Saturday, August 08, 2009

Religious Freedom Threatened in Australia

News out indicates that the Australian state of Victoria is to consider erasing religious exemptions to the Equal Opportunity Act. That would mean, I guess, that faith-based charities, religious schools, and churches would no longer be able to not employ someone because their beliefs or life-style choice conflicts with a religious body's statement of faith. Read more about it in the Age. Call me cynical, but I bet you all a coke that the headshed of the Uniting Church of Australia will support it! Good to see the Victorian Presbytians taking a stand and they win my vote for the "testicular fortitude and chutzpah award" for the year so far.

3 comments:

Ari said...

"On Tuesday, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission told the inquiry the only exemptions should be those that positively promoted equality."

I think that means everyone but Christians will get an exemption...

Steven Carr said...

Who are 21st century politicians to overrule the laws put in place by God to ensure that short people or people with really bad eyesight can not become priests?

Leviticus 21
The LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron: 'For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.

Sean Winter said...

And I thought you were a Baptist Mike: this is exactly why separation of church and state (and 'faith-based charities' not being so quick to take government money) is actually a good thing. They can do pretty much what they want, if they don't take the money :)

Not sure where the UCA is jumping yet - the usual rounds of endless reports and committees!!