The Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia (JCMA) offers three online sessions, Understanding & Interpreting Sacred Texts- The Abrahamic Faiths online, commencing evening of 8 October at 7:00PM. The speakers will be offering an approach to reading and interpreting their sacred texts followed by Q&A.
News
Judaism: Yad Vashem Holocaust Masterclass
In an Australian first, St Kilda Shule is partnering with Yad Vashem, Jerusalem to present a 10-week Holocaust education course. From Jewish life in pre-war Poland to artifacts from the Shoah, from the German Jewish response to the rise of Nazism to women in the Resistance, the course starts on Thursday 15 October and runs to 17 December inclusive.
Youth: The Sydney Statement
Youth PoWR – the Youth Parliament of the World’s Religions will launch the Interfaith Charter, the Sydney Statement, online, live on Facebook on evening of THURSDAY 15 October 2020, 7-8pm. You are invited to cast your vote for building bridges between religions.
New Toolkit on Engaging with Religious Leaders and Faith Communities
A new toolkit published by ACT Alliance EU, Caritas Europa, EU-CORD and Islamic Relief Worldwide gives EU decision-makersand civil society a concise practical tool to encourage engagement with local religious leaders and faith communities in humanitarian, development and peace response. It has been produced in the context ofpandemic response and looks ahead to the post-recovery phase. Yet its considerations apply broadly across programming sectors: from addressing conflict and fragility to defence of civil liberties.
Flatpack coffins help the environment, funeral costs and the grieving process
A group in Tasmania is trying to lift the lid on funeral expenses. Members have been making DIY coffins from wood but are now branching into cardboard; They say it’s cheaper, more environmentally friendly and can come as a flatpack.
Updated: Interfaith Prayers for Australia
Religions for Peace Australia will conduct Interfaith Prayers for Australia online, on Sunday 18 October 2020 at 5PM AEDT. Religious leaders from many faiths will be presenting prayers. All are welcome to attend. A zoom link is given below for this event. All are welcome and join in the prayers for the welfare of our nation.
Week of Action on Food creates path to “Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together”
Churches around the world will be observing Churches’ Week of Action on Food from 11-17 October as hunger is a stark reality for 26.4 percent of the world’s population. The theme of the World Food Day, which falls on 16 October this year, is “Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together.”
FAITH FOR NATURE: Multi-faith action
Faith for Nature: Multi-Faith Action is a global event designed to lay the foundation for inter-faith collaboration for sustainable and regenerative development to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The concept and objectives of this conference will be in support of the fifth United Nations Environment Assembly to be held in February 2021 in Nairobi with the overall theme “ Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”. The Faith for Nature Conference will have the following objectives and outcomes:
A) Identify the relevance and way forward in mobilising values, ethics, spirituality and faith-based action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
B) Empower faith-based organisations in taking action for the Sustainable Development Goals and to cooperate for sustainable and regenerative development, with a view to endorsing the establishment of a global Faith for Earth Coalition. Religions for Peace Australia will be participating in this event, giving Report from the Asia and Australia Hub.
Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture: Racial Equality in the Time of Coronavirus
The Australian Human Rights Commission presents the Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture: Racial Equality in the Time of Coronavirus online, on Friday 30th Oct 2020, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm. This online lecture is free. The 2020 Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture is sponsored by the European Union Delegation to Australia
Pilgrims return to Mecca as Saudi Arabia eases COVID restrictions
A limited number of people circled Islam’s holiest site in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months.
The kingdom took the rare step of suspending the Umrah – the smaller pilgrimage that draws millions all year round from around the world – in early March as the coronavirus morphed into a global pandemic and prompted countries to impose lockdowns and curfews to slow down transmission.
Religions, Ecology, & Our Environment
Religions for Peace and the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology recognise the critical need to generate energy around spiritually inspired environmental protection and sustainability. Thus, they are partnering to engage youth in the exploration of how religious, spiritual, or ethical approaches to environmental issues can complement approaches from science, policy, law, economics, or technology. The webinar – online – will take place on 2 October 2020.