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Fri 11 Nov 2009Secularism based on illusory idea of freedom

John Bruton’s views on the naive attempt to separate religion and politics deserve careful consideration, writes JOHN WATERS

THE PROBLEM with speaking about the putative value of religion is that such contributions are invariably read in our culture as pitches on behalf of particular denominations or specific faiths. For obvious reasons, it is as rare to encounter an irreligious person prepared to argue for the benefits of religion as it is to come upon an atheist not defined by an obsession with opposing phenomena whose existence he denies.

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