http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100141065/a-witchcraft-scandal-on-our-doorstep/
The link is to this days English news, a story about the murder of a 15 year old, in the name of Witch craft.
I hope we do not degenerate in to a slanging match pro or con about belief in general.
But in saying freedom of religion did those before us mean any belief.
We hear , even in Parliament, of some creeds who questions must be asked about.
Did our forefathers think only about believers in the big three creeds or all.
Should we look again at things like protections from some laws tax relief and even how a belief is practiced.
I understand the link is to a crime,and it would be a crime in most country's.
But surely some practice in most country's this and other questionable things.
I do not hide my non belief but ask do we truly need to question our protection our silence, and if not are we then guilty of protecting any past acts .

Belly,
There are some very strange religious and cultural practices carried out by some peoples in our world. example

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/01/185768.html

I also understand that in some places in India incest is the norm, not only between kids but between adults and their children.

Africa has lots of strange, to us, cultural activities, as does India and Asia. In some places the consumption of dog/cat meat is a delicasy and even the consumption of human placenta has only been made illegal in the last few years.

The kerosene burning of an unwanted wife and acid attacks is a cultural practice in some places.

Honour killing are reported from time to time and FGM and forced marriages are common.

This is why I believe we should be far more discriminatory in our immigration and refugee programmes.

It is simply not good enough to ignore these practices.

That's just one of those insane/bizzarre things that go on. You can't legislate against stupidity. Unfortunate as it is there's nothing we can do except put these mongrels who use religious belief as a front away for good & throw their ashes on a rubbish dump.

Indi,
Yes, we need strong enforcement of our laws and social standards. But there are other measures we can take as well.

We can identify those groups that will not/can not integrate with our society and stop allowing them to migrate here.

We do not have to put up with,or pay the costs of, alien cultural practices in our society.

Some use religous practices to justify abhorent practices while others use pseudo science to justify their abhorent practices. The state of the human heart is the problem. One day both religous and non religous will give acccount. If not its useless talking about it.

Indy I believe in no God.
But think even if you do not fully understand, your post hovers on bigotry.
Banjo I agree, and runner not quite with your view.
I want to look deeper, this weekend an ABC TV program told how America,s founding fathers nearly baulked at putting freedom of religion in the constitution.
We got our laws from England, a very long time ago.
Even land grants, substantial ones like the Glebe in Sydney have been given.
For the purpose of this debate, I will try to leave my views out,and concede the three major religions Muslim Jewish Christian keep the protections and favors.
I do not wish that, but what about the rest.
The cults, invented science fiction one, the exclusive ones who want nothing to do with us, but burden us with the favors we give.
What would those founding fathers say about American religion today.
Was England's law makers ever aware of pure fraud in some current creeds, is tax and such favors ok to give on our behalf to such.
Is it time to review what a religion is.
And these African and other parts of the world primitive Witch craft followers,are they criminals?
Do they understand even the sanctity of all life.
Can we look truly, at all favors gifts and dispensations we give to any or all belief?
How many are based on purely poor education/wrong education or no education?

But think even if you do not fully understand, your post hovers on bigotry.
Belly,
please explain ? Not just for me but everyone else.

African and other parts of the world primitive
Belly,
who's you calling' primitive white boy ?

Individual, if I offended you it was only partly my intention.
The words you used to describe just about, in my opinion , every other religion are harsh.
I and I think you, know nothing about some of them.
You Indy put your self out there, barbed comments Sharp needling ones, and if you can not take return serves do not play.
The link, spoke of not one death but two, known in England.
It too spoke of failure by child welfare to intervene.
And quoted those unlovely words Political Correctness as a reason.
Do we need to think about financial support tax breaks for such as the little pebble, a man claiming relation ship to Catholic Church and sent to prison for child molesting?
In Sydney people went to prison for,in the name of their God, raping women who came to be helped.
What was the intention of those who passed down to us freedom of religion and tax free support?
Catholic Church lead the battle against little pebble ,was in no way related to his cult.

Belly,
I'm not offended at all, I agree with you. But I stick with my argument that we need to be a lot tougher on weeding out these mongrels who hide behind either religion or culture. The trouble is that political correctness & vogue compassion are hindering any resurrection of decency.

This seems to be in two parts.

Firstly, in regards to other countries, what they do is their affair. While we may note their religous and cultural practices, it is not our place to interfere, or tell them how to run their affairs.

