Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells a six year-old girl that she would receive honours if, “God willing”, she was “martyred” in battle.

That religious rhetoric isn’t a coincidence - Turkey has very quickly turned to theocracy under Erdogan’s rule, with the government and it’s “Religious Affairs” department recently banning teaching evolution in schools, barring all public LGBTI celebrations, and advocating for child marriage.

It’s sad to see a country which Australia has so much shared history with fall to such barbarism.

Here’s a sly hint to the “thoughts and prayers” crowd that God may want you to do more than just pray.

Relevant again…..

When will you and your Republican mates learn?? It doesn’t matter how often you pray. God isn’t listening. Your prayers help nobody but yourself. Your people need legislation and regulation, not proselytization.

Australians! Reason is looking for Candidates

Do you live in Victoria and believe in Reason, Common-Sense, Human Rights and Civil Liberties?

Do you believe Churches should pay their fair share of Tax? That Cannabis should be Legalised and Taxed? Are you Sex and Sex-Worker Positive? Believe in Equality for all, regardless of Sexuality and Gender Identity?

If this sounds like you and you’d like to directly make a difference, Reason Australia is looking for candidates for the upcoming Victorian State Election.

More Info Here!

Ok, I don’t know where to begin unpacking this much stupid. Let’s start with why the hell are people giving a platform to this knuckle-dragging neanderthal in the first place?

Secondly, Mundine said: “If we were to live in a society, just like in Aboriginal culture, that homosexuality is forbidden and you do it and the consequences are capital punishment or death, you think you are going to do it? Or think twice about doing it?”

A few anti-LGBTI Indigenous figures have said similar things in the past, but the fact remains that we just don’t really know what the traditional stance on same-sex attraction is in most Aboriginal cultures because they’ve been so heavily influenced by Christian ministry over the last few hundred years. In Mundine’s case, he is a devout Muslim and he has quite obviously let that bias his views on “traditional” Aboriginal culture.

Which brings me to my final comment: Mundine said “If you are going to be gay, do it behind closed doors, that is how it used to be in the olden days.”

Oh. You mean the “olden days” when you had no rights, were treated as part of the flora and fauna, and would have been kidnapped from your family as a child? Or just the aspects of the olden days that support your own fucked up homophobic views?

Double-standards at their finest, ladies and gentlemen.

holyydiosa replied to your post: On “That” H&M Ad…

It seems like you take a very black-and-white approach to social justice. It’d be nice if things were that easy, but unfortunately the world is made up largely of grey areas. Having an “If you’re not with me 100%, you’re against me” attitude, unfortunately, won’t help you affect change in the long run.

In California, cannabis sales will hit $US5.1 billion in 2019, quickly eclipsing the $US5 billion beer industry. Nationwide, legal marijuana will generate $US18 billion in 2018, according to IBISWorld, which ranked it one of the fastest growing industries.

Meanwhile, in Australia, cannabis use remains illegal (and untaxed), save for just 159 individuals who have been approved for medicinal use.

On “That” H&M Ad...

“Monkey” is commonly used as a cute term of endearment for children. It’s been falling out of common use as a racial slur for decades. By getting up in arms about this ad, people are ensuring that the word remains a slur, rather than letting it naturally evolve into something inoffensive. Getting offended and calling this ad “racist”, in my opinion, will only prolong the existence of racism.

I recently received a message in protest of my views on this week’s H&M “Monkey Hoodie” debacle. You can read the message and my response above.

Cyber-bullying campaign launched after suicide of Akubra face Amy ‘Dolly’ Everett

This breaks my heart. Bullies never consider the consequences of their actions until something like this happens. Dolly, the suffering you experienced at the hands of these cowards will not have been in vain - we will see change happen, for you.

Lifeline: 13 11 14 Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800 Headspace: 1800 650 890

All these Americans complaining about the cold snap. At least when it’s -10 you can rug up and enjoy the snow. When it’s 45 degrees and humid all you can do is sit in your undies and await death…

It’s a complicated issue, but it does beg the question: If a violent criminal isn’t an Australian citizen, why should it be Australia’s responsibility to rehabilitate them? Why should the risk fall on the Australian public if their rehabilitation fails and they reoffend?

