One fascinating aspect of religious development is the phenomenon of syncretism, which refers to the merging or blending of different religious beliefs, practices, and rituals. The concept of syncretism challenges the notion of religion as a rigid and exclusive system, instead emphasizing the fluidity and adaptability of human spirituality, writes Dr Adis Duderija of the Griffith University Multifaith Centre.
Queensland
Growing number of men in outback mining hub of Mount Isa turning to yoga for mental health
Men in the outback mining industry are turning to yoga to help deal with stress and mental health.
Advocates say a Mount Isa yoga program is helping to fill major gaps in outback mental health services, especially for men.
The local leader of the program is hoping to see even more men take to the yoga mat.
Queensland Churches Together: Responding to Domestic Violence
Queensland Churches Together will deliver a three-session workshop on Responding to Domestic Violence in February 2024.
Queensland: St Francis College Public Lecture: The Idea of the Magdalene
All are welcome to the St Francis College Public Lecture: The Idea of the Magdalene given by Emeritus Professor Philip C. Almond on September 8, 2023. Mary Magdalene is a key figure in the history of Christianity. After Mary, the mother of Jesus, she remains the most important female saint in her guise both as primary witness to the resurrection and ‘apostle of the apostles’.
Why a Queensland court overturned a ban on religious knives in schools
The kirpan is a curved, single-edged dagger or knife carried by Sikhs. Traditionally, it was a full-sized sword but modern Sikhs have reduced the length to that of a dagger or knife due to modern considerations based on societal and legal changes since then. The State of Queensland banned Sikh children from wearing the kipan to school. Recently, a Queensland court overturned a ban on religious knives in schools.
2023 Bishop Michael Putney Lecture
Queensland Churches Together along with Brisbane Roman Catholic Council for Ecumenism & Inter-religious Relations invite you to join us for the 2023 session of the: Bishop Michael Putney Memorial Lecture Series titled, Mission in Context: Deep Resonances Between WCC and Roman Catholic Perspectives, a hybrid event, face to face and livestream on Tuesday, 15 August 2023.
Brisbane: Holocaust museum opens in St Stephen’s Cathedral precinct
“NEVER again” – that was the message holocaust survivor Peter Baruch wanted to ensure lived on through the opening of the Queensland Holocaust Museum beneath Penola Place in St Stephen’s Cathedral precinct today.
Mr Baruch was only one and a half years old when Nazi Germany invaded his home-country Poland in 1939.
His parents decided to leave Poland while the rest of his wider family stayed. “We survived; they all perished, every one of them,” he said.
Brisbane: Holocaust Museum Opens
Holocaust survivor Peter Baruch is seen inside Queensland’s first Holocaust Museum and Education Centre in Brisbane, Friday, June 30, 2023.(AAP Image/Darren England)
The new Queensland Holocaust Museum, the state’s first museum to be dedicated to the Shoah opened on Friday, June 30, honouring more than 200 Holocaust survivors who made Queensland their home.
Queensland to ban Nazi swastika tattoos as part of crackdown on hate symbols
The Queensland government has vowed to make it illegal to display Nazi swastika tattoos as part of its ban on hate symbols that it says will be among the strongest in the country.
Queensland will join New South Wales, which has already implemented a ban on displaying the symbol, in applying the restriction to tattoos. Western Australia and Tasmania are also moving to include tattoos in their proposed bans.
Queensland: Bishop Putney Memorial Lecture 2022
Queensland Churches Together and the Brisbane Roman Catholic Council for Ecumenism and Inter Religious Relations will this year present the annual Bishop Michael Putney Memorial Lecture in the Hanly Room, Francis Rush Centre, Brisbane, on evening of 17 November 2022 at 7:00pm.
Pig’s Head left at Gold Coast Mosque
Queensland police have confirmed they are investigating a pig’s head and heart placed at the entry of a mosque. The Chairperson of Gold Coast Mosque, Hussin Goss, said he was “shocked” to find the animal remains before Friday prayer.
Queensland brings legislation to ban hate symbols
On May 25 (local time), Hindu organisations and activists in Australia, including the Hindu Council of Australia, Australian Hindu Association Inc. and others, raised objections over Queensland MP Annastacia Palaszczuk’s proposal to ban ‘the public display of hate symbols such as swastikas’. After MP Palaszczuk announced the proposal, the Hindus strongly objected to it and urged the MP to change the language of the proposal.
