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.