The link will take you to an article by former politician Carmen Lawrence commenting on the increasing tendency of Australian politicians to wear the trappings of religion.
What is your view of this tendency?
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/religion-offers-mps-an-easy-way-to-justify...

Here are the details about this Conference. Can you attend? Several members of the Humanist Society have already decided to go and so have several from the Perth Atheists. It is a chance to improve our understanding and have useful discussions. Don't miss it.

“Belief and Unbelief in a Post-secular Age” - 9am to 4pm on July 14th - a one-day interdisciplinary seminar at Murdoch University. Perspectives from a range of disciplines such as literature, philosophy, theology, media and cultural studies.

When I browse the web or talk to people socially I often encounter those who say things to this effect:
"Yes, of course religion is a sham and a means by which the priests, mullahs, the pentecostal preachers and others like them mislead and dominate people who lack the intellectual skills or training to resist them. However I am busy with other things in my life and don't want to waste time on all that nonsense so why worry about it?"

Here is my response to that view.

The link will take you to the open debate which was conducted in the form of an exchange of letters. It is a long read so you need to set aside some time for it, but well worth the effort as you see two intellectuals argue the case over how should science react to religion. Sam Harris has a remarkable ability to express his ideas. He is economical with words and devastating in his analysis. I have inserted a sample from one of the letters to show this. Here it is:

Here is a comment on that subject offered by a Humanist Society member. Is he right? What do you think? (Editor)

In a recent statement the French President, Nicolas Sorkosy, said that the burqa was not welcome in the territory of the French republic. He went on to say that the burqa is not a religious requirement but a symbol of the oppression of women.

Our President, Diana Warnock recently sought to speak to the WA Curriculum Council seeking to have Humanist Applied Ethics included in the religious instruction time slot in school programs.
This may seem reasonable to you and me but it attracted the ire of at least one “good Christian” who wrote to her to put her on the right track. Here are some excerpts:

“Atheistic humanists have been forcing their belief system on Australian society for many years now and .....”

Click on this link to see the emails written in to the ABC after viewing this story. That's how they felt about it. How do you feel? Would you want to do something about it such as donating to Stepping Stones? Would any Christians like to stop wasting money on their bloated church funds to donate to this instead?
http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/Message.aspx?b=37&t=1&ps=20&dm=1&pd=2...

There is no doubt in the minds of the religious that chastity before marriage is spiritually uplifting. Click on the link to see another example of the benefits of that spiritual uplift then return to tell us what you think.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5565706/...

Most of us have been desensitized by viewing human suffering, cruelty and stupidity on TV when documentaries show the extent of "man's inhumanity to man". This program shows humans at their worst; a mixture of ancient cultural belief and modern penticostal religious exploitation which is stomach churning. Look at the link and return to post your comments. You may also wish to help with the effort to save these unfortunate children.
http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/series/four%20corners