Updates from April, 2010 Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • DistroMan 20:00 on April 20, 2010 Permalink
    Tags: , , , , , , ,   

    Ethics Trial: Religious wish to be part of evaluation. Biased much? 

    I must say here right at the start that I am very pleased with the New South Wales State Government for continuing with the Ethics Trial. It would have been easy enough for them to bin the whole idea before it even got to this stage. So kudos to Verity Firth and Penny Sharpe. But now we have another problem that I hope can be sorted out before it erupts into a vicious battle of words between the secular and the religious communities. The problem is this excerpt from the Sydney Morning Herald:

    On March 17 religious educators including Mr Haddad, Bishop Ingham and the head of the Inter-Church Commission on Religious Education in Schools, Ann-Maree Whenman, spoke to ministerial staffers, seeking an assurance that religious educators would be part of the trial’s evaluation.

    I cannot in all honesty see how allowing them to be a part of the evaluation is in any way proper.  Isn’t this exactly what the phrase ‘conflict of interests‘ is all about?  It would be much easier and quicker for whoever do the evaluation to take the religious sides arguments as ‘noted already’ and get on with the job of looking at the real outcome.

    There is another point to be made here that the religious may not like one bit.  As they are so fond of saying that the trial is competing with the SRE and that they want to be part of the evaluation, I’d be interested to see St James Ethics Centre be a part of an evaluation of the whole SRE debacle.  Why?  Take a look at one comment I’ve seen lately:

    Who is vetting the scripture curriculum? Our oldest started with scripture because we thought it might be useful for him to learn the bible stories that Jensen claims they learn about – he would recognise allusions in literature and art as he got older – however all they did was happy-clapping “God is Love” colouring in. We pulled him out when we saw the rubbish he was working on. It was woeful.  The last straw was when he asked if he could watch the Christian Television Channel, because their scripture teacher had told them to!

    I assure you that this is NOT what SRE is supposed to be.  So maybe it is time they were re-evaluated.

    WHAT SAYS THE GOVERNMENT?

     

    • Greybeard 11:01 on April 20, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Let me see if I have got this right.

      Large numbers of children are pulled out of religious indoctrination classes at schools around NSW by parents. The Government realises it's wrong for these kids to twiddle their thumbs while the rest learn how to be Jesus' Little Sunbeams. So they decide to teach non-religious children how to cope properly with the realities of human behaviour they will meet in the real world.

      So what happens? Organised religion steps in and wants to teach religion in these non-religious classes which are an alternative to religious classes, taking us back to where we started.

      I am so sick of organised religion. It teaches religion at church. It teaches religion at schools. It sets up private religious schools. It interferes with government policy. It teaches religion on it's own radio and tv stations. It runs coffee shops. It elects nitwits to parliament. It has government sponsored chaplains. It brainwashes innocent children. Every memorial service has to be run by preachers. Wherever you go, they want to interfere.

      They just won't get out of our faces and we won't progress very far whilst the lunatics are running the asylum.

  • DistroMan 20:00 on April 19, 2010 Permalink
    Tags: , , , , , , , , tax exempt   

    Lies, Lies and Damn Lies 

    Archbishop Peter Jensen:

    Dr Jensen told the congregation that atheism is as much of a religion as Christianity.

    I can only suggest Peter, that you actually try to understand the truth about atheists before shooting off at the mouth.  You have been brought up to believe the crap that you spew without ever having gotten to know the people themselves. Do you know how much credibility that gives you?

    It’s about our determination as human beings to have our own way, to make our own rules, to live our own lives, unfettered by the rule of God and the right of God to rule over us

    Ah, two things here Peter. One, you still haven’t proved there is a god and two, until you do, your sky-fairy has no rights.

    In his sermon, Dr Jensen said the passion of its followers shows atheism a religion in itself.

    So if someone is passionate about something, then that something must be a religion?  Food?  Sex?  Sport?  Horses?  Bicycle Riding?  Marbles?  Stamp Collection?  Non-Stamp Collecting?  Once again Peter, what I see here is a failure of brain to connect with mouth.  You really are coming off as a very foolish person when you say things like that.

    Bishop Anthony Fisher:

    Last century we tried godlessness on a grand scale and the effects were devastating: Nazism, Stalinism, Pol Pot-ery, mass murder, abortion and broken relationships – all promoted by state-imposed atheism.

