THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Julia Gillard's honesty in not paying lip service to a belief in God could harm her at the ballot box, says a Christian lobby group.
The Prime Minister, who as a child won prizes for remembering Bible verses, said yesterday she did not believe in God and, therefore, would not go through the motions of religious rituals.
''I am not going to pretend a faith I don't feel. For people of faith I think the greatest compliment I could pay to them is to respect their genuinely held beliefs and not to engage in some pretence about mine.''
Ms Gillard's position drew immediate praise from atheists, but a word of caution from the Australian Christian Lobby.
''I don't think it is a case of being disappointed,'' the lobby's chief-of-staff, Lyle Shelton, said. ''It is great that the Prime Minister is being so open and honest on such an important question in life, but I think it would be naive to think that it may not have some electoral implication.''
Only last week the group arranged for the former prime minister Kevin Rudd and the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, to address churches across the nation in a live webcast. PM nudged about wrath of God >>> Jacob Saulwick | Wednesday, June 30, 2010
