I agree with banning religious symbols from government hospital chapels

THE NSW Government will review a major Sydney hospital's decision to remove religious symbols - such as crosses and Bibles - from a chapel.

Royal North Shore Hospital has asked for all religious symbols to be removed from the hospital chapel because the building is now being used by a number of different faiths.

Each faith will be allowed to display their symbols during religious services, but they must be taken down and stored out of sight afterwards, The Daily Telegraph reported.

I agree that there should be no religious symbols in public hospital chapels. Australia is not a Christian country. Australia is a nation where each indivudual has the ability to worship whether it be wicca or christian, trekkie or buddhist. In writing our constitution the nation's founders made it clear that they wanted a real separation of church and state.The health authorities should simply provide a quiet room or space.

Whilst on this point I also hold the opinion that the Lord's Prayer should not be recited at the commencement of parliament, that the bible should not be used for oaths in court or public office and that special religious education should not be taught in government schools.

At my local government primary school a Christian church uses it as their place of worship on the weekends. Henry Parkes established the clear principles for state education - free compulsory and secular. He would be turning in his grave.