    Oh dear, yet another one allowing his mouth free rein while the brain is off thinking about other things.  Research Tony, it’s called research.  Try doing some and you actually might yet understand how foolish you sound when you say these things.  I’ll give you a hint: HITLER WAS A CATHOLIC AND STALIN HAD BEEN A SEMINARIAN.  If you really want to make any sense, at least understand what you are talking about, so that you don’t come off sounding like the kid who came last in a second class english test.

    Cardinal George Pell:

    Cardinal George Pell, acknowledged that the Catholic Church has had a lot of negative publicity in recent years.

    Don’t get excited, it’s not a lie.  Just an understatement.  A huge understatement I grant you, but still…

    Australians believe that everyone is entitled to a fair go because of the Christian teaching that every person, unlike the animals, is made in God’s image.

    Now you attempt to usurp the ‘Australian’ notion of a fair go and make it into a religious icon?  That is just downright insulting to all Australians George.  A fair go is ‘Australian’.  It is not for or from one particular group or religion.

    Great efforts are made at a considerable expense to help the elderly, the sick, the unemployed, delinquent children, the marginal lives.

    Again, not a lie.  Just damn ridiculous of you to even try to make out that it is at your expense.  Or religions expense.  That money you use to help people is gained by your religion due to the unfair tax exempt status religions have in this and other countries.  Have you even bothered to stop and think how much better this society might be, how much less poverty, how much less crime etc, there might be if religions weren’t taking over 31 billion dollars out of the peoples pockets?  Or to look at it another way, how much of that is your fault?  I’d say quite a considerable percentage George.  When are you going to take credit for that?

    Cardinal Pell also attacked atheism, by giving thanks for church-based community organisations, and noting that ”we find no community services sponsored by the atheists”.

    Earthward Inc, Foundation Beyond Belief, Fellowship of Freethought, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Atheists Helping the Homeless, Kiva Lending Team, Secular Humanist Aid and Relief Effort, Atheist Centre of India, Atheist Relief Fund, Secular Center USA, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation, Fred Hollows Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, The Richard Dawkins Foundation, The Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust, Second Harvest, Toy for Tots, The Nature Conservancy, Planned Parenthood, The American Cancer Society, Project Gutenberg, The World Wildlife Fund, The Red Cross, United Nations Children’s Fund, Oxfam International, Population Connection and this isn’t even mentioning the millions upon millions of local community groups that do charitable works in their own areas.  I was able to put together this list in a few minutes.  Try imagining how big it would be if complete.

    Going back to the 31 billion dollars for a minute, I wonder how much of that money is going to pay wages for staff, build churches, lease cars, hold conventions etc?  I would love to see religion made accountable for every dollar and then we’d know just how charitable they really are.   How much real help could be done each year with that amount if the government used it to help people without having to waste most of it on god. I suppose that when you consider it isn’t even their money, they aren’t charitable at all.  They are just taking credit for spending 5 cents on the dollar, of your money, in ways they think are good.  Most of the time it is only done when they can find a way to increase their flock as well.  Don’t believe me?  Does Alcoholics Anonymous really need all the religious mumbo jumbo to be effective?  Of course not.  Do the same thing without god being mentioned at all and you’d get the same results.  Which reminds me, look up the results and the recidivism and you’ll notice that they are spending your money for very little result.  Same goes for all their other initiatives.  They are just ways to ‘spread the word’.

    TRUTH IN RELIGION?   DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH!

     

    • Greybeard 14:27 on April 19, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Jensen, Fisher Pell.

      They are the self-styled true owners of ethical behaviour. Yet none of them are afraid to bend the truth to suit their own ends. They also think it is ok to suck taxpayers dry and avoid paying tax.

      Do they actually believe all atheists are disciples of Pol Pot?

      What interests me most are the missiles they are firing at harmless free-thinkers, when they are so unwilling to pay any attention to the moral bankruptcy that is so firmly entrenched in their own leadership. Ethics?

    • ERNIEPAUL IZERECKT 03:21 on April 20, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      SOMEHOW WE MUST MAKE THE POPE-CHUTE, I MEAN THE POPE CRY WOLF ALONG WITH ALL PRIESTS CONSEQUENTLY THEIR FLOCKS WILL SCATTER (NOT JUST THEIR BRAINS:)

  • DistroMan 20:00 on April 18, 2010 Permalink
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    Discrimination against children on religious grounds? 

