Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Notes: Wednesday, June 30, 2010

An accurate reflection of present-day Australian views on marriage and family?

Today's Herald's letters page is leading with the reaction to an article (which I seem to have missed) by a well-known relationships counsellor who apparently suggested that living in sin is inferior to being married. Eight letters, to which two sections, and the first two, of the letters page have been devoted, were published on the matter, all of them from women, none of them supporting the counsellor's views, and some of them objecting to them quite vehemently. I wonder whether the coming days will see any supporters of the natural law's commands and prohibitions in domestic matters sending in their letters? Presumably they haven't already, or the Herald would have published them, if only for balance.

"How Far We Have Sunk- a case for censorship as a social good"

Mr. Michael Webb has posted at Cath Pews a link to an interesting Australian Catholic Truth Society pamphlet on censorship. The pamphlet is quite long but might be worth reading if you have the time.

Confirmed: Ms Gillard is an atheist

Until this disclosure The Hon. Julia Gillard M.P. apparently identified as a "non-practising Baptist", but clearly not any more:

Julia Gillard on Jon Faine ABC 774 yesterday:

Faine: Do you believe in God?

Gillard: No, I don't, Jon, I'm not a religious person. I'm of course a great respecter of religious beliefs but they're not my beliefs, Jon.
[http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/the-prime-minister-was-the-great-pretender/story-e6frg6zo-1225885911523
See also
http://www.smh.com.au/national/pm-nudged-about-wrath-of-god-20100629-zjcw.html?skin=text-only
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/julia-gillard-risks-christian-vote-with-doubts-on-god/story-e6frg6nf-1225885897505
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/julia-gillard-respects-religious-beliefs-but-will-not-pretend-to-have-faith-for-votes/story-e6frgczf-1225885581225]

One wonders whence she thinks the binding force of the laws which she takes part in enacting comes. Or maybe, like any atheist who follows his or her beliefs to their logical conclusions, she does not think that laws impose any true obligation.

Blog comment by me:

At Coo-ees:
Cardinal Pole said...

"And all because "Jesus sat with the sinners and the saints"."

I'm having trouble working out the missing step/s in Ms Keneally's logical sequence:

Jesus sat with sinners and saints.
[Missing step/s]
Therefore we should legislate for adoption by same-sex couples.

"Is this an issue to remind Catholic politicians of the consequences in the life of the church?"

A very good question.

June 30, 2010 3:37 AM
Your comment has been saved and will be visible after blog owner approval.
[http://coo-eesfromthecloister.blogspot.com/2010/06/in-principle-support-for-gay-adoption.html]
Reginaldvs Cantvar
Commemoration of St. Paul, Apostle, A.D. 2010

2 comments:

Cardinal Pole said...

No letters in support of that relationships counsellor's article (which you can read here:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/shacking-up-is-hard-to-do-why-gillard-may-be-leery-of-the-lodge-20100628-zexr.html

or here:

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/shacking-up-is-hard-to-do-why-gillard-may-be-leery-of-the-lodge-20100628-zexr.html

) today, just another one disagreeing with it (in particular, with the concept of the role model, would you believe):

"Arndt gets rolled by her own model"
http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/gillard-needs-to-get-it-straight-on-gay-marriage-20100630-zmnw.html?skin=text-only

R J Stove said...

Another valuable Catholic commentary in favour of censorship was written years ago by the late, great Sydney-based master of apologetics, Fr Leslie Rumble, as part of his Radio Replies series. I particularly note his comment: "The Church ... forbids books which foster the credulity of her enemies. You might as well accuse a chemist of desiring the ill-health of his customers and not their health when he labels a bottle 'Poison'." The whole thing can be read here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2370433/posts