Secondly, in regards to what happens here in Aus is very much our concern. I think it is high time that religions began to pay their way in regard to rates and taxes.

We need to take a hard line to preserve our laws and social standards.

We need to stop allowing immigration of those groups that cannot/ will not intergrate. There should be no special allowances for cultural considerations.

Fair enough Indy apart from the word mongrels.
See I happen to think some are victims too, that is are educated or not educated, to understand how very wrong their belief is.
And Banjo, well bit breathless, evil is evil, we intrude in other country's a great deal, sometimes by invitation.
Take a closer look, Africa has its hand out for aid and we give, Lybia asked for help the UN came.
And a Cemetery was desecrated as a result.
I think and always will, world wide review of who and why gets grants from the public purse because of religions belief.
And, not PC but an honesty held view, worst results come from the poorly educated or not educated at all.
ANY religion that supports other than free education, not a single mantra based only on its God, in my view is worth a closer look, remember however some high income Church's farm the well educated and well of.
And still get gifts [tax]

right topic/right time

""The link..murder of a 15 year old,..in the name of Witch craft.""

which craft is not a belief
they claim actual works...not faith

see the misstake was in going into be;lief
see within ANY so called BELIEF system..there are manmy 'beliefs'

in christs much divided house alone!
belief ranges from he is mans highest teacher
to he is god..making god..and via the mother of god

and those who love him..cause he claims to be god
to those who..dont drink his blood...or eat his pretend [faux]flesh[or hang his dead corpse..in their house..

and made symbols/ritual/creed..
an holy holy wholy unholy

faulse god
and expectation of a faulse peacemaker

those of the flesh see only the word
not the spirit under the lord word

god lives within
regardless of any others belief
that we do to the least..we do to the most

bothways...
till we enact our belief
its not freedom..if it hurts other

for the laws is
we love good[god]..by loving other,

lief means love
be-loved other

[brother]

OUG I disagree.
While it is clear some want to avoid the subject, no wandering around looking for answers other than truth will do.
My thought was to highlight that case,but even more that it is said ,by the British, to be one of many.
In England!
Zombies and such are known and American slaves introduced some very primitive things.
But if not for PC we could talk of splinters from Christianity and all three core religions.
Many other , and very large, religions exist.
But do rules laid down for us century's ago ever need reviewing.
Have I a nonbeliever, or you a believer, the right to question the tax free rights of great numbers of religion.
Banjo, quite rightly,has the view we play no part in other country's beliefs.
But it is cultures from those country's, bought to Britain, that gave this thread its theme.
Are all beliefs worthy of what I think was born to promote Christianity in our past and maybe stop the three fighting.

Belly,
You said,"And Banjo, well bit breathless, evil is evil, we intrude in other country's a great deal, sometimes by invitation.
Take a closer look, Africa has its hand out for aid and we give, Lybia asked for help the UN came".

Evil is evil? Not in all eyes. I believe FGM is evil, but apparently those practicing it do not. Some muslims think it evil to allow a girl to talk to a boy, we do not. We do not riot about cartoons we do not like.

Yes we intrude into other countries affairs. We should learn to stay out. We helped topple a regime in Iraq and the people rejoiced for a few weeks then started blowing each other up (Sunnis verses Shites) and we then spent the next 10 years trying to keep the peace. Are Iraqis now better off? Will a new regime in Libia be better than the one deposed? Why not interfere in Syria, Nth Korea or Zimbabwi?

No, giving aid for famine or epidemic is one thing, but stay out of their political and internal affairs.

Our emphasis should be on Aus and our citizens.

Any person may choose any religion they desire as long as the said religion is not extreme in nature where other people are harmed physically or mentally as a direct or indirect response to actions or beliefs that do not agree with the said religion. Also; "one is free to believe what they will (except in violation to the above statement), as long as everyone else has that same right."

and;

"One is free to believe what they will, as long as that belief does not oppress others."

Does this sound like a fair comment?

Belly
I think the simple answer is YES there is room for a variety of beliefs when they do not oppress (as one poster wrote) and which do not contravene the Law. Clearly killing somebody contravenes the law.

Certainly there are examples where some practices should be more formally addressed in this context.

While I am disposed more towards cultural relativism than to universalism (in accommodating or understanding activities in terms of one's beliefs or culture) there is a tendency for cultural relativism to become extreme or radical. This is clearly when ignoring acts which would be considered inhumane, which involve coercion (direct or indirect) and a lack of consent (eg. minors).

