RfPA

Push to liberate religious swasti in NSW from its ‘indoor prison’

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Unlike the symbol on the Nazi flag, the Hindu swasti commonly features four dots.
Unlike the symbol on the Nazi flag, the Hindu swasti commonly features four dots.

Surinder Jain has a dream: to normalise the swasti in Australia.

Not the hate symbol that featured on the Nazi flag and is still waved by far-right racists today. Jain is referring to the ancient icon that plays a central role in the religious practice of hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Surinder Jain, national vice president of the Hindu Council of Australia, has joined forces with NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive Darren Bark to promote awareness of the sacred swasti.

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Faith perspectives on palliative care

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queensland faith communities council

How do we support the spiritual needs of patients who are terminally ill? Watch the following videos to learn more about various faith perspectives on palliative care, including: Bahá’í, Tibetan Buddhist, Celtic Pagan, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Representatives of these faiths share a brief outline of their beliefs and how they apply in end-of-life situations. They offer practical advice concerning appropriate ways to interact with a patient and their loved ones in the lead up to death and the period immediately following.

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Tasmania – May 2022

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Quakers in Melbourne

Greetings of peace and Happy Passover because today is the last day of Pesach.

Yesterday was Earth Day, but given the urgency of our global situation, let’s make every day Earth Day.

As the sign on the Quaker Meeting House in Melbourne says, ‘Killing the Planet is Against our Religions’… our religions do not allow the destruction of the earth’…

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Sydney to get a war memorial honouring efforts of Sikh soldiers in Australia’s military history

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Sikh War Memorial

Sydney’s Blacktown City Council has approved the establishment of a war memorial commemorating the contributions and sacrifices made by the Sikh soldiers in epochal moments of military history, including World War I & II, Gallipoli, and Saragarhi.

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Darwin Muslims welcome traditional return of Ramadan after years of COVID restrictions

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Imam at Darwin masjidThe holy month of Ramadan began last weekend across the world. During the month Muslims are required to fast from dawn to dusk, abstaining from food and drink. The Darwin Mosque hosts around 400 Muslims every night.

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Victoria: 2022 Yom HaShoah Commemoration

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JCCV

The Jewish Community Council of Victoria will be hosting an inclusive virtual community commemoration for Yom Hashoah on Wednesday, April 27 at 7.30 pm. The event will be an online commemoration with poignant testimonies, the participation of a range of Jewish students, and messages of support from communal members, leaders, and affiliates.

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Tasmania – April 2022

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Tasmania Logo

We have entered the holy month of April in 2022 when all major faiths have special festivals as you will see below.

The month has come at a time of extraordinary conflict in the world and gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect on what peace means to us personally and in our faith traditions. This time is a blessed opportunity to make peace firstly within ourselves and then with all others as our faiths encourage us to do. If not us, as they say, then who?

Palm Sunday is also a time when refugees are remembered. The Melbourne Anglican community are going to make their Palm Sunday procession a reminder of the fate of refugees who have sought and are seeking asylum in Australia. But the support for this cause in Hobart is no less.

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Climate Change Workshops

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Victoria: Climate Change WorkshopsGembrook Retreat will conduct an ‘Active Hope in a time of climate crisis’ workshop in Gembrook on 9 April from 9AM to 6:30pm. For those who are overwhelmed or exhausted by the climate crisis, trying to take action and feeling the urgent need for our generation to change how we live! This workshop provides spiritual practices to help us support each other in maintaining an active hope. There will be a follow-up workshop on 14 May.

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Prayers for Peace in Ukraine

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NSW Ecumenical Council logo
The NSW Ecumenical Council will hold an Ecumenical event praying for peace in the world, especially for Ukraine and Ethiopia. This event will take place at St Demiana & St Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church, Punchbowl, on Thursday 24 March 2022. This is a face-to-face event and will be live streamed.

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Victorian Council of Churches Emergencies Ministry deployed to NSW

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Victorian Council of Churches Emergencies Ministry deployed to NSWOn Wednesday 16th March, the Victorian Council of Churches Emergencies Ministry deployed its first interstate team to Northern NSW to support the recovery efforts after the recent flood events. This deployment came about as the result of a request from the NSW Disaster Recovery Chaplaincy Network (DRCN) as a partner in the Australia Volunteer Emergency Chaplaincy Alliance (AVECA) and was a historical occasion.

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