Government’s plebiscite sets dangerous precedent
If the government persists with a plebiscite, it should include issues such as euthanasia, offshore detention and negative gearing.
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Stephen Cross, Campbells Creek
Plebiscite nothing but a political ploy
Secular politics at its worst.
Bill Burns, Bendigo
Religious tradition often on the wrong side of history
Many Christians are blushing now that church groups have been rewarded with public funding for the "no" campaign after the community has already delivered so much to them.
Religious groups totally committed to a "no" vote happily accept their tax-exempt status and the funding of school chaplaincies.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ledger is the cost of clergy abuse and the royal commission.
Religious tradition has frequently been on the wrong side of history, including on such issues as cosmology, evolution, slavery, the role of women, the dignity of children and the intolerance of difference.
Their stance would lead any auditor to seriously question the value of government sponsorship when compared with community cost.
The churches' investment in social conservatism is inevitably compromising outcomes for the vulnerable.
Peter MacLeod-Miller, Archdeacon of Albury and the Hume, St Matthew's Anglican Church Albury
Word-perfect Eaglehawk students a credit to the school
Congratulations to the students from Eaglehawk Secondary College for their impressive win in Word Mania, Australia's biggest literacy competition (“Eaglehawk word maniacs triumph”, Bendigo Advertiser, September 14).
What a wonderful achievement!
Mary Fry, Bendigo
A challenging question of who exactly do we dress for?
Western women brought up to be independent can have difficulty understanding why Muslim women cover their hair but I'm reminded of a cartoon in The Age some time ago.
A woman in hijab, dress over trousers and boots, is going out the door; and a woman in the lounge room, long hair, short crop top, short shorts (bare midriff) and high-heeled sandals says: "You're not going out dressed like that! The boys will think you're oppressed and servile."
Some women's states of undress at the beach surely aren't always just about getting sun on skin.
There's a fine line. Do women dress for men, fashion (who is that for), comfort or ...?
Chris Hooper, Castlemaine
Bring on the end of the football season – and religion
I dream of a world free of religion – and the AFL. Utopia.
Francis McCarthy, Wedderburn
Finally a politician with the courage of their convictions
At last, a minister with the guts to stand up to the religious bullies in Parliament who have frustrated for so long reform of end-of-life choices for Victorians.
Jill Hennessy is to be congratulated for introducing a bill to give legal force to advanced care directives.
Now we wait to see if her boss has the courage to champion voluntary assisted dying.