Religion News Selection
Sept 13 – 20, 2020
A selection of religion news stories from Australia
(Research: Greg Spearritt)
ABUSE
Sydney Catholic schools to remove name of Marist brother accused of sexual abuse (The Guardian, Australia)
Sept 17 – A group of prominent Catholic schools are expected to remove the name of a brother accused of sexual abuse from a school building and scholarship program after campaigners warned he was “clearly not someone who should be honoured”.
Orthodox Jewish leader applies to Supreme Court for religious arbitration (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 17 – The former general manager of Victoria’s largest Orthodox Jewish organisation is challenging her dismissal in the Supreme Court of Victoria after talks broke down with her former employer when trying to resolve the dispute through religious arbitration.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Abuse
A US Amish community dedicated to serving community was supposed to keep Misty safe. (ABC News)
Sept 19 – Misty Griffin really wants you to know her story.
Islam
Afghanistan allows mothers’ names on birth certificates in ‘significant’ milestone for women’s rights (ABC News)
Sept 20 – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has signed an amendment allowing mothers’ names to be included on their children’s birth certificates, after a three-year campaign by women’s rights activists.
Other
‘Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer’ outside Birmingham gets go-ahead (The Guardian, Australia)
Sept 14 – An enormous Christian monument, more than twice the size of the Angel of the North, is to be built on the outskirts of Birmingham, fulfilling a vision its instigator says came from God.
Black churches say Donald Trump election ad incites ‘white terrorism’ (The Guardian, Australia)
Sept 16 – Black American church leaders have accused Donald Trump of inciting “white terrorism” against people of colour and depicting churchgoers as “thugs” in a presidential election campaign ad.
‘Quite frankly terrifying’: How the QAnon conspiracy theory is taking root in the UK (The Guardian, Australia)
Sept 20 – It began in the US with lurid claims and a hatred of the ‘deep state’.
RELIGION & SOCIETY
BHP knew of Aboriginal heritage concerns at $4.6b WA mine (Sydney Morning Herald)
Sept 17 – Mining giant BHP was aware of traditional owners’ concerns about works affecting sacred sites at one of its West Australian iron ore mines before it obtained approval to destroy them.
