Religion News Selection 34 (Oct 1

Religion News Selection 34 (Oct 1 - 7)

(07 October 18)
by Greg Spearritt

Religion News Selection

October 1 - 7, 2018

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

Former NSW teacher Edward Smith Hall found guilty of 21 child sex offences (ABC News)
Oct 6 - A former Newcastle and Sydney school teacher has spent his first night in jail after being found guilty of 21 child sexual abuse offences.

CATHOLIC CHURCH

The bishop's ring: Catholic leader's political influence alarms (Sydney Morning Herald)
Oct 6 - Prime ministers sing his praises, property developers beat a path to his historic mansion and powerbrokers complain of “literally” having to kiss his ring.

EDUCATION

Private school funding: Should the Government pick up the tab? (ABC News)
Oct 5 - When the Government announced it would pour $4.5 billion into the Catholic and independent education sectors, it shored up the future of many small private schools that were facing the prospect of steep fee hikes to remain viable.

INTERNATIONAL STORIES

Religious Violence

I was an Isis sex slave. I tell my story because it is the best weapon I have (The Guardian, Australia)
Oct 6 – (Opinion: Nadia Murad) The slave market opened at night.

Other

Einstein's letter belittling God, religion expected to fetch at least $1 million (Brisbane Times)
Oct 7 - A letter in which Albert Einstein explicitly rejected God and religion will be auctioned in December for the second time since the famous physicist wrote it, a year before his death.

POLITICS

Scott Morrison: what is Pentecostalism and how might it influence our PM? (ABC News)
Oct 1 - Since Scott Morrison became prime minister last month, much has been made about his religious beliefs and the impact they are likely to have on his leadership.

Michael Kirby attacks Coalition for failure to release Ruddock religious freedom report (The Guardian, Australia)
Oct 5 - Michael Kirby has blasted the Coalition for failing to release the Ruddock review, warning that secularism is at threat and Australians are right to be “suspicious” the government has not stated its plans on religious freedom.

Legislating religious freedom will be a minefield for Morrison (Brisbane Times)
Oct 6 - It seems that the government is going to hang on to Philip Ruddock’s report on religious freedom until after this month’s by-election and then, according to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, take some legislative action on it.

RELIGION & SOCIETY

Local councils remove opening prayer in step towards embracing religious diversity (ABC News)
Oct 3 - Councillors in regional Victoria have said they are trying to recognise their local community's religious diversity by no longer opening their meetings with a Christian prayer.

'Forced to walk the gauntlet': High Court threat to safe access zones (Brisbane Times)
Oct 7 - Abortion clinic staff fear going back to the “dark ages” as anti-abortionists challenge in the High Court the Victorian and Tasmanian laws that banished religious protesters from outside their workplaces

How a Kardashian backlash is giving rise to modest dressing (Brisbane Times)
Oct 7 - In 1987, when Chaya Chanin was three years old, she was curating her own wardrobe, letting her mother know through her monosyllabic vocabulary whether she was prepared to be attired in the suggested outfit.


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