The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly has passed two smart resolutions. Recommendation 1805 and 1804 both specify a reasonable perspective which European governments ought to take to the little embarrassment that is our social policy towards the Godly. They aren't perfect, but they aren't too bad either. Similarly, the 'strictly personal' bit of Rec. 1804 is not really so. Since the Godly deem it acceptable to take public money to teach superstitious myths to children, I'd say it's slightly more than "strictly personal". As for the education helping to combat ignorance about religious leaders, here is my contribution. For too long, people have excused the acts of religious leaders - and those leaders have benefitted from the misplaced trust of their followers.
Within Catholicism, there has been widespread and systematic child rape and other abuse with complicity from higher ups. In no other organisation would such sexual abuse be dealt with similarly, nor would governments tolerate the malfeasance of any similarly-sized secular organisation. If a multi-national corporation or large government agency had members of it's staff committing serial child rape, it would investigate these claims and sack anyone found to be responsible. It would also collaborate with the Police. It would not just shunt off such a person to a different regional office, nor would it use it's power to try and hide evidence within the organisation.
But, perhaps I'm just ignorant. Perhaps it really was God who told Oliver O'Grady to rape a nine month-old baby. And if God demands you rape a baby, are you going to refuse? Or perhaps it really was God who told his Cardinal to move this child rapist to a different church? Perhaps God demanded that they put in place policies specificially designed to protect the guilty.
I'm sure it's just ignorance of religion that makes people think that Islam is a tolerant, peaceful, loving religion. Reality check. Saudi Arabia - a country which both the United States and the United Kingdom has as an ally in the War on Terror, is a state with a homophobic, crazy fundamentalist government based on Wahhabist Islam. The punishment for any kind of sexual activity other than missionary position, heterosexual sex within marriage can include the death penalty. Look out, America, some of your citizens rather like this idea!
This kind of treatment is, of course, a complete aberration, and nothing to do with Islam. Not like it's in the Qu'ran or anything.
Still, thankfully, compared to the Stone Age ethics of large swathes of the faith-based, at least those in Brussels have their heads screwed on - even if they could do with tightening up occasionally.
