It must be at least 7 years since I tried to get the matter of a republican
'religious settlement' on to an open public agenda. It is not really enough
for "God" not to be mentioned in any preamble or elsewhere. There should
also be an explicit dissociation from the traditional Westminster precept
that "we the people" (and, indeed, the monarchy itself) are subservient to
"Almighty God" as interpreted from time to time by some bunch of (currently
Church of England) senior clerics and bureaucratic manipulators.
Ever since Alfred imposed christianity on the defeated Dane Guthrum,
judaio-christian religion has dominated the ideologies behind English
statecraft. The movie 'Elizabeth' provides a timely popular demonstration of
the evil conflict and injustice this can entail. The Bosnian religious
conflicts should remind us that such things are very much alive and, indeed,
a definite potential threat to a multi-sectarian Australia.
Australians should recognise that, behind the scenes of the republican
circus, various church interests are undoubtedly planning to change the
situation in this rare opportunity of upsetting the applecart. The whole
question needs to be fully debated before we get an outcome by stealth.
The question of an "Australian head of state" seems, in fact, quite trivial
compared to possible future effects of an altered religious settlement about
which politicians and media have been unduly silent.
Of itself, I see this as a good reason for voting 'No' to any first-step
subversion of the current Constitution.
Brian Jenkins
David McMullen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote on Friday, 19 February 1999 11:42 (fw 21:03)
|To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
|Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
|Subject: No God in the Preamble
|
|
|A word of warning to religious leaders. If we end up with god in the
|preamble, it means that believers have breeched the unwritten rule that
|we "live and let live" on matters of religion. Such a preamble would
|generate a lot of annoyed, and in some cases very angry, non-believers
|who would feel entitled to retaliate. Any concern for respecting the
|religious feelings of believers could easily go out the window as
|non-believers found all sorts of imaginative ways to blaspheme and
|commit acts of sacrilege. You could also find that a lot of
|non-believers, who under normal conditions do not have the motivation,
|would suddenly feel the urge to get out there and argue their views.
|Given the fragility of many people's religious beliefs, the outcome of
|such a challenge would be a further reduction in the already declining
|number faithful.
|
|While religious leaders cannot be blamed for Ayatollah Howard's
|stupidity, they can justly be considered accomplices if they do not
|disown him.
|
|
|David McMullen
|1 Morven Ave
|Belgrave 3160
|9754 1819
|
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