    Here in NSW the children of non-religious parents and those that, even though they are religious, choose not to send their children to the Special Religious Education classes are being discriminated against.  I would love to be proven wrong here believe me, but the law does allow for the teaching of religion in classes each week and those children not attending are being refused the chance to attend trial ethics classes due to pressure from the religious lobbyists, especially the Anglican Church and Archbishop Peter Jensen.

    You see, there have been moves over the past few years to introduce Ethics Classes so that these children can learn ethics and good behaviour in a non-religious environment.  It would seem to most clear thinking adults that the more ethics we can teach our children, all of our children, the better our society would become.  So why is the religious community so averse to these children learning good values in this way?  I can only assume that they are worried it would alert everybody to the fact that religious institutions are not the sole purveyors of morals and ethics as they would have you believe.  They don’t want people going around thinking that you can be ‘Good without God’.  This has been seen with their opposition to the Atheist bus advertisements and the religiously backed refusal to fund the Atheist Convention in Melbourne earlier this year when hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers money has been used to fund various religious events.

    Even though I don’t agree with their attitude towards the secular community on the whole, I can understand their position and from whence it came.  But the pure bloody-minded attitude that has arisen over this ethics trial is now hurting our children.  This stance is unsupportable and should not be being condoned by our government.  For the trial to have been ‘postponed’ due to religious pressure is unconscionable.  I don’t care if it is myself, Archbishop Jensen, Premier Keneally, Prime Minister Rudd or the freaking Pope, nobody, and I do mean NOBODY has the right to discriminate against children on the basis of religious belief.  Even if it’s their belief and not the childs.

    I call on the government to honour it’s word and continue with the trial as planned.  I also call on the people of NSW and Australia to let our politicians know that their children are not bargaining chips for them to move around in the hopes of gaining votes.  Give our children the best start in life by doing the right thing and not just the religiously popular thing.

    POPULAR IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT OR JUST

     

    • Greybeard 02:25 on April 19, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Spot on, DM. Recent statements by that nitwit Jim Wallace – that Ethics belong to Christianity alone – are unbelievably wide of the mark. They actually believe that ethics are the sole property of the church!

      Christian morality is to force feed their crazy ideas onto as many innocent children as they can, before they are old enough to think for themselves. The rest are not worth worrying about and are to be left twiddling their thumbs.

  • DistroMan 20:00 on April 17, 2010 Permalink
    Tags: , Christianity, Galileo, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Science   

    Creation and Evolution of Science and The Bible/Koran/Torah etc. 

    The title doesn’t exactly explain what I was thinking when I decided to write this article.  I hope you begin to understand what I mean as we progress.

    Science: In the beginning…

    Well, probably not the beginning, because I wasn’t there and I just don’t know for sure, but something must have happened that started man thinking.  It was quite likely the use of tools just as we see some primates doing and even birds.  This would have been the birth of science.  As man started using the first tool he would have figured out that he would need a new one eventually as they kept breaking or wearing out.  We see chimpanzees using sticks and twigs to dig termites out of their mounds and when the stick breaks or becomes too short they go and get a new one.  This is simple 1 + 1 = 2 stuff.  We deduce, test, refine, test, refine, throw out, start over, refine, test and perfect.  There are very rigourous standards set down for science so that theories are tested to the nth degree and then peer reviewed.  If it doesn’t make it past peer review you go back to the lab and do it again.  Over the millennia man figured out many more things till we have become the species we are today with all the technology the world has to offer.  This is not Christian Technology, Hindu Technology, Jewish Technology or Islamic Technology.  It is just technology.  It does not belong to any one nation, although with the idiotic way some protect intellectual property these days you’d think that was the case.  This though, is how technology has evolved.

    The Good Books: In the beginning…

    There were many gods.  There were many leaders.  There were many books.  One leader wanted to be the only leader.  They wrote their own book about the ‘one true god’.  They used the holy days of the other faiths so that there wasn’t too much of a learning curve for the ‘faithful’.  Being the superstitious lot that they were back then, the book contained a lot of scary superstitious stories to keep them in line and easy to control.  BUT, as the ‘science’ we spoke about above started to advance beyond superstition, they had to either change the stories or just squash the science.  Both have happened, but science has won through and cannot be treated in the manner it was in Galileo’s time.  We are now left with what I like to call the ‘Play Doh Bible’.  I use that name as the contents are just as malleable as Play Doh.  It doesn’t seem to matter which believer or theologian you talk to, they seem to make a different book out of it.  Their interpretations are all slightly different to their colleagues.  I must say though, that if the Bible was not of such consistency, it would not have lasted this long.

