David

I agree with your starting point - that there is a problem with my use of the term 'godbotherer'.

I am using 'godbotherer' in a particular sense which is not the sense you infer. I would not include a number of authentic Christians in my definition of 'godbotherers' in this context. I have for eaxample the greatest admiration for people like Tim Costello, the Catholics for Social Justice, Alan Matheson and some others who consistently apply the teachings of Christ to social issues such as poverty, child abuse and racism.

Godbotherers, to me, are the zealots who couldn't give a stuff about those things but take every opportunity to Bible bash, to 'convert', to preach to people that poverty, child abuse, slavery etc are God's will, and the meek will find heaven in another place if only they are patient with the powerful on this Earth.

I have no time for 'Christians' who claim that God is very pleased when people become very rich. I have no time for 'Christians' who say that it is ungodly to vote but spend time and big $$$ convincing others to vote for conservative politicians to maintain the status quo.

That's some of what I meant when I said that politically conservative politicians use Christianity (and other religions as the case may be) to justify their positions of power and keep the poor and downtrodden in their 'rightful' place.

To the original poster, as Pericles pointed out, there are no signatories to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - however Australia most definitely did vote in its favour when the bill was ratified in 1948. No nation voted against it, and the only abstentions were 6 Soviet Bloc states, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.
Indeed, former ALP Leader Doc Evatt was president of the UN general assembly when it was ratified, and helped in drafting it.

Now, whether Australia has adequately honoured the intentions of the Declaration is another thing entirely. Certainly many have argued that, for instance, our mandatory detention centres for asylum seekers are in breach of it.