New Australian PM Gillard says she won't pretend to believe in God - Polidicks

[url]http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/29/2939879.htm[/url] [release]Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she has no intention of pretending to believe in God to attract religiously-inclined voters. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd was a regular at Canberra church services and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is known as a devout Catholic. In contrast, Ms Gillard says that while she greatly respects other people's religious views, she does not believe in God. Ms Gillard has been quizzed on personal topics including her attitude to religion and her relationship with her partner during interviews this morning. She says does not go through religious rituals for the sake of appearance. "I am not going to pretend a faith I don't feel," she said. "I am what I am and people will judge that. "For people of faith, I think the greatest compliment I could pay to them is to respect their genuinely held beliefs and not to engage in some pretence about mine." "I grew up in the Christian church, a Christian background. I won prizes for catechism, for being able to remember Bible verses. I am steeped in that tradition, but I've made decisions in my adult life about my own views. "I'm worried about the national interest. About doing the right thing by Australians. And I'll allow people to form their own views about whatever is going to drive their views. "What I can say to Australians broadly of course is I believe you can be a person of strong principle and values from a variety of perspectives." Meanwhile Ms Gillard has rejected claims that she is soft on Israel. Former ambassador to Israel Ross Burns made the accusation in a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Fairfax press reported. Ms Gillard's partner Tim Mathieson works for prominent pro-Israel lobbyist Albert Dadon's real estate company Urbertas Group. "I've seen that letter to the newspapers, that's not right," Ms Gillard said today. "I've made up my own views about Israel and made them known publicly well before there was any suggestion that my partner would work in a property group associated with Mr Dadon."[/release] Of course, the comments are priceless: [quote]Good I'm glad "Judas Julia" wont be where I'm going! She might think she doesn't need God's help to run this country, so she wont be there long....[/quote]

It's one step foward. While I have no respect for the current Labor Government, especially due to policies on the blanket internet filter, I have a lot of respect for Gillard as a person. She's intelligent and very down to Earth. She would make a great Prime Minister if she didn't have to put up with the previous Labor policies.

Awesome.

Good. This is one of the few areas Atheists are actually 'oppressed', so I would call this a major step forward. Hopefully the Americans follow suit and allow politicians to be non religious.

No-one in Austalia is religious anyway and the ones who are were going to vote for Captain Catholic anyway. I am starting to like her even more though, definitely a beneficial quality.

[QUOTE=Regulas021;22977229]Hopefully the Americans follow suit and allow politicians to be non religious.[/QUOTE] No chance. The US can't change from imperial units to SI, so don't expect them to be able to elect non-believers into Congress, at least in most areas.

[QUOTE=DogGunn;22977314]No chance. The US can't change from imperial units to SI, so don't expect them to be able to elect non-believers into Congress, at least in most areas.[/QUOTE] I didn't say it would be quick. The metric vs. imperial conflict is stymied over and over by 'states rights' arguments and such, but according to my brother who attended American schools, they pretty much only use metric anyway. Such is the nature of bureaucracy. America looks backwards when compared so continuously to the best sides of every other nation on Earth, but it handles itself okay. Change is slow.

I wonder whether Australia would ban religion one day

Maybe she isn't so bad after all [editline]12:03AM[/editline] [QUOTE=BCell;22977468]I wonder whether Australia would ban religion one day[/QUOTE] part of me thinks that would be terrible because if infringes on people's right to do something that isn't harming anybody. but there's always that niggling at the back of my head that would go YESS. YEEESSSS!

Will she be lifting any of the bans Rudd put in place?

What bans...

If she tells the internet filter to go fuck itself then she gets a tick in my book.

[QUOTE=BCell;22977468]I wonder whether Australia would ban religion one day[/QUOTE] Ban the organizations, not the beliefs.

[QUOTE=Regulas021;22977229]Good. This is one of the few areas Atheists are actually 'oppressed', so I would call this a major step forward. Hopefully the Americans follow suit and allow politicians to be non religious.[/QUOTE] Pete Stark.

[QUOTE=BagMinge101;22977858]Ban the organizations, [B]not the beliefs.[/B][/QUOTE] Well fuck me that's obvious. It's a bit difficult to ban thought from my experience.

Good. Religion should never be mixed with politics.

[QUOTE=Jasun;22978113]Good. Religion should never be mixed with politics.[/QUOTE] There was a point when Religion wasn't very involved in politics. Then the churches got more powerful and started endorsing candidates and the general populace started ascociating religion with morality, both very bad things. Australia having an Non-Religious PM isn't going to change the world.

Awesome!

[QUOTE=Devodiere;22978306]There was a point when Religion wasn't very involved in politics. Then the churches got more powerful and started endorsing candidates and the general populace started ascociating religion with morality, both very bad things.[/QUOTE] This was certainly not in the last 500 years, because religion has always been the main reason for a Government to exist.

[QUOTE=DogGunn;22977314]No chance. The US can't change from imperial units to SI, so don't expect them to be able to elect non-believers into Congress, at least in most areas.[/QUOTE] We use metric is school now. At least where I live. The only reason I don't use metric in everyday life is because it would confuse the fuck out of people if I told them to take a right after 2.5 kilometers.

[QUOTE=DogGunn;22978345]This was certainly not in the last 500 years, because religion has always been the main reason for a Government to exist.[/QUOTE] Not even in the last 2000. The Romans and Byzantines (and eventually the Italians) were instrumental in shaping religion and government into conjoined entities.

[QUOTE=Dolton;22978434]We use metric is school now. At least where I live. The only reason I don't use metric in everyday life is because it would confuse the fuck out of people if I told them to take a right after 2.5 kilometers.[/QUOTE] That wasn't the point. It had to do with how long it takes the US to make change. Even if SI is being taught in school, it will almost never be adopted due to the hardliners who don't ever like change.

[QUOTE=BCell;22977468]I wonder whether Australia would ban religion one day[/QUOTE] People like you give a bad name to ahtheists.

The more secular the better. If Australia does ban religion, I'm moving there.

[QUOTE=DogGunn;22978512]That wasn't the point. It had to do with how long it takes the US to make change. Even if SI is being taught in school, it will almost never be adopted due to the hardliners who don't ever like change.[/QUOTE] And because of the unbelievable expense involved to simply change measurements. Measurements are just arbitrary names given to different quantities of a unit. Its not like one is more correct than the other. I learned both in school, I just stick with the imperial system because its easier.

Great, now watch her every flaw be attributed to her atheism.

[QUOTE=Zeddy;22980362]And because of the unbelievable expense involved to simply change measurements. Measurements are just arbitrary names given to different quantities of a unit. Its not like one is more correct than the other. I learned both in school, I just stick with the imperial system because its easier.[/QUOTE] That's a load of crap. Yes, it's a large investment, but it only seems to be a problem in these countries: [img]http://www.metric4us.com/worldmap.gif[/img] The reasons why the US has not moved do not include cost, that was set aside by Government, but the US public's objections to change. This is getting off topic anyway.

Good, no reason anyone needs to play pretend just to get in a political position

she only won because she sold her soul to satan

That's pretty badass. You go, previously unknown Australian clone of Tilda Swinton!