Religion and Constitution

This video is about the relationship between religion and the Constitution in Australia. It discusses the history of religion in the Australian colonies, including when Archdeacons and bishops sat in the New South Wales Legislative Council. It mentions the disqualification of members of the clergy from election to Parliament in the nineteenth century. The video then addresses the drafting of the Commonwealth Constitution, including the insertion of 'Almighty God' in the preamble and the background to section 116 of the Constitution, which protects some aspects of freedom of religion. Court cases concerning s 116 are then considered, including the Jehovah's Witnesses case, the DOGS case, the Crittenden case, the Kruger case, the Krygger case, the Williams case and the odd case of Ferguson concerning a law that banned Christmas advertising. COMMENTS: I am conscious of the fact that a video about religion and the Constitution may provoke abusive comments. I'm happy to leave comments open if people are civil in their interactions. But if it becomes too abusive or defamatory, I will regretfully pull the plug on the comments again.