It’s a well-established fact: The MIA is a really good place for growing cannabis. Instead of wasting police resources criminalising it, we should be legalising it and reaping the benefits of cannabis tourism and export.

Australians

If you’re concerned about the excessive legal privileges afforded to religious institutions in Australia, please make your voice heard and make a submission to the government’s Religious Freedom Review.

The Review was established by conservative MPs in the hopes of gaining more rights to discriminate against LGBTI Australians since the legalisation of Marriage Equality, on the basis of religious belief.

But this is also an opportunity for us to make our voices heard by recommending the government break down religious privilege instead of bolstering it!

ileolai replied to your post “Royal Commission Report”

“The seal of the confessional, or the relationship with God that’s carried through the priest and with the person, is inviolable,”

Archbishop Denis Hart, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference said these words two days ago in response to the Royal Commission report. On the recommendation that priests should not be forced into celibacy, he said that the Vatican “can consider” it, but on breaking the Confessional Seal, the Australian sect of the Catholic Church absolutely will not agree to it.

“It seems to me that you can and should disagree ethically with some jokes, but it’s a big step further to insist that they simply are not funny, and a very big step beyond that to deny them a right to exist.”

What are your thoughts?

The ALRC report shelved by the government two years ago found there was almost no cause for concern when it comes to freedom of religion in Australia. There were “very few, if any” federal laws that interfered with religious freedom, the review found - including anti-discrimination laws.

Yet we’re set for a “religious freedom review” aimed at installing new & unique religious privileges to discriminate against others.

Royal Commission Report

Today the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse handed down its final report. It’s a monster report, spanning 17 volumes, documenting thousands of cases of abuse, and offering over 400 recommendations to address the issue.

One particularly important recommendation is that religious ministers be forced to report suspicions or knowledge of abuse gained through confession. This could prove to be a contentious issue with Australia’s Christian Churches, particularly the Catholic Church, which enshrines the “Seal of the Confessional” in its Canon Law. Simply put, the Church believes that a priest should never reveal the sins admitted to in the sacrament of confession, and you can bet that they will fight tooth and nail to prevent the government from forcing them to do so.

If the government chooses to adopt the recommendations of the Royal Commission, it could set off one of the biggest debates between Church and State in recent memory. Ironically, this possibility comes just as Howard-era minister Philip Ruddock begins his inquiry into protecting Religious Freedoms in Australia.

I, for one, hope that the PM chooses to adopt all of the recommendations of the Royal Commission, as the protection of children should ALWAYS take priority over religious freedoms. If I were in Malcolm Turnbull’s shoes, I would make the options very clear to Australia’s religious institutions: Do away with your ancient laws and vow to protect our children, or else lose the right run schools, hospitals, social services and all other centres where you are allowed to handle our most vulnerable citizens. 

Less than 24 hours later: The Archbishop of Melbourne says he’d rather go to jail than report child abuse heard in confession

Royal Commission Report

Today the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse handed down its final report. It’s a monster report, spanning 17 volumes, documenting thousands of cases of abuse, and offering over 400 recommendations to address the issue.

One particularly important recommendation is that religious ministers be forced to report suspicions or knowledge of abuse gained through confession. This could prove to be a contentious issue with Australia’s Christian Churches, particularly the Catholic Church, which enshrines the “Seal of the Confessional” in its Canon Law. Simply put, the Church believes that a priest should never reveal the sins admitted to in the sacrament of confession, and you can bet that they will fight tooth and nail to prevent the government from forcing them to do so.

If the government chooses to adopt the recommendations of the Royal Commission, it could set off one of the biggest debates between Church and State in recent memory. Ironically, this possibility comes just as Howard-era minister Philip Ruddock begins his inquiry into protecting Religious Freedoms in Australia.

I, for one, hope that the PM chooses to adopt all of the recommendations of the Royal Commission, as the protection of children should ALWAYS take priority over religious freedoms. If I were in Malcolm Turnbull’s shoes, I would make the options very clear to Australia’s religious institutions: Do away with your ancient laws and vow to protect our children, or else lose the right run schools, hospitals, social services and all other centres where you are allowed to handle our most vulnerable citizens.