Shouldn't it be a priest, not a political leader, that tells people to pray?

Question

Australia's prime minister has just told everyone in the country to pray for rain.

As an atheist living in Australia, I feel appalled by this.

We are currently going through the worst drought in over a hundred years. The river systems can no longer support irrigation schemes, so many food crops are likely to fail.

In these situations, politicians should be putting practical policies in place to better preserve water resources in the future to be better prepared for drought management.

The PM has denied, until recently, that climate change is an issue at all, and, like Bush, refuses to sign the Kyoto protocol.

The local priest has the job of telling his flock to pray for rain.

Australia, like many other democracies, is supposed to have seperation of church and state. We have around 20% of the population are non-believers.

Shouldn't the PM keep his religious ideas to himself?

What gives him the right to tell people to pray?

Whirling "We should all pray for rain" were his words

Answer 1

Well I suppose if everyone is as outraged as you he will simply not be re-elected. I don't think telling people to pray for rain really violates any of your rights.

Answer 2

Now I'm disappointed in that statement you just made!
Ive been thinking well you seem like a nice smart guy who just does not believe & thats fine but now you sound different
Howard is the leader of the country & this is a christian country so he has that right
I say to someone to pray for well people like you
anyone has a right to say to pray not just a priest or minister women like me also or do you have a problem with women also

Answer 3

I am an atheist, as well. However, I believe the real issue here is not the prime minister telling people to pray (he probably assumes most people are believers). The real issue is whether or not he's actually doing anything besides praying.

Answer 4

ok for one element, to declare that this pastor would not like whites is an ok assertion, for yet another he's an anti-Semitic which skill he would not like Jews, not all Pastors hate the reality of homosexuality it is not comparable to they walk as much as a gay couple and stick a go on their heads and it burns them. every physique who says something alongside the traces of this, should not be residing in this usa, and he can take Obama with him on an identical time as he's at it, you suspect what you're fed, so while you're fed techniques at the same time with whites are terrible human beings, you will have self assurance it, so as that in basic terms makes me without a doubt question what Obama believes.

Answer 5

Did he TELL the people to pray or ASK the people to pray

Seperation of church and state does not mean seperation form accountability to God... it means separation of accountability of the church to state and vise versa

and the original quote form Roger Williams was
"the garden of the church should be protected by a high wall of separation from the howling wilderness of the world"

In any case "separation of church and state" is not in the language of the US constitution... it was in the language of the constitution of the former Soviet Union... are you living in the former USSR?

Answer 6

How nice, make the drought an act of god to gain support from the religious (to distract them from the blunder the government made). Politicians are criminals and all governments are organised crime. It’s that simple.

Answer 7

Don't Australians also have freedom of speech? I thought they did. What is wrong with hope? That is what a prayer is. It doesn't necessarily mean to a specific diety. Some people meditate on good things to happen. Why is this making you so angry? Sometimes the truth is written on our hearts and we get angry because we want to deny it. Focus on love, not on hate and you will find truth.

Answer 8

Bush prayed for war and it worked.

Answer 9

Well if you need rain wouldnt you want all the prayers you could use?