    I’ll explain.

    Let us use the symbols S for ‘science’ and B for the good ‘books’ and start again.

    Knowledge would have looked similar to this line:

    B BB BBBSBB     BBBBBSSBBBBBB   B BBBBB  BBBSBBBBBBBBSBBBB

    Then as science came to understand and prove even more theories:

    B BB BBBSBB     BBBBBSSBBBBBB S B BBBBB BBBSBBBBBBBSSBBBB

    Did you see that?  Science grew, started to fill in the gaps in our knowledge through trial and error.  But watch what happens next once the believers notice what is science is doing.

    BBBBBBBBSBBBBBBBBSSBBBBBBBSBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBSBBBBBBBSSBBBB

    The Books have grown to fill the gaps.  Easily enough done too.  Just stretch things.  Bend it a little here and there as well and voila, it fits.  Over time though…

    BSBBSSBBSBBBBBBBBSSBBBBBBBSBBBBBBSSSSSBBBBBBSBBBBBBBSSBBBBSSS

    Science is growing and the Books aren’t shrinking.  But how can that be?  There is another explanation to be looked at here.  Did you notice the ‘B’ook trying to camouflage itself as ‘S’cience?  As time goes on though, this is what happens:

    BSBBSSBBSBBbbbbbBSSBBBBBBBSBSSSSSSSSSSBBBBBBSSSBBBBBBBSSbbbbSSS

    The bible is weakening, but still there.  They just can’t let go of their childish toys and ideas.  Eventually we are going to end up with this:

    SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

    and

    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb

    Scientists will have filled all the void, but the believers will still hang onto their beliefs and claim it is bigger and better than ever and that God is only fooling the scientists.  But you knew that didn’t you?

    BEWARE THE ‘b‘OGEYMAN

     

    • Dr.Erniepaul Toth 18:32 on April 17, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Then along hobbles L.Ron Hubbard n' tosses a fukin' monkey-wrench into the mix with Goddamn Scientology n' halts progress 4 a bit.The goddamn Gideons piss me off 2,how long can one capitalize on an ancient concept? Flooding the Earth with text that is not only outdated but outwitted simply will not work nor should it even B given the opportunity. Hopefully the World will Stop Fooling itself Soon:)

    • Greybeard 03:32 on April 18, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      A very neat analogy.

      These days, what you get with most ordinary religious folks is two parallel but interchangable world views:

      bSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSb, which is programmed in when they are going about their normal daily routines.

      sBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBs, which is substituted on Sundays when in church or each night when they go to bed and say their prayers. It also automatically overides rational thinking when a medical emergency occurs.

      It is this ability to switch between reality and fantasy that intrigues me.

      • Annie 05:44 on April 18, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

        I like this analogy distroman. t could even be used to demonstrate the conflict to believers. :-)

  • DistroMan 20:00 on April 16, 2010 Permalink
    Tags: , Xtian   

    God dies a little each time we laugh at a Xtian. 

    Xtians take their God quite seriously and it is only this that allows him to live on in their minds. Therefore, it is my contention that he also dies a little each time we mock him.  A little like Fantasia getting smaller in ‘The Neverending Story’ as the children stop believing in it.  So I’m going to give you three jokes to laugh at.  Let’s see how much of God disappears after this…

    A lady goes to her priest one day and tells him, ‘Father, I have a problem.  I have two female parrots, But they only know how to say one thing.’

    What do they say?’ the priest inquired.

    They say, ‘Hi, we’re hookers!  Do you want to have some fun?’

    That’s obscene!’ the priest exclaimed, then he thought for a moment.

    ‘You know,’ he said,  ‘I may have a solution to your problem.  I have two male talking parrots, which I have taught to pray and read the Bible.  Bring your two parrots over to my house, and we’ll put them in the cage with Francis and Peter.  My parrots can teach your parrots to praise and worship, and your parrots are sure to stop saying . . that phrase . . in no time.’

    Thank you,’ the woman responded, ‘this may very well be the solution.’

    The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest’s house.

    As he ushered her in, she saw that his two male parrots were inside their cage holding rosary beads and praying.

    Impressed, she walked over and placed her parrots in with them.

