All cultures are equal???

[village_person]

As we are supposed to celebrate the many cultures now in Australia why should we be concerned about 12-year-olds getting married. In order to stifle our questioning and concerns about the cultural 'delights' (think FGM, subjugation of distaff groups etc) of some cultures we were asked to accept that all cultures are equal.

Why should we be concerned about child brides? All cultures are equal aren't they?

Sydney woman ignored over child bride reports

A SYDNEY woman says she has tried to report multiple counts of child marriage involving girls as young as 12, and was completely ignored.

Bee al-Darraj, 24, told The Australian she had contacted multiple authorities concerning the forced marriage of girls she knew at her Sydney Islamic school.

The Iraqi-born student says she was ignored by the Australian Federal Police, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, ....

The NSW government only last month declared the state was in the grip of a child bride crisis.

Etc.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/sydney-woman-ignored-over-child-bride-reports/n...

[tezza2844]

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@icyfroth wrote:

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@tezza2844 wrote:

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@icyfroth wrote:

Educated or not, Australian Muslim girls still will be duty bound to follow the customs and expectations of their own culture.

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Unfortunately these "customs" apply to cultures  as well as nationalities. There are countries where arranged marriages are the norm and there are religions which require their " flock" to marry within their religion(sect). In a lot of cases age is not a consideration to stop these practices

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Your point being?

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Educated or not, Australian Muslim girls still will be duty bound to follow the customs and expectations of their own culture.

Religion, rationality, customs, and culture are separate things, one does not necessarily go with the other.

[johcaschro]

I find it impossible to take those who hold religious beliefs seriously. I mean, I know they are serious about what they believe in and that that very seriousness may often impress itself upon the rest of us in some form or other (though that doesn't validate their delusion as Truth.)

What I would like to see is for our government to move away from an official position of respecting everyone's religous belief (because they can't all be right, can they?) and move towards a position where those expressing a serious religious belief are looked upon kindly as being tolerably delusional (to the extent that those delusions don't result in violent behaviour towards others (because then it's a seriously nasty delusion and those deluded people pose a real threat to society)

Let's move away from a governmental support for those who hold a delusional belief in sky fairies.

Pick a sky fairy of your choice; there are hundreds to choose from. The only thing which leads to a sky fairies' death is that people cease to believe in it.

Just ask Baal or Jupiter or Hermes or Thoth . . . oh, that's right, you can't, because they don't exist. They don't exist any more than does JWH or Allah or that Jewish guy who the council of Nicea officially voted into godhood.

Let's respect everyone no matter what their race and their culture (just so long as their cultural norms are non-violent and non-compulsive of others) but let's all lighten up a bit and join in the laughter at their oh so seriously held delusion belief in sky fairies. I'd like to see our govt support that position.

[johcaschro]

But, but, but  . . . If we did that, votes would plummet.

The Whizzo Quality Assortment. It's not just religious belief we should worry about but what's in the box that comes with it.

[johcaschro]

No, not all cultures are equal. In some cultures a person can still get into serious trouble over accusations of   blasphemy.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo has cancelled his important visit to Australia in order to remain at home to deal with the recent riots in Jakarta.

Protesters and police clash in Jakarta over governor's alleged blasphemy.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/03/asia/jakarta-islamist-governor-protest/

[peteepie]

obsessed

[johcaschro]

No, not all cultures are equal. Just look at the USA right now. That particular cultural milieu fielded only approximately 50% of eligible voter turnout for this recent USA federal election.

That's only half of the eligible voting population bothering to turn up to vote. Maybe they'll care more in four years time?

[not_for_sale2025]

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@johcaschro wrote:

I find it impossible to take those who hold religious beliefs seriously. I mean, I know they are serious about what they believe in and that that very seriousness may often impress itself upon the rest of us in some form or other (though that doesn't validate their delusion as Truth.)

What I would like to see is for our government to move away from an official position of respecting everyone's religous belief (because they can't all be right, can they?) and move towards a position where those expressing a serious religious belief are looked upon kindly as being tolerably delusional (to the extent that those delusions don't result in violent behaviour towards others (because then it's a seriously nasty delusion and those deluded people pose a real threat to society)

Let's move away from a governmental support for those who hold a delusional belief in sky fairies.

Pick a sky fairy of your choice; there are hundreds to choose from. The only thing which leads to a sky fairies' death is that people cease to believe in it.

Just ask Baal or Jupiter or Hermes or Thoth . . . oh, that's right, you can't, because they don't exist. They don't exist any more than does JWH or Allah or that Jewish guy who the council of Nicea officially voted into godhood.

Let's respect everyone no matter what their race and their culture (just so long as their cultural norms are non-violent and non-compulsive of others) but let's all lighten up a bit and join in the laughter at their oh so seriously held delusion belief in sky fairies. I'd like to see our govt support that position.

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Joh, I think you need to lighten up and broaden your thinking to try and grasp why people still believe in religion in the 21st Century. Has it not occurred to you that the answer might be important? I think you are being offensive in belittling people's religious beliefs by likening them to delusions. It is natural for humans to have a faith and has been throughout human history. And it is a good thing if it comforts people and instils hope. You come across as a reasonably bright person. Why not use some of that intellect to think more deeply about this subject! There's no big mystery to be solved, just a little more understanding of human nature and why we, as opposed to other creatures, ask important questions about our origin and formulate opinions which some come to have faith in.

[johcaschro]

Thank you but I am already lightened up, unencumbered as I am with a belief in an improbable theological proposition.

There is no god but . . . . no, there is no caveat. There is no god.

I really don't care if people think me offensive for belittling their beliefs about something which is really only an excericse in social division anyway.

Thinking deeply, I see religion being used as a tool of politics. Exploit the belief of the masses by pretending that we too subscribe to the same utopian promise which religion offers. We are just like you . . . only much, much richer. But it's not our fault, you understand.

" It is natural for humans to have a faith and has been throughout human history. And it is a good thing if it comforts people and instils hope."

And this is exactly why Karl Marx said that "Religion is the opium of the people".

Religion has been used as a tool of oppression by the ruling classes from time immemorial. It's now come to a point where people are asking those people who promote a belief in religion . . ." hey, how come you don't conduct your own lives in a way which is beyond reproach?"

[not_for_sale2025]

Ok Joh, I see where you are coming from and am not really interested in those perspectives. But could you take into consideration that some people who post on this board and others who just read may have a religious faith because of bereavements, family tragedies, other deep losses, disabilities etc. etc. Please don't tell me you haven't considered this or worse still that you don't care. I think you are being insensitive and inconsiderate by referring to religious beliefs here as "a delusional belief in sky fairies". You are entitled to your opinion, but maybe you are expressing it in the wrong place - that's my opinion.

[johcaschro]

"Ok Joh, I see where you are coming from and am not really interested in those perspectives"

oh, ok, I see.

I don't care why people may have a religious belief or not. deep losses, family tragedies, whatever.

Life happens to people and sometimes it is tragic and entails loss. But that is exactly what life is all about. it's the same for you as it is for me as it was for the late Mr Packer who needed to buy a kidney from an employee in order to live a few more years or so.

Religious beliefs are really no more nor less than the belief in arbitrarily made up sky-fairy stories.

So, I shouldn't be expressing my opinion here? It's the "wrong place"?