The Dhammachai International Research Institute (DIRI) is holding a Zoominar series from April 12 to 30, 2021. The Religion Programme at Otago is delighted to join with DIRI as one of the institutions co-sponsoring the series.
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YMCA: “Name gender-based violence for what it is”
Religions for Peace Australia endorses the Thursdays in Black campaign. The World Council of Churches and Religions for Peace International have taken up Thursdays in Black and Naming Gender-based-violence in a practical manner with video, webinar and ongoing interviews. There is the series of interviews with Thursdays in Black ambassadors which highlights those who are playing a vital role in increasing the impact of our collective call for a world without rape and violence. Casey Harden is general secretary of the World YWCA.
Fatwa on taking the COVID-19 vaccination and test while fasting in the month of Ramadan
The Australian Fatwa Council has received several queries in relation to taking the COVID-19 vaccination and test while fasting in the month of Ramadan. An advice is given for those who are fasting.
Perspectives on Voluntary Assisted Dying
‘It’s become all-consuming’: how Andrew Denton went from TV presenter to assisted dying advocate. On the launch of the second season of his podcast Better Off Dead, Denton explains why this struggle has come to mean so much to him.
World Day for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention, Healing and Justice
The first world-wide day Day for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention, Healing and Justice was recently observed online, on 8 April 2021. This virtual event was hosted by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard Divinity School, the Chan School of Public Health and the Catholic Project at the Catholic University of America and the World Council of Churches.
Ramadan 2021 – Message from the Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon. Scott Morrison, gives a message to all Muslims on occasion of commencement of Ramadan, 2021.
Ramadan Guide for Schools and Students
Ramadan 2021 (Australia) is expected to begin on Tuesday, April 12, 2021 (according to ANIC) and will end on Wednesday, May 12, 2021. Eid al Fitr 2021 is expected to be celebrated on Thursday, May 13, 2021. This is the tentative date as the actual date of commencement of Ramadan 2021 is subject to the sighting of the Moon.
Ugadi: The Hindu New Year
The New Year is an event that happens when a culture celebrates the end of one year and the beginning of the next year. Cultures that measure yearly calendars all have New Year celebrations. On January 1, 1600 Scotland, was the first country to adopt January 1 as the first day of the New Year. Now, many countries celebrate the New Year on that day. The Panchang, the calendar used in India, uses a different reckoning to the Gregorian Calendar. This day is reckoned as the New Year in many states in India: it marks the entry of the Sun into Aries.
Ramadan 2021
Ramadan Mubarak! If you ask your friend out for lunch this month and they say no, don’t take it personally.
They may be celebrating the month where Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.
Here’s what you need to know about Ramadan 2021 — including some basic do’s and don’ts.
The Aussie Camino
The Aussie Camino is a picturesque pilgrimage inspired by Australia’s only saint, Mary MacKillop. The Way is from Portland, Victoria to Penola in South Australia, places associated with St. Mary McKillop of the Cross.
The Camino de Santiago, or “The Way of St James”, is a network of routes across Western Europe leading to the resting place of the apostle Saint James the Great.
While Caminos traditionally lead travellers to a place of spiritual significance, many of their walkers are not religious. Most are, however, open to soul-searching.
Potential for harm’: augmented reality headsets for US Army
Microsoft has reportedly been awarded a ten year contract worth close to US$22 billion, to provide 120,000 military-grade augmented reality (AR) headsets to the US Army.
Popularised through mobile apps such as Pokémon Go and face filters on social media, AR technology is fundamentally about superimposing digital images over real-world environments.
The AR interface commissioned by the US military is referred to as an “Integrated Visual Augmentation System” (IVAS). It will use Microsoft’s HoloLens headset technology as its base hardware.
As the Army’s press release notes, the device will be used to coordinate soldiers and implement sensing technologies on the battlefield.
Yom HaShoah: What Holocaust Survivors Can Teach Us About Overcoming Trauma
Yom HaShoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day. It coincides with the 27th of Nisan (on the Hebrew calendar) to mark the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943, when Jewish resistance fighters defied the Nazis and fought for freedom and dignity.
In Israel, at 10:00, an air raid siren sounds throughout the country and Israelis are expected to observe two minutes of solemn reflection. Almost everyone stops what they are doing, including motorists who stop their cars in the middle of the road, standing beside their vehicles in silence as the siren is sounded.
The date was selected by the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) on April 12, 1951. The full name became formal in a law that was enacted by the on August 19, 1953. Although the date was established by the Israeli government, it has become a day commemorated by Jewish communities and individuals worldwide.
Last Words: Voluntary Assisted Dying
The Wheeler Centre will present Andrew Denton, Hon. Betty King and Dr Phillip Parente on Tuesday 20 April 2021, 6:30pm at the Malthouse Theatre (Outdoor Stage), in South Melbourne.
Online: A Moment to Dream: Pope Francis’ Pathway to a Better Future
Pax Christi Australia presents Fratelli Tutti, the document by Pope Francis which is a groundbreaking vision urging us to “a Culture of Encounter”, in presentations on Sunday 18 April 2021, online.
8th Parliament of the World’s Religions, 2021
The 8th Parliament of the World’s Religions, hosted for the first time virtually, will bring together people of faith from around the world in an instant. The virtual Parliament is a safe way to gather the world’s global interfaith movement and celebrate the enduring spirit and work of religious and spiritual communities striving toward a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.
Stop ‘widespread violence’ against children in Myanmar, UN officials urge
Senior United Nations officials on Thursday strongly condemned the ongoing violence by Myanmar’s security forces against civilians, including children, as the members of the Security Council expressed alarm at the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country.
Young and old break unleavened bread, gather for Passover in homes
Jewish matriarch Masha Fisher spent last year’s Passover almost entirely alone for the first time in her 85 years. Mrs Fisher, a widow who lives by herself, avoided using technology to celebrate because religious principles forbid it but she joined in a brief ritual at a neighbour’s front fence. “I fulfilled the blessing of Passover without having a Passover,” she said, admitting without her neighbour’s kindness the occasion “didn’t seem like anything”.
Protect all those fleeing Myanmar, UN offices urge countries in the region
The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) have called on Myanmar’s neighbouring countries to offer refuge and protection to all those fleeing violence and persecution, as the crisis in Myanmar enters its third month.