It is a shame if The Religion Report ends.

It was intelligent enough for this atheists listen list.

Interesting the way stupid acts and beliefs are explained by the
believers.
Maybe even they think about things after the hard questions have been asked.Can these people escape from their delusions,perhaps, but less likely now.
They still pass it on to their children of course(else God will be
angry).GRRRRR.I am so afraid.NOT.

I will miss the religion report as well.

I often disagreed with Stephen Crittenden, but that was part of the show's appeal for me.

I'll have to check out the BBC religion program. Hope they do podcasts.

Cheers,

Rhys.

I am intrigued that many of the defenders of the Religion Report in various on-line forums (myself included) are self-declared atheists. I wonder if the theists would come out in support of an Atheist Report?

Hi Candide
as a Christian I'd love to listen to an Atheist Report, just as I enjoy reading the writings of Dawkins, Hitchens et al, for much the same reasons as the atheists here report enjoying the religion report. We learn a lot from each other when we debate intelligently and respectfully (well, maybe not Hitchens, but his polemic is entertaining). I think the author is right – this may not be of interest to everyone but it’s very important to some people. Further, the ability to competently critique religious perspectives is vital to understanding the motives and internal contradictions of the ideas of a lot of influence people.

I see the decision as bowing to Political Correctness as much as supposed expediency, surrounding coverage of material. Aussies are petrified into not 'mentioning the war', at a time when open and honest discourse is crucial. There is so much wrong with this nation it's little wonder the default position is to pretend otherwise.

Australia is one of only three nations to extend tax exemptions into the commercial arena - eg; accounting for almost half of Catholic Church profit. No payroll tax, FBT, GST, asset sales tax, capital gains, fringe benefits ~ $20,000 per employee, no stamp duty, no income tax returns, ample immunity from APRA. Making around $20 billion annually the CC is our largest property owner, has assets of over $100 billion by 2005 estimates including close to 50% of the top 20 NFP's; including education, insurance, media, financial services, aged/special care. Pentecostalism is growing rapidly. The potential and frequency for/of abuse is high.

In June the UN Human Rights council supported the validity of human rights breaches under Sharia law as "religious", thus not pertinent to the Vienna Declaration and Proclamation of the council itself. This raises many questions for supporters of human rights within and without Islam. It also offers opportunity to explore the opinions of Muslims and ex-Muslims around the world who hold disparate views on the topic.

The need to be heard for those offended by religion, is a reality. The entire notion that religion/s deserves default respect for "morality" beyond human rights is presently fragile. Threats to withdraw "Catholic" medical care after decriminalising abortion is typically morally corrupt. Elucidating where "religious observance" is a crime against humanity, and the durability of current legislation is vital. The present necessity to place our needs before our beliefs would seem to be paramount.

On the positive side, science shows/podcasts which often overlap with notions of critical thought and superstition - such as "belief" - are on the increase. Science and skepticism make up content in many non theistic productions and critical thought has little time for unprovable notions such as religious guesswork.

Atheist Age Radio;
http://atheistage.org/

Dawkins argues that religion is to blame for war. This patently false idea provides a cover for imperialism. The world's rich and powerful states compete with each other for resources, access to markets, and so on. Corporations in powerful countries like the US rely on their government to look after their interests - including using force to shore up their status in the world.

The conflict in Palestine, for example, is not about religion; it is about occupation. The racist state of Israel is built on stolen Palestinian land. Many Zionists involved in setting up Israel were secular nationalists and often atheists. While Islamic groups like Hamas now play a leading role, the Palestinian resistance was initially dominated by the secular factions of the PLO.

While it is true that secular nationalists promote the idea that the employing class and the working class have interests in common, so do the religionists, be they Jewish or Muslim.

Agreed that we don't want to turn secularism into another religious-like dogma; but we also don't want to fall into liberal guilt traps which proclaim the rights of Muslim men to make Muslim women conform to patriarchal social structures.

"No more tradition's chains shall bind us
Arise ye slaves, no more in thrall
The Earth shall rise on new foundations
We have been nought, we shall be all"

Songs with verses like this make us 'enemies of God and the State" in some parts of the world.

Religion should be a private matter because religion is an ideology and like all ideologies it has the tendency to become dogma to those who are socialised to remained unenlightened about where power actually comes from i.e. themselves.

Get organised now for a society based on "an association, in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all."
http://www.iww.org.au/