Letter to The Editor - The biggest problem is how such a bill would define religion

To The Age         It may not be so hard to draft a bill that positively affirms religious freedom as Pru Goward suggests ("Religion's tin of worms", 23/8). Such a bill need not contain a religious vilification section as she claims. Australians now have good reason to feel that silly scruples about hurt feelings easily lead to laws against vilification that do more harm than good. Nor is it true that our government would need "an international treaty to hang it on". Aren't we a sovereign and independent nation? Moreover, it may not be true that religious freedom goes hand in hand with democracy; but it does link very strongly with the maintenance of human dignity and the protection of the individual conscience. Perhaps the biggest problem is how such a bill would define religion and save us from pseudo-religious scams.
  Nigel Jackson, Belgrave