From Australia-Is God in the (lower) house? Whatever the outcome of this federal election, the answer to that question will be yes, at least as far as the prime minister is concerned: unusually in our history, Australians will this time choose between two devout Christians to lead the nation. Tony Abbott is a committed Catholic, Kevin Rudd a practising Anglican. Our recently deposed PM, Julia Gillard, was an atheist.
Does any of this matter to a largely secular voting public, or to how it informs political debate in a country that takes seriously the separation of church and state? The answer to that is a mix of no and yes, a neat nexus of the tolerance and conservatism with which Australians approach many issues: we seem comfortable with a little religious belief, accepting it as a byword for decency, rectitude and perhaps even humility, as long as the politician isn't, you know, weird about it.
Not appearing too extreme has always been a bigger problem for Abbott than Rudd. The Liberal leader's Catholicism is seen as more of a worry, particularly on issues such as reproductive rights - what might he do if he got his hands on the reins?
Read more:
http://www.theage.com.au/comment/in-politics-it-seems-a-little-bit-of-god-goes-a-long-way-20130816-2s28e.html#ixzz2cE2GOKfz
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