......Cont

Not that long ago in this country when religion was the controlling force of the political system, saying the wrong thing could get you labelled as a heretic or a witch – and could get you killed. In those days women had no say in the running of the church or the state. This still applies in countries which are in reality religious states [i.e. theocratic]. In those countries women are regarded as having less value and men.

Our democratic values, our human rights, our moral way of life, exists because religion has lost control of our lives and society has moved on.

Some however are trying to move this country back to one where religion has more power. This would be disastrous for minority groups, the political system, education, and women – they would be discriminated against and devalued as they are today in countries controlled by religion. These countries do not uphold the Human Rights that we acknowledge, and were laid out in the UN Declaration of Human Rights.