    After a few minutes, the female parrots cried out in unison:  ”Hi, we’re hookers! Do you want to have some fun?’

    There was stunned silence.

    Shocked, one male parrot looked over to the other male parrot and exclaimed,

    “Put the beads away, Frank.  Our prayers have been answered!’

    How was that?  Get your juices flowing did it?  Let’s try again shall we?

    Jesus was walking along one day, when He came upon a group of people surrounding a lady of ill repute. It was obvious that the crowd was preparing to stone her, so Jesus made His now-famous statement, “Let the person who has no sin cast the first stone.”

    The crowd was shamed and one by one began to turn away. All of a sudden, a lovely little woman made her way through the crowd. Finally getting to the front, she tossed a pebble towards the woman.

    Jesus looks over and says, “I really hate it when you do that, Mom.”

    I don’t know about God, but the Pope is fading pretty good already. We’ll work on him next.

    A man flops down on a subway seat next to a priest. The man’s tie is stained, his face is smeared with red lipstick, and a half-empty bottle of gin is sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opens a newspaper and begins reading.

    After a few minutes the guy turns to the priest and asks, “Say, Father, what causes arthritis?”

    “Loose living; cheap, wicked women; too much alcohol; and contempt for your fellow man,” answers the priest.

    “I’ll be damned,” the drunk mutters, returning to his paper.

    The priest, thinking about what he said, nudges the man and apologizes. “I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to be so harsh. How long have you had arthritis?”

    “Oh, I don’t have it, Father. It says here that the Pope does.”

    Now we just have to wait and see what tomorrow’s headlines say.

     

  • DistroMan 20:00 on April 15, 2010 Permalink
    Tags: , , , , , , , , ,   

    The Church’s Broken “Superior Moral Compass”. 

    We keep hearing from all religions that the bad stuff like child abuse, prostitutes, gambling with church money, rape etc are a thing of the past and there is no need to keep harping on the past when the problems have been fixed.  Have they?  I say NO.  What do you think?

    April 12, 2010:  On the Chron Website: “I thought it wasn’t that bad to have sex with him (a priest) because when I told priests about it at confession they just told me to pray and that was it.

    April 13, 2010:  A Chelmsford Priest was one of eight men arrested in Nashua during a weekend prostitution sting.

    April 13, 2010: Brooklyn Rabbi Convicted in Sex Abuse Case Gets Maximum Sentence. Baruch Lebovits, a 59-year-old Orthodox Rabbi from Brooklyn, New York, has been sentenced to 10-2/3 to 32 years in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage boy. The sentence, meted out by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Patricia DiMango, was the maximum penalty.

    April 14, 2010:  Pennsylvania pastor confesses to church guitar fraud scheme.  A Saylorsburg, Pa., pastor admitted to police that he attempted to make a false insurance claim of more than $363,000 by claiming musical instruments were stolen from his church.

    April 15, 2010:  Teacher Gerard Byrnes admits 44 counts of child sex abuse. POLICE have warned the Catholic Church to expect more cases of child sex abuse to emerge from six schools that employed a veteran teacher who yesterday pleaded guilty to abusing 13 schoolgirls.

    We have not heard the last of this.  Why?  Because religion is made up of imperfect humans and they will never be any better than the rest of humanity.  Unfortunately, when they place themselves so high above the rest of society, they also give themselves further to fall which far too many of them do.  It is an occupational hazard.  Until these deluded human beings recognise that they are no different to the rest of humanity and make rules that reflect that, their religions can never get past the fact that they are riddled with the dregs of humanity pretending to be the cream of the crop only for the purpose of their own nefarious schemes which all too often is pedophilia.

    Oh, a little note to the Pope here.  If you think that the crap you have been spewing lately about the church changing it’s ways regarding child abuse is making any headway with the rest of the world you can think again.  Stop treating us like idiots Joe.  Until you retract/repeal both the Crimen Sollicitationis and De Delictis Gravioribus your words mean less than nothing.  It is an insult to the intelligence of any thinking person.  It seems that at least in Germany, your own people are waking up to the fact that you are a weasel and can’t be trusted.

    THE VATICAN LAWS MUST BE CHANGED BEFORE REAL CHANGE WILL HAPPEN.

    ANYTHING ELSE IS A SMOKESCREEN

     

    • Greybeard 10:32 on April 15, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      "I told priests about it at confession they just told me to pray and that was it".

