In that case, Christ was wrong and was justifying hypocrisy.
Cheers.

[Daphne – How do they do that? By getting the government to call another referendum?]

That’s exactly what was attempted in Italy. The divorce law was passed in 1970, and an abrogative referendum asking voters whether they wanted to repeal the law was held in 1974. In the meantime, several thousand couples had obtained a divorce.

http://www.maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10dart.asp?a=15886

*If they fix it by the time this comment is uploaded, I have a photo to prove their mistake.

Well, I’d think twice before correcting somebody on how to express themselves in their mother tongue. One also has to appreciate in what context the phrase was written (formal / informal).

Each language has a different style. Sometimes it is difficult to use the right style in a foreign language because the necessary cultural context (the “feel”) of the language is missing. It is easy to end up coming across as too aggressive or too weak.

In my opinion clarity is king. To communicate a complex idea in a simple, concise and clear manner actually demonstrates one’s linguistic skill.

@Zian

Having an opinion and voicing it may not please those who do not agree with Eddie Fenech Adami on this issue but it does not make him undemocratic.

This great man has strong Catholic beliefs and those beliefs made him a better politician.

In my view, it was never his aim to please everybody; he only ever did what he felt was right.

Most of us supported him because we could understand that he was right. By trying to question his democratic integrity just because you do not agree with him on this point you are showing that it is you who believe in democracy only in so far as it serves your goals.

Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami can never, N-E-V-E-R, be compared in any way to Sant or any of the MLP’s leaders, and that is crystal clear and should go without saying.

Hear hear

Your German interlocutor’s lack of appreciation of refined English (or German for that matter) only highlights his shortcomings and not yours.

A dearth of linguistic skill and total linguistic ineptitude have inhibited our capacity to think and to form cogent arguments. This new breed of individual now criticises those he cannot understand as being pompous and aloof.

Had I been in your position, I would have told that patronising German friend of yours exactly where to stuff his advice.

Matt what happens to people who have since divorced? What will their status be? Repealing divorce laws would also create two classes of people.

Frankly, all talk of repealing progressve laws is primitive and Talibanesque in character. It also prevents a people from moving on.

..and now they’re debating to re-introduce it.

I was made very aware of my language shortcomings when I started working with Germans who are known to be efficient even in the language they use. I once submitted a report that started with “Gibt es einen großen Mangel an Informationen” ( In English that would be ‘there is a great paucity of information”). But the person who saw this basically told me that I sounded like a pompous ass and corrected this to : “Gibt es sehr wenig Informationen”. (in English this would be ‘there is very little information).

That was my first lesson that economy in language is often a good thing when one is trying to communicate ideas.