Thank you for the opportunity to present to the Review.

1. Religion is about the fundamental purpose or meaning of life. Macquarie Dictionary

provides various nuanced definitions, beginning with ‘the quest for the values of the
ideal life, involving three phases, the ideal, the practices for attaining the values of
the ideal, and the theology or worldview relating the quest to the environing
universe’. In Australia, everyone is entitled to find their own meaning in life —
whether in faith, family, sport, social justice, body/health, etc. unless this purpose
seriously impinges the rights of others).
2. Macquarie Dictionary also defines religion as ‘a particular system in which the quest
for the ideal life has been embodied: [e.g.] the Christian religion’. This is the
definition in common usage, and usually refers to a belief, or not, in God.
3. In both senses we are all religious. A belief that there is no God, and a belief that we
cannot know if there is a God, and a belief that there is a God are all religious stands.
They each influence the values and practices of those who hold to them. Those who
argue that there is no God are no more able to prove their case than those who argue
that there is a God and direct their lives accordingly. We are talking of faith and
belief, not empirical science.
4. Freedom of belief has always been acknowledged as part of the Australian value
framework. It is evident in laws, social actions, literature, etc.
5. However, in recent times, there have been strident voices opposing this freedom. For
example:
 During the recent same sex marriage debate, those who expressed a religious
view opposing the concept were publicly mocked, harassed and even
discriminated against (despite current anti-discriminatory legislation). With the
media leading the charge, they were offered little protection by the law.
 Those who choose to educate their children according to a Theistic worldview
(that is, in the many faith-based schools in Australia) are having this right
challenged. This is despite the fact that in many of these schools, most parents
who choose this education for their children do not themselves hold to that
faith. Yet government schools are permitted to present an Atheistic worldview
unchallenged. The education is not value-free, nor is it religion-free. The
schools’ religious stance is evident in policies and practices; e.g., for schools to
celebrate Christmas and Easter, which have their origins and meaning in
Christianity, yet not be permitted to mention Jesus, is an explicit anti-Christian
worldview.
 Stand-up comedians and television programs are riddled with material which
Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and others find highly offensive. Some is
blatantly directed at those who hold a particular religious stance. Yet these
actors take a significant risk — and may well be punished in some way if they
express or even imply criticism or offence to people based on their sexuality or
ethnicity. Religion — especially Christianity — receives no such protection.
6. What we are seeing in Australia in recent times is the rise of a new form of religious
fundamentalism. Traditionally this term has been used to define those with so strong
a belief in God, and related doctrines, that they are prepared to punish any who
oppose, or simply disagree, with that view. The new fundamentalism is practised by
those who have a belief that there is no God, and whose belief is so strong that they
 are prepared to punish any who oppose, or simply disagree, with that view; that is,
any whose belief in God is reflected in their values and behaviour.
7. In conclusion,
No organisation is value free. Each expresses a religious stance in its values and
practices.
No individual is value free. Each expresses a religious stance in their values and
practices.
We need to ensure that those who practise an Atheistic stance under the guise of
being anti-religious are not permitted to deprive others of their rights to hold to and
practice a Theistic stance, in their personal lives and in the organisations which they
found and support. This right is not protected by the Constitution or by current
legislation.
Thank you.

(Dr) Phil Ridden