Australian Bureau of Statistics to consult on religious classifications

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has started consultation on a major review of data it collects on religions.

 

The Religion Question

The ABS undertakes regular reviews of standards to ensure questions reflect the changing nature of Australian society. According to the ABS, Although the Australian Standard Classification of Religious Groups (ASCRG) was updated in 2016, it still reflects the original 1996 version based on the social environment in Australia at that time.

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USCIRF Condemns Crackdown on Religious Minorities in Iran

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)Washington, D.C. – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today condemned the Iranian government’s increased crackdown on religious minorities in the country. In recent weeks, Iran has arrested scores of Baha’is and raided their homes and destroyed Baha’i houses in Mazandaran province.

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Disaster Resilience in a Warming Climate

Friends (Quakers)Friends (Quakers) in the Asia West Pacific will deliver one workshop on Disaster Resilience in a Warming Climate and will be with Paula Paanamen who has worked internationally and with communities after the Burnt Summer of bushfires 2019-20 in Australia, and more recently during the unprecedented Australian floods. What skills and approaches are need for Friends to help build and be part of community resilience?

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United Nations International Day of Peace – Calm in the City

United Nations International Day of Peace - Calm in the CityEach year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The 2022 theme for the International Day of Peace is “End Racism – Build Peace”. This year’s theme is, once again, an invitation to reflect and act on the kind of world we want to live in now and to create for our future generations – a world where compassion, kindness, empathy and respect are the ruling