and does thrive.

Regardless of who’s doing the bashing, christians are looking away while it happens.

This is the point of Carol Johnson’s article: if Kevin Rudd were as christian as he claims to be, then he would feel morally obliged to defend those 56% of homosexuals who get abused in a year. “Muscular christianity” doesn’t defend injustice, it goes forth against it.

Personally, I’m prepared to give him some more time to show us the depth of his conviction that christians are required to stand up against injustice. But eventually he must, because his faith doesn’t afford him the chance to cherry-pick injustices for political gain.

On balance, I think that in a position of power Kevin Rudd will do more good than bad for gay Australians. However he will need to do something, and fast, if he wants to maintain his compassionate-christian credentials.

Homophobia, by the way, is “prejudice against (fear or dislike of) homosexual people and homosexuality.”
http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webw

I get the sense i should rebut 'Gadget's' post but i have not the slightest idea what that amorphous, incoherent post says - honestly none. What was 'Gadget' trying to communicate?

Kevin Rudd correctly says the religion of Christianity identifies with the poor, the marginalised and the downtrodden.

He'd gladly and enthusiastically adopt and foster programs designed to assist those groups among us in Australia. Admirable.

But hang on a minute Kevin Rudd is the Opposition spokesperson on Foreign Affairs. He currently doesn't show the same inclination to adopt this compassionate idealogy when it comes to other countries.

Where was he when Lebanon needed his support?
Whenever has he expressed this Christian compassion towards the Palestinisns?

Wow is this just another politician displaying double standards?

I did not say Jesus was gay. Jesus is a character in an occult fiction. I said the worship of Jesus is homoerotic. Occult rituals practiced by members of Christian cults such as consuming the body of Christ is a psuedo-cannibalistic homosexualised ritual, for males and a pseudo-cannibalistic sexualised ritual for females. To be obsessed with a man is not a heterosexual male trait. How is not an obsession of Jesus to the point where a person actually believes Jesus exists is not latent homosexuality? Worship too- seeks to mimic the delights of sex, seeking euphoria and orgasm. Even occult discourse uses sexual language such as rapture and passion. I suggest if Christians are to be balanced in their prejudice against homosexuals they should first persecute male Christians,

As far as banning same sex marriage. Let Christianity lead by example by using the influence they have on cult members in parliament to ban Christian marriage first. If Christians sacrificed their own marriage and showed Australia that there is something positive for the nation in banning marriage and not just a waste of tax payers money then we could consider banning homosexuals from marriage also.

If that proves beneficial then we could ban the rest of us from marriage and then ban defacto relationships, followed by banning dating and then crushes. Then we could all live out doors as born again virgins waiting for a god to lift us into a magical kingdom beyond the real universe.

I read Rudds Article - I thought it was well reasoned and accesible -
I fail to see the need to critique it on matters pretty well un mentioned - he didnt talk about whaling, nuclear weaponary or stem cell research either - he was as specific as you could be onrelion and politics in a few thousand words - I dont see how he was obliged to talk about the culture wars or homosexals - god bless 'em.

The church's - and the views of christians - towards homosexuals are seldom in harmony -

And yes Westy our Jesus does have a six pack - in all the imagery he his scantily clad, we are teased by that pesky loin cloth and he's hanging on the cross in a kind of BDSM way - but check out those abs! - it is clear you have - cant say I can agree with your logic though.

My take is that Jesus walked the earth - coz the bible tells me so