Religion News Selection 45 (Nov 26

Religion News Selection 45 (Nov 26 - Dec 3)

(02 December 17)
by Greg Spearritt

Religion News Selection

November 26 – December 3, 2017

A selection of religion news stories from Australia.

(Research: Greg Spearritt)

Inclusion here does not endorse the veracity or quality of any particular item – it just means
I found it worth reading and reflecting on (even if badly conceived or poorly written).

If you’re after the unexpurgated (and reasonably unbiased) version,
see Religion News Australia which appears weekly on our website.

ABUSE

Adelaide Catholic Archbishop will not resign after Alzheimer’s diagnosis halts court case (ABC News)
Nov 29 - The Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson will not resign in the wake of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, brought to light at a court hearing relating to child sexual abuse he allegedly covered up.

EDUCATION

Brindabella Christian College board sacks principal, warns of devil’s actions (Canberra Times)
Nov 30 - The board of Brindabella Christian College has suddenly sacked the school’s principal and warned parents "the devil has his sights on Christian education" as the federal government prepares to legislate for same-sex marriage.

INTERNATIONAL STORIES

Abuse

Former pupils tell inquiry of sexual abuse by priests at Ampleforth College (The Guardian, Australia)
Nov 30 - Priests at a leading Roman Catholic school abused boys as young as six, including beatings and sexual assaults, the national inquiry into child abuse has heard.

Sogyal Rinpoche and the abuse accusations rocking the Buddhist world (Sydney Morning Herald)
Dec 2 - On a late September evening this year, a group of leading Australian business figures gathered in a Sydney boardroom to discuss a series of allegations that had scandalised the Buddhist world, and shaken their own to the core.

Islam

Israeli health minister Yaakov Litzman resigns in protest over railway work on the Sabbath (ABC News)
Nov 27 - Israel’s health minister has resigned, saying he opposed continued maintenance work on the country’s railways on the Sabbath, when all labour is strictly prohibited by Jewish law.

Also: President Trump slammed for retweeting videos by Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen (news.com.au)
Nov 30 - DONALD Trump has been accused of “spreading hate” after he retweeted unverified anti-Muslim videos from a fringe far-right UK political leader.

Muslim population in some EU countries could triple, says report (The Guardian, Australia)
Nov 30 - The Muslim population in some European countries could triple by 2050 while it will barely change in others, according to new projections released by the Washington-based Pew Research Centre.

Canadian judge suspends part of face veil ban (Sydney Morning Herald)
Dec 3 - Toronto: A Canadian judge on Friday suspended part of a Quebec law banning people from wearing full-face veils when giving or receiving public services, handing a provisional victory to civil liberties groups who argued that the law is unconstitutional and discriminates against Muslim women.

Judaism

Ultra-Orthodox rabbis call for boycott of Jewish arts centre over LGBT support (The Guardian, Australia)
Dec 3 - A group of ultra-Orthodox rabbis have called on their congregations to boycott a Jewish cultural centre in London because it held a gay-themed week of events and provides a meeting space for gay Jewish parents.

Religious Violence

To find the extremism behind the Egypt terror attack, start with anti-Sufi preachers (The Guardian, Australia)
Nov 28 – (Opinion: HA Hellyer) On Friday, more than 300 Muslim worshippers were murdered, and scores more injured, by extremist Islamists in Egypt.

Other

Researchers date discovery of Jesus Christ’s tomb in Jerusalem to Roman era (ABC News)
Dec 1 - Mortar under a slab at the heart of Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre dates to the era of Roman Emperor Constantine, confirming historical accounts of the discovery of the place where Christians believe Jesus was entombed, researchers say.

PNG sets up taskforce to investigate brutal torture of young girl accused of sorcery (ABC News)
Dec 1 - The torture of a six-year-old girl whose mother was accused of practising sorcery will be investigated by a special police taskforce, the Papua New Guinea Government says.

Liberalism has eaten itself – it isn’t very liberal any more (The Guardian, Australia)
Dec 3 – (Opinion: Tim Farron) When a liberal turns out to be an evangelical Christian, people are surprised or confused.

POLITICS

One Nation senator condemned for warning schoolchildren may become Islamist terrorists (The Guardian, Australia)
Dec 2 - A One Nation senator is writing to school principals warning them their children risk turning into “terror-endorsing Islamists” whose religion compels them to kill westerners.

Same-sex marriage

Coalition to test Labor again over same-sex marriage as bill heads to lower house
Nov 30 - Coalition MPs will look to test Labor once again over religious freedom when the same-sex marriage bill goes to the House of Representatives next week, after passing the Senate in a historic vote on Wednesday.

Malcolm Turnbull backflips on religious protections in same-sex marriage bill (The Guardian, Australia)
Nov 30 - Malcolm Turnbull has revealed he will support at least two amendments to the Senate’s same-sex marriage bill to guarantee that charities will not be affected and to allow civil celebrants to refuse to solemnise weddings.

RELIGION & SOCIETY

Religious liberty key to diversity (The Australian)
Nov 28 – (Opinion: Peter Kurti) Beware of anti-discrimination legislation that eradicates differences in our society.

An industry in need to help: marriage slides to an all-time low (Sydney Morning Herald)
Nov 28 - Same-sex marriage could be just the boost the industry needs.

Church leaders in last-ditch pushback against same-sex marriage bill (Sydney Morning Herald)
Dec 1 - Australia’s most senior churchmen, including the Anglican and Catholic archbishops of Sydney, have made a list-ditch plea to political leaders to salvage religious exemptions in the same-sex marriage bill.

The art of missing out, or how to beat ’FOMO’ (ABC News)
Dec 2 – (Opinion: Simon Smart) Tim Winton reckons surfing saved his life.

The Brisbane nun who defied Sir Joh’s government to help AIDS sufferers (Brisbane Times)
Dec 3 - Queensland was gripped by fear in the 1980s following the outbreak of HIV, so much so that then-premier Joh Bjelke-Peterson refused to curb the spread of the virus among Indigenous Australians because he believed it was "a punishment from God".

From the Archive…

Religion News Australia 2017 – 45 (Nov 26 – Dec 3)

Religion News Australia 2017 – 44 (Nov 19 - 26)

Religion News Australia 2017 – 43 (Nov 12 - 19)

Religion News Australia 2017 – 42 (Nov 5 - 12)

Religion News Australia 2017 – 41 (Oct 29 - Nov 5)

Religion News Australia 2017 – 40 (Oct 22 - 29)

Religion News Australia 2017 – 39 (Oct 15 - 22)

Religion News Australia 2017 – 38 (Oct 8 - 15)

Religion News Australia 2017 – 37 (Oct 1 - 8)

Religion News Australia 2017 – 36 (Sept 24 – Oct 1)

Religion News Australia 2017 – 35 (Sept 17 - 24)