      The repertoire of church criminal activity is endless.

      With child rape, as long as they can maintain mind control over the victims, they believe it is ok. Say a prayer, that'll fix everything. Someone said recently that praying is how to do nothing and still think you are doing something.

      Victims should receive apologies, compensation, counselling and whatever else they need to help them recover. However, in the public interest, it must also go to prosecution of the perpetrators with the full cooperation of the church. Sell church propert to pay for it. The smokescreen is the Vatican and the callous, ruthless, delusional lot that populate it. Sell that too.

  • DistroMan 20:00 on April 14, 2010 Permalink
    Tags: , Bishop, , , Halal, , , sky fairy, tax exemption   

    No person shall be required to support any religion against their will… 

    Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), the American author, naturalist, transcendentalist and philosopher, once observed: “I don’t see why the schoolmaster should be taxed to support the priest, and not the priest the schoolmaster.”

    Catholic – Anglican – Uniting Church – Presbyterian and Reformed – Baptist – Lutheran – Pentecostal – Other Protestants – Orthodox – Oriental Orthodox – Buddhist – Muslim – Hindu – Jewish – Sikhism – Bahai.  Most of these are made up of smaller sects as well and the many others that aren’t even listed.  We support them all and I really would like to know why? What kind of reasoning is behind the  law that allows compulsory gifting of the taxpayers money to religions they don’t even support?

    I would like to see a change made to the system.

    • Drop the whole tax-exempt system altogether.
    • Make it an opt-in system so that people get to say who to and how much of a donation they wish to make from their earnings.
    • If you list your religion on a census form then you must make a donation to that religion, or
    • You make your own donation during attendance at your place of worship

    I wonder how long religion would last under those circumstances?  Any one of these is a much fairer system than forcing everyone to donate money to something they don’t believe in.

    What does our constitution have to say on the matter?

    Australian Constitution – Section 116 – Commonwealth not to legislate in respect of religion

    The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.

    The part here that interests me is ‘or for imposing any religious observance’.  Quite obviously giving money  to a religion is part of a religious observance.  The government is in violation of the Australian Constitution and needs to address this matter with some urgency.  With a country that is still in trouble due to the global financial crisis, the tax money that is being frittered away on sky-fairies could certainly be put to better use.  I’m sure that there are many families out there that would love to have their tax many being used to feed their children instead of buying incense for a Priest, a new knife for the Halal Butcher etc.

    At this website you will find that ‘the estimate of the total cost of concessions to religious organisations in Australia exceeds $31 Billion’.

    Thirty One Billion Dollars, and that figure is 3 years out of date.  Why are we spending so much money on religion?  People are crying out for better hospitals, more hospital beds, better education, more police, better transport systems and a myriad of other necessities that could more than adequately be provided with less than Thirty One Billion Dollars.

    If they are providing charitable services, I can agree with giving ‘that charitable service’ tax exemption, but not the whole organisation.  Why are their commercial operations coming under that umbrella?  In this day and age it is an untenable situation and every taxpayer should be  appalled and asking why their taxes continue to increase so that religions can have a free pass.  How many Cardinals, Bishops and Priests are taking overseas trips to visit the Vatican or other conventions at your expense?  Why, when we already give them complete tax exemption, are we also forking out hundreds of millions for the Pope to visit us or hold a World Youth Day or a Parliament of Religions?  They get everything and still come asking for more.  Religions are treating the Government Purse, funded by your tax dollars as a source of easy cash and it must stop.  This country should not and must not be drained dry by religions.

    IT’S TIME TO TURN OFF THE TAP

     

  • DistroMan 20:00 on April 13, 2010 Permalink
    Tags: , , , ,   

    Once again, the ‘Bogeyman Clause’ is being invoked. 

    It seems it is impossible to do anything these days that even remotely is in the interests of atheists without some faithhead coming out and invoking the ‘Bogeyman Clause’.

    The ‘Bogeyman’ in this case is the New South Wales Government’s intention to introduce ‘Ethics’ classes into our schools.  Jim Wallace, the head of the Australian Christian Lobby has come out in opposition to what is obviously a positive move.  Ethics are a good thing.  Teaching them, therefore, must be a good thing.  How can this possibly be bad?  Let’s look at an article in The Age newspaper from a couple of days ago written by Jim himself.

    In it, Jims says:

    • For future generations this perplexity will grow if the NSW Government, dancing to the tune of intolerant secularists, has its way in our schools.

