Oh Peter me and many others soon to follow are going to have a field day with what you just wrote:

"Christians, at least, are taught to be truthful, and not give gratuitous offence purely for the childish pleasure it may bring."
BWAHAHAHA! Yes- we've seen a LOT of that from our Christian politicians in recent years haven't we?!?
Which is why Christian Rudd hid his censorship bill from voters and why Christian Tony Abbot tried to play down health risks associated with smoking, junkfood advertising while playing UP the health risks of contraceptive drugs, why Christian Tony Blair hid his Christianity from voters and also lied about the Iraq war- do you really want me to go on?

Anyway- we 'owe' democracy to the PAGAN GREEKS who founded it, and also to the SECULAR enlightenment-era Christians who resurrected it later. And Christians DO deserve a place in democracy- it's called referendums (which our democracy strangely lacks)- if enough people are Christian enough to want Christian policies- then Christian policies they will get. It does NOT qualify one person who happens to be Christian to hold the entire nation hostage to his own beliefs at his own discretion.

As for contraceptives- the CORRECT stance for the church should be to DISCOURAGE sexual intercourse, but failing that, REVOKE the evilness of using contraceptives- because it just means that when some less-than-ideal persons finally give in to carnal desires, they do so without protection and contraceptives because these make their sinful act even "worse" than unsafe sex- despite the consequences of NOT using it actually causing problems (unwanted pregnancies and thus abortion, disease transmission).

It's really not hard to grasp.

So, King Hazza, Christian politicians should publicly live out their Christian faith, not just be nominally Christian, and must not tell lies? Thank you. That's one more affirmation of Christian morality from the other side. Atheists, presumably, since they have no defined set of moral principles, can lie if they feel like it, and there is no case against them since they are the sole arbiters of what is "right", and it's quite alright for them to legislate on this basis. Back to the Berlin Wall. You make a strong case for more practising Christians in parliament.

PeterD:

How is not telling lies a particularly Christian morality? People were honest long before Christianity ever came along. Our democracy or morality is not based on Christian principles it is based on justice and peace which are universal human concepts based on our biological responses to anger and fear. They have nothing to do with Christianity.

People tell the truth because it is the most human thing to do. You can never be sure with a Christian whether he is telling the truth out of a sense of justice or out of a sense of fear of punishment from God. I know which I would prefer in my politicians and who would have more integrity under pressure.

'' If Tony Abbott’s faith is actually a faith worth having, then he owes it to us to be a good Catholic and place it in the public square''.

I have no idea, based upon this quote how one could ask the question if Tony Abbott is a closet Protestant.

Unless you know for sure, he does not believe in idolatry or does not believe in the living spirit of Christ Jesus within the bread and wine scarcement.

What should be asked is, after the learning of the definition of a Catholic or Protestant, is whether Tony Abbott is prepared to publicly display his faith.

Based upon his support of abortion he would be going against the current belief and practice of the Australian Catholic church in the first instance. Based upon him supporting any legalised abortion in the first instance.

A public faith has nothing to do with weather he is a catholic or a protestant.

It is his absolute beliefs that are the only clue to this question, which by the way is a question of theology.

Tony Abbott's Catholic faith is subservient to his politics. At once populist and inhumane, like Abbot's line to 'turn the boats (carrying asylum seekers)back out to sea'! And when it suits, a Catholic mouthpeice, like his unshakeable anti-abortion stance. Which is 'personal'? Which is 'political'?

Peter D, humans are anything but perfect. God gave humanity 10 commandments to obey and I bet that every person of adult age has broken at least one. That is the nature of the beast; we are a frail species when it comes to morals.

I learnt that the church be it Protestant or Catholic worship a God that understands the frailty of the creature he created and is all forgiving. It appears from your comment on the faithful dying in their millions due to the ravages of HIV-AIDS that they deserved to die for not obeying the CHURCH not God’s message on contraception.

And if the Roman Catholic clergy can't refrain from sexual intercourse as the church (not God) instruct, and molest defenceless children under their sacred trust as representatives of the church then what do you expect of the average human being? What example is the church setting its flock?

Jesus we learned was a prophet of immense wisdom, patience and compassion and rallied the unwanted and outcasts of society to his side. Does the church believe it is superior in its knowledge than Jesus, who they worship as the son of God?

The church is there for those who find comfort in its teachings and for who it strengthens their spirit in face of advesity of a modern society and I sincerely hope they find whatever they need.

The majority of people of all religions keep that part private and separate, it is between them and their God or whatever deity that they turn to seek strength.

I don’t need nor want the opinion of the Church after all we live in a secular society for good reason.

And now we are coming to a time in our history that will be immensely confronting, stem cell research and all the off shoots associated with it. The last thing we need is for a Church who only recently realized that the world is in fact round to advice the public domain on such an exceptionally confronting issue.