"Even the common law, passed down by the British, has to compete for dominance as Sharia courts gain ground."

From the article, it looks as though Malaysia's society is circling the drain.

Divergence from secularism is a slide into darkness.

In actual fact secularism is a slide into debauchery and baby killing. It is actually more pagan than most pagans of old. It is however endorsed by pseudo science.

Right on, Runner, but i think it is even worse than that. Feminism has been developed into a new, religion. Its "false prophets" have been haranguing all of us for 40 years now with their new speak, propaganda, (i would love to know, what George Orwell would make, of the politically correct police, and femanazism generally, since 1984?).

The effect has been exponential growth in child abuse by deadbeat, single mothers, & a steady increase in gay & lesbian lifestyle. What confused teen, going through puberty, over the last 40 years wouldn't, be wondering if there is something wrong with, being a male today?

The lesbians have been at the forefront, every step of the way, seeking converts, to the sistahood, of all ages.

Did Runner and formersnag even read the article?
Where on earth did feminism come up?

The article was very well written and serves to warn all of us of the dangers in marrying religion and state.

When one religion tries to force it's views to the exclusion of all others, or tries to govern a country purely by what their particular religion says is the right way to live, then we are truly on a scary ride away from democracy.

In a country of so many different religions , as well as many non-religious people, Australia cannot afford to alienate any one group.
Therefore, government without strong religious parameters is a much fairer way to govern.

" Amidst universal belief by all faiths that there is a Higher Power, if someday God appeared to reveal Himself, the irony is that God would be rejected by the respective religious groups if the message God conveyed did not conform to their expectations and received teachings, from holy books and texts. Their books define their God."

So true, but I doubt we will ever see that day

You're missing the point, Suzeonline. Any OLO article is an opportunity to harp on a pet issue, no matter how unrelated to the topic.

Abortion! Feminism! Climate change! Free market! Islam! Feckless youth! Iraq! Bad bad evil! Everyone going to hell but me!

“Religion can be a positive influence generally - it instills morality, a sense of purpose and belief, and enriches the cultures of the world.”

This attitude is at the root cause of the problem. It is not only extreme religious views that cause problems for society – it is any religious view. A society is impoverished whenever any of its citizens behave according to religious views. Religion has nothing good to offer anyone which does not already exist within human nature. Morality does not need to be instilled. It is already inbuilt into our makeup. There are and have always been moral people who have no association with religion whatsoever. These people act with justice and integrity because that is the best way for human beings to act. People who act that way out of fear of authority, fear of punishment or hope for eternal reward are people who are out of touch with their own human nature and as such pose a threat to the well-being of society.

Having a ‘sense of purpose’ for its own sake is of no real value. Exactly what is that sense of purpose and does it contribute anything to the betterment of society? Similarly a belief is always a belief in something. Does that belief do any good to anyone? How does religion enrich culture? There has been great art and music created that refers to religious themes but that does not of itself make religion valuable. Art and music are just as delightful when they refer to secular issues.

Human beings do not need religion in order to live together in peace and justice. Religion is not the answer and if it is the answer then we are in very big trouble. We have problems because we do not adhere to our true human nature. We also have problems because we do not fully understand the way our world works. In both aspects we have been making progress for thousands of years. The fact that we do not understand everything is no cause to resort to the primitive attitudes of religion.