    Dancing to the tune of intolerant secularists Jim?  Your statement itself seems to be lacking in tolerance.

    • No serious historian – regardless of whether or not they are religious — doubts the formative influence of Christianity, its ethics and values on the legal, cultural and political development of Western civilisation.

    More likely, no serious historian in ‘your opinion’.

    • However, with the pilot trial due to start next term in 10 public primary schools, it has emerged they are being pitched with the obvious aim to draw students away from Scripture classes, despite the Government’s assurances they would not.

    What has emerged Jim?  Facts man, facts.  Not just smoke and mirrors.  Offering alternatives for those children of non-religious parents a bit scary for you Jim?  What should happen then?  Not long ago a child not taking your precious scripture class was allowed to knit.  Do you know what happened then Jim?  She was banned from knitting because parents of the children in the scripture classes were afraid it was making their children want to leave and knit.  What is your alternative to scripture classes Jim?  Should all children of non-religious parents just sit in a corner of a photocopying room with nothing to do?  Or would you force them all to take scripture?

    • This by definition excludes the discussion of Christian values, which underpin so much of Australia’s ethical framework.

    Once again, just your opinion.  A very dogmatic opinion too I must say.  And, where is this ‘definition’ you speak of or is it just your imagined bogeyman again?

    • It seems the ethics of the Bible and of the person of Jesus are now deemed so inconsequential that the Government must fund its own ethics curriculum and use its resources to draw students away from Scripture classes, which have been taught by dedicated volunteers for decades.

    From the Governments own website:  The Australian Government will provide an additional $42.8 million to extend the NSCP for all participating schools until December 2011.

    Wow, another 42.8 million for your precious scripture classes and you begrudge the non-religious a few dollars.  When you consider that amount against what it would cost to fund a pilot in ten schools, you are starting to look a little petty Jim.  Not to mention that it is taxpayers money and secularists are taxpayers too.  Why should they not have their tax dollars spent on their children as you do yours?  Do you think it’s fair that non-believers money only gets spent on your beliefs?  That doesn’t sound very christian either.

    • The idea of loving one’s neighbour as oneself – or do unto others as you would have them do unto you – is religious.  More accurately, it is Christian.

    No Jim, it isn’t.  Check out this link.  Over two thousand years prior to christianity, the same ethical principal was being extolled.  This ‘ethic’ can be found in many cultures at many times in history prior to christianity.  You would do well to become a ‘serious historian’ yourself before deriding other peoples professionalism.

    To conclude, your arguments sound like they are coming from a child who is used to getting the biggest slice of the pie and is scared that someone will notice and cut it up in a fairer manner.  Nobody is taking anything away from you that you don’t deserve.  All that is happening is that the ‘have nots’ are about to get their fair share of the pie.  So, while you are able to teach ‘your children’, ‘your ethics’ in ‘your way’, why do you begrudge us the right to teach our children, ethics in the way we wish?  Really, if religion is this petty, you should maybe think about taking one of those ethics classes yourself.

    ALL CHILDREN DESERVE TO BE TREATED FAIRLY, RELIGIOUS OR NOT

     

    • Gia 10:25 on April 13, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      all I have to say is…SEPERATION OF CHURCH AND STATE! Ethics in PUBLIC schools shouldn't cover any sort of religion, christian or otherwise!

    • Greybeard 15:31 on April 13, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      This pathetic article by Jim Wallace was also in the SMH. It is another example of how they see harmless atheists as the targets for their moral crusades, whilst covering up the enemy within. Is silence on papist rapists ethical? Are excuses for abuses ehical? Billions of Christians seem to think so.

      Frankly I don't care whether Christians invented ethics, although I doubt they did. What is important is to teach human ethics and most of us pick these up from our parents. My Mum was a Christian, my Dad was not. Both were ethical people and I benefited from them both. Ethics were never presented to me as Christian, so I have no idea what this fool is on about.

      As the previous poster said, ethics should be free of religion – and I would add that no-one should be fearful of children being taught them.

      I just think Christians like Jim Wallace confuse ethics with proselytising their faith.

  • DistroMan 20:00 on April 12, 2010 Permalink
    Tags: , , , , , ,   

    Take a deep breath, because ‘Here we go again’! 

