Religions for Peace Australia presents Racism in times of Covid-19, an account of racism and extremism in times of pandemic. This video – delivered by Emeritus Professor Desmond Cahill, OAM, touches on many bases and causes of racism generally, in addition to addressing far-right extremism in Australia, which has undoubtedly contributed to this issue.
News
Tibetan Buddhist Email Spam (Scam)
A group of disaffected Tibetan Buddhist followers are spamming religion and spirituality websites in Australia with a so-called TEDX talk by a geshe. The Office of the Dalai Lama has rebuffed the behaviour of this geshe. The email addresses are all spoofed, meaning the mails are sent via a contact form on a website and action cannot be taken against the sender for anti-social behaviour. Recipients are urged to take action against the senders.
The Struggle for Federal Democracy and Inclusive Governance in Myanmar
Religions for Peace International will engage the Myanmar Peace Process in conversation with the co-founder of Religions for Peace Myanmar. This is a free session, all are welcome to attend on Jun 11, 2021 08:30 AM in Eastern Time (US and Canada).
Elder Abuse: Everyone’s business
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is commemorated each year on 15 June to highlight one of the worst manifestations of ageism and inequality in our society, elder abuse. Elder abuse is any act which causes harm to an older person and is carried out by someone they know and trust such as a family member or friend. The abuse may be physical, social, financial, psychological or sexual and can include mistreatment and neglect.
Book Launch: Religious Soft Diplomacy & the United Nations: Religious Engagement as Loyal Opposition
Rev. Prof. Dr. James T. Christie and Dr. Sherrie M. Steiner recently published a book with the title “Religious Soft Diplomacy and the United Nations – Religious Engagement as Loyal Opposition”. The engagement of religious diplomacy within the United Nations systems has become increasingly important for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Launch will take place in New York on 24 June 2021 |from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm EST.
Truth Telling in Australia
Pax Christi Australia – in collaboration with Religions for Peace Australia, will jointly present the June Agape session, “Truth Telling in Australia”. The guest speaker will be Sherry Balcombe, of Aboriginal Catholic Ministry. The session will occur at the Kildara Centre, Stanhope St, Malvern on Sunday 27 June at 1:00pm (for lunch), presentation commences at 2:00pm
Australian Women join global effort to get more religious women on Wikipedia
Australian women are playing a major part in a global effort to increase the number of biographical entries about religious women on Wikipedia. Currently, less than 20 per cent of Wikipedia’s biographical entries are about women and less than 10 per cent of its editors are women.
UniMelb: Contemplative Studies Centre
The University of Melbourne is establishing a Contemplative Studies Centre, which will be the first point of entry into the world of mindfulness, meditation and contemplative practice at the University.
Spiritual Care Australia Annual Conference
Spiritual Care Australia will deliver its Annual Conference online from 21 – 23 June 2021. The theme for the conference is Roads Less Travelled, Spiritual Care in the 21st Century.
Moral Injury
Moral injury is the damage done to one’s conscience or moral compass when that person perpetrates, witnesses, or fails to prevent acts that transgress one’s own moral beliefs, values, or ethical codes of conduct. Moral Injury has occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it also impinges on individuals, families, communities and organisations.
Greenfaith: Our Ten Climate Demands
June 5 is World Environment Day, and much must be done to protect the only Earth we have. Greenfaith – Interfaith Partners for Climate Action have a mission statement that tells, “Because the Earth and all people are sacred and at risk, GreenFaith is building a worldwide, multi-faith climate and environmental movement”.
Together our members create communities to transform ourselves, our spiritual institutions, and society to protect the planet and create a compassionate, loving and just world. Here, we bring you the Ten Climate Demands of Greenfaith, Interfaith Partners for Climate Action.
Forest Restoration: Healing Tropical Forests for Spiritual Renewal
The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative has launched a new primer, ‘Forest Restoration: Healing Tropical Forests for Spiritual Renewal’. It outlines why forest restoration is an essential complement to forest protection and details how and why faith groups should participate in forest restoration projects that contribute to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.