Yes - Pamela Bone, writing in the 'Age' (Melbourne) today 23/5/05, is quite right - and wrong.
Right in claiming that ethical values are intrinsic to our human nature, and wrong in dismissing the relevance of the 'power' that formed us.
But for a politician to claim religious authority for a personal view as a Christian is to use an authority that is political, not Christian.
Here is the nub of the problem.
In our corrupted democracy we have ceded so much power to party politicians that it is easy for them to become 'a law unto themselves'.
The path to less power for politicians (and more ethics), needs a restoration of the authority of parliament, vis-a-vis the executive, with conscience voting of members prevailing via secret voting in parliament.
Then, individual and minority views, political, religious or otherwise, will not have the present power to unduly influence or worry us.
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