Senator Fraser Anning’s remarks, during his maiden speech in the Australian Parliament on Tuesday 14 August 2018, in which he called for the restoration of “White Australia policy” and “Muslim ban” on immigration has been overwhelmingly rejected by Australians including politicians of all major political parties and various sections of the civil society.
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ABC Life: How to sit with someone who’s dying
When his grandfather died in the emergency department of a Hobart hospital, Andreas was by his side. “I was really frightened.” It was Andreas’s first experience of being with a dying person and it made him anxious.
“As his breathing slowed down and he was taking less and less breaths, I was worried about how I was going to feel when he didn’t take any more,” he says. “And then he had one final really deep inhale and exhale, and it was fine. “I wasn’t panicked at all. I thought ‘Oh, it’s not weird’.
International: G20 Interfaith, Argentina, 26-28 September 2018
The 2018 G20 Interfaith Forum will take place 26-28 September in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Meetings will be held in the Auditorio Manuel Belgrano in the historic Palacio San Martín of Argentina’s Cancillería, the Ministry of Foreign and Religious Affairs, and the nearby conference hotel, the Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel and Convention Center. This is the fifth annual event in a series of G20 Interfaith Forums held in relation to the meetings of the international “Group of Twenty” (G20) Economic Summit. The G20 Interfaith Forum is pleased this year to partner with meetings of the Argentinian project Ética y Economía, an ongoing dialogue on religiously- and ethically-informed dimensions of the economy, development, and society.
Thou shalt not put politics ahead of religion
Senior figures, including the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader among others, have been discussing their religious beliefs in a new book on faith without the usual deer-in-headlights reaction that occurs whenever a politician spots a godless and cynical journalist looking for a gotcha moment.
Why America’s ‘nones’ don’t identify with a religion
Six-in-ten religiously unaffiliated Americans – adults who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” – say the questioning of religious teachings is a very important reason for their lack of affiliation.
Unions seek to end religious bodies’ right to discriminate in hiring
Australia’s union movement will lobby for churches and other religious organisations to lose the legal right to fire some workers on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity.
Brahma Kumaris: Sister Shivani to tour Australia
World-renowned empowerment speaker Sister Shivani is coming to Australia for a national speaking tour. The tour is being promoted by Brahma Kumaris Australia and will take in all capital cities plus the Gold Coast. Sister Shivani has been a practitioner and teacher of Raja Yoga Meditation with The Brahma Kumaris since 1996.
Malala Yousafzai is coming to Australia to share her remarkable story
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai will be making her first trip to Australia later this year.
She’ll be speaking at events in Melbourne and Sydney in December, organised by the The Growth Faculty, headed up by Karen Beattie.
Pope Francis changes Church Teaching to say death penalty ‘inadmissible’
Pope Francis has given a new stance on death penalty, which now reads that, “the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person”.
#YouCanTalk
#YouCanTalk is a joint national suicide prevention campaign aimed at giving people the confidence to respond to friends and family when they need help and guide them to the right support services.
The campaign is a collaborative effort by beyondblue, Black Dog Institute, Everymind, headspace, Lifeline, ReachOut and R U OK?, which aims to empower and increase confidence when it comes to talking about suicide.
UNICEF: Faith for Social and Behavior Change Initiative
(Bangkok, 10-12 July 2018) As part of the ongoing Religions for Peace (RfP)-UNICEF Global Partnership, UNICEF and RfP launched a new initiative entitled “Faith for Social and Behavior Change Initiative” at a global workshop in Bangkok from 10-12 July 2018, in partnership with Joint Learning Initiative (JLI) and Rissho Kosei-kai (RKK). The workshop brought together UNICEF country offices and faith-based organizations from more than 30 strategically selected countries.
International: Passing of Cardinal Tauran
French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue, died on the evening of July 5, 2018 in the United States, at the age of 75. His death was announced by Vatican media the following day. The French cardinal was described as a “craftsman of the interreligious dialogue.” His particular openness to the Muslims enabled much progress worldwide in Christian-Muslim relations. A great friend of interfaith relations has passed over. He was recently promoted to Camerlengo, which would have placed him in charge of the Church during a period of Papal vacancy.
