Perspectives

To Critique, Inform, Challenge and Entertain

Latest Perspectives

OPINION / RELIGION

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A Rational Debate of the Freedom of Religious Belief?

Reading Time: 4 minutesUnless we clarify and agree on what it is that we’re discussing, we run the risk of replicating populists’ irrational and dishonest discourse. This means, not allowing facts to stand in the way of your views, by pretending that they’re not there or creating your own alternative facts. You may also pretend that words don’t mean what they mean to most people but rather what you conveniently chose them to mean. Our debate needs to acknowledge and take into account the full context of exempting religions from compliance with a law that seeks to protect others from their harassment and discrimination.

BOOK REVIEWS / Fiction

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Sam Bourne, To Kill the Truth

Reading Time: 3 minutesSomeone is systematically destroying records of human history. The book’s storyline revolves around Maggie Costello, a former White House staffer, and her efforts to stop the person or organisation responsible. But, it is not the fiction that makes this book a particularly rewarding to read. The author facilitates understanding of a coherent and plausible rationale for populist movements’ troubling attack on verifiable truth.

SMALL SCREEN REVIEWS

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The Sinner (Series 1 and 2)

Reading Time: 5 minutes‘The Sinner’ is a two series mystery and at times mystical crime drama. It stands out from the crowd of other television crime drama series. It does so by staying away from predictable plots, and cliched characters, while intelligently tackling some of the most complex personal and societal issues. The storylines and the issues addressed in the two series were notably original and poignant. This resulted in creating a show that offers much more than mere entertainment.

RELIGION

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Greater Protection of Religion? Not If All Religions Are To Be Protected

Reading Time: 2 minutesOpposition to greater legal and constitutional protection of freedom of religion is in part led by leaders of Australia’s established religions. What has long concerned our major churches appears not be widely appreciated by the Australian public. To protect religion entails protecting all religions, including the nutters, haters and the offensive.

AUSTRALIAN POLITICS / OPINION

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Towards a More Direct Democracy

Reading Time: 7 minutesThe outcome and events leading up to the federal election, when considered alongside the escalating conflict between the US President and Congress, suggest that it’s time to evaluate the nature of our representative democracy. An infusion of direct democracy would provide the means for great involvement by the people, many of whom feel alienated from politics. Direct involvement by the people in place of reliance on disappointing parliamentary representatives has the potential to reinvigorate Australian democracy. Such direct democracy would in particular benefit the initiation of constitutional amendments and enactment of legislation. It also has great potential in resolving deadlocks between the Houses of Parliament and reforming the behaviour of politicians as well as the nature of increasingly undignified and unruly parliamentary procedure.

SMALL SCREEN REVIEWS

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Dead to Me

Reading Time: 2 minutesThis excellent ten-episode first series of black drama/comedy is thoroughly enjoyable and consequently highly addictive. Judy and Jen are very likeable, larger than life characters. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are perfectly cast as characters who are alike, yet very different to each other. This series is a breath of fresh air. It is not bleak, crude or violent. While the language is very colourful, it is not gratuitously crude.

CURRENT ISSUES / RELIGION

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The right to tell others how to live v’s The right to be left alone to live life as one chooses

Reading Time: 2 minutesA multi religious society, like ours, relies on mutual respect for other religions and the non religious sector. Publicly denigrating others as an expression of religious belief has to be minimised, if not eliminated, if we are to remain a harmonious society. The only respect shown in this saga appears to be the public’s respect of Folau’s right to believe whatever he chooses to believe. What is being asked of him in return is that he respect the life choices of others, and not publicly condemn and offer unsolicited advice as to how they should live.