On balance most Western democracies are tolerant when compared to other countries where in some, veering from the norm (politically, religiously or culturally) can have dire consequences. Obviously a line has to be drawn somewhere which balances freedoms and other human rights. Not always an easy task.

Pelican I disagree, but must tip toe around the subject.
And I must be aware our *niceness* and tendency to be *Politically Correct* holds us back.
I also*Must* be aware the wealth behind some creeds can do great harm if I name them.
I will watch,only became aware of it yesterday, an ABC documentary named something like God vs the tax man tonight .
I find my self challenged by my own thread.
I personally have watched Xenophon with respect,target two Church's, but Will not name them.
Why.
No coward but this is not my paddock, I have a duty not to damage it.
A question, if not now when, will humanity re look at the damaging beliefs.
Should we, we not some remote African country, the west, have a history of burning women we called Witches.
Pogroms against Jews.
I am among the ranks,unloved but firmly, who are concerned about Muslim separatism in our country.
But it is not my intention to target those three creeds.
It is however to ask are we ready to truly look at why we give tax free status/do we have the right to ask is every creed who gets it,some clearly claiming Christianity, Worthy recipients?
I think not.

Still on tiptoe, finger to my lips, I try to be careful.
I suspect we all understand, SOME from every faith are no good.
And that we can not convict the whole for actions of them.
But must we not talk about that film? the kicking over of headstones in that Commonwealth war cemetery?
Must we ignore the voice proudly saying I am kicking over a Christians headstone?
And While all of AMERICA, should feel shame, at the stupidity of burning the Koran, how many of even our most rabid followers of Christianity would want to murder for Bibles being burnt?
Why tax free status for any Church/belief.

I don't believe in invisible beings in the sky either Belly, but I believe in the right of others to believe in whatever God/Being they like, as long as there are no laws broken.

You talk of murder in the name of Islam as being a particular problem for you. I say that murders are committed for a variety of reasons, regardless of religion. All murders are against the law.

Were you as upset with the Irish Catholic IRA members bombing and murdering their Protestant counterparts, or vise versa?

If people profess to be upset with the murders of others, but are MORE upset if the perpetrators are from a particular religious or ethnic group, then racism is usually at fault...

all about think I will give it a miss, found the verbiage uninteresting.
Suseonline, so be it.
I am a Racist.
No not truly, you say you do not believe, as I do not, but quote the IRA murders , I think every side there acts badly, every death in the name of any God DREADFUL, And I refuse to be victim to PC.
Muslims are not all bad, but if you and I repeated in SOME Muslim country's words to the effect we do not believe it would cost our lives.
Show me a Christian country that would do that.
Suse you say you and I should not be concerned what others do, find that ABC program, tell me after it if I can get tax free status by claiming to start a Church for nonbelievers.
Read science fiction? read the book that started Church a very rich one, that gets maybe gets tax breaks,from you and me.

No, I agree with you Belly that the churches should not get tax-free benefits above all others.
I realise that some church groups do some good in the community, but then so do some non-church groups.

Belly, surely if you and I were to start the 'Holy Bellysue Church', and commence preaching that snails are actually alien beings sent to Earth for our benefit, we should be certified insane and sent away somewhere?

This scenario is certainly no more unbelievable than some other religious organisations that command nice tax breaks from the Government.

Belly I am not sure with which bit you disagree. My perception is that we basically agree that some practices are unacceptable, that go beyond tolerance in a basically tolerant society.

Otherwise we would have to start carving up Australia to accommodate numerous religions each with their own nation state.

Pelican, Suseonline, I can not get past my thought a fence exists around this subject.
And that is the heart of why Pelican I do not think it is not our business what others do.
I concede, Religion all of them, have played a positive and negative part in our history.
We should not ignore both out comes.
I know our personal standards to live by are no longer as strong/good as once.
But as more leave Church's in the west, and as more Church's leave the very base of their birth, we should review religion in matters of education, gifts from us like tax, and the whole concept of special treatment and protection.
SOME Church's are purely fraudulent.
I call every belief Church not just Christian.
Those who share my views, often share the view, religions appear to have always used fear and promise to control.
The ancestors of modern Briton, therefor mine, killed as sacrifice to Gods.
Maybe the term, tainted by its miss use, and who used it Religion is the Opium of the masses, has reason.
History and today story's exist of people committing or covering up dreadful acts of servants of Gods, because they are that Gods servants.
I think its time to look at least at the bad practices, bad belief and our support of both because we throw a PC blanket over it all.