    As most people would have predicted, more and more cases of abuse are coming out.  What we didn’t know and most certainly didn’t expect is that evidence in the form of letters from the Clergy to the Vatican would appear so soon.  Here is a link to a letter that you really should read all of before continuing: Further to our conversation…

    You can quite plainly see that the Bishop of Pembroke knew. He admits many others knew. He asks that the priest in question be removed from Canada. He doesn’t seem to care where as long as he isn’t his problem any longer. So much for caring for youth in other parts of the world. More care is being taken that the news doesn’t get out and damage the church. He even discusses ways of preventing more damage.

    How can this be?  Aren’t they taught better than this?  Or is it only the perverted and mercenary that are allowed to be promoted?  As much as I am happy about some measures being taken by some bishops in parts of the world, it is way too little and far too late.  They had to know earlier and they did nothing.  Scrambling around like drunks on a sinking ship trying to plug holes isn’t impressing anyone.  Least of all the victims and their families.

    Again, I ask the catholic people, are you really going to offer up your young on the off chance that it won’t continue?  Do your children mean so little to you that you gamble with their welfare?

    Mmmmm, nom, nom, nom.

    Mmmmmm, nom, nom, nom…

    Have a read of this article, specifically the list further down the page:  http://www.deception.com.au/1999_2005.htm.  This is just Australia.  I beg of you, research your own country and you might just find things are worse.  How can you allow this to continue by giving them another chance?  Leave the church.  Force them to stop.  Love your children, protect your children.

    ARE THEY YOUR CHILDREN OR FODDER FOR THE PERVERTS?

     

  • DistroMan 20:00 on April 11, 2010 Permalink
    Tags: , , , , ,   

    You can’t polish a turd, but you can roll it in glitter… 

    I am constantly amazed at how people can just turn off their commonsense and rationality.  I’ve seen people walking down the street that I’ve thought looked like the most mature, level-headed people I’ve ever seen.  The kind of people you might think were top scientists or judges.  Then, just to prove me wrong they make a right turn and trot happy faced into a church.  An old friend of mine that was a Customs Agent and had been in court more times than most career criminals; a man that you couldn’t sneak a joke past because he caught on to every trick you could think of, would, on Sundays, do that same right hand turn and trot happily into church.  It is so hard to pick the people that can be fooled by a turd rolled in glitter.  I just smell turd.

    You can build large edifices and put all kinds of stained glass windows, statuary and artwork in there that you like.  You can burn incense and chant, pray, sing and meditate till your hearts content.  You can wait till Sunday and fill it with happy clappers as well if you wish.  Ring the bells every hour on the hour and I’d still smell turd.

    Dress a man up in a frock and put a funny hat on his head.  Give him a shepherd’s crook.  Have him swing a brazier thurible with smoke pouring out.  Get him to chant in Latin if you like.  It will still just be a steaming pile of turd.

    So why, after all the evidence of hundreds of thousands of cases of child abuse, rape, money laundering, male prostitution, payouts, secrecy, transferring of known pedophiles, priests impregnating nuns and forcing abortions, millions dead due to not allowing use of condoms etc, can anyone even hold their heads up and walk into the very institution that causes it all?  I couldn’t be more lost for words to explain this phenomenon if I tried.  These are mostly good people.  Well meaning people.

    I wish I could draw cartoons.  If any of you can, please draw me the inside of a church filled with ostriches all lined up in the pews, but with there heads buried in sand boxes where that thing is they kneel upon.  It is the only explanation I can come up with.  Good, well meaning people walk into church and are supernaturally turned into ostriches.  That has to be it.  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

    JUST CALL ME CONFUSED

     

    • Ernest Paul Toth 22:51 on April 11, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Seems 2 me that many people R fooled by the sheer volume of this lie that has been built on 4 a few Millennium,not only do they have a false reference book that's still in print,they've constructed buildings 2 further their lie and continue 2 construct them as we speak not 2 mention the fuckin' holy theme that ruins everything with the goddamn Sundays n' holidays being reserved 4 these Xians n' assorted nut-job fruit-cake whackos.We don't need 2 call them HOLIDAYS!!!!!! How about just fuckin' off-days?

    • Greybeard 09:35 on April 12, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Hello! :-)

      Welcome to our church!

      Before you enter, would you please detach your common sense and leave it in the porch with the umbrellas. You won't be needing either inside. You can retrieve it and reactivate it again after you leave.

      The other box is to leave your 'sense of reality' but that is under-utilised as not many people who come here have anything like that.

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