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When will bigots quit bullying Margaret Court?

By Spencer Gear - posted Wednesday, 27 January 2021


  • Get journalists, premiers, doctors and other people in the media to be more careful with their words. I can't see that happening.
  • Examine the presuppositions underlying a person's statements. The likelihood of Daniel Andrews agreeing with Margaret Court's world view is zero. He needs to admit that up front: "I have an agenda and it is not Christian. In fact, it is anti-Christian and I won't change my mind."
  • Margaret Court has already admitted, "I should always be able to say my views biblically, being a pastor and helping people with marriages and family. And I'll never change those views."

Remember the safety against religious bigotry in the Australian Constitution:

Section 116

4.2

The starting point in any discussion about religious freedom in Australia is section 116 of the Australian Constitution:

The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.

4.3

There are four prohibitions on the Commonwealth in this section:

  • establishing any religion
  • imposing any religious observation
  • prohibiting the free exercise of any religion
  • requiring a religious test as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.
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Therefore, for Daniel Andrews to prevent Margaret Court from the free exercise of the teachings on Christianity, he violates one of the prohibitions, "the free exercise of any religion," guaranteed by the Australian Constitution.

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About the Author

Spencer Gear PhD (University of Pretoria, South Africa) is a retired counselling manager, independent researcher, retired minister of the The Christian & Missionary Alliance of Australia, and freelance writer living in Brisbane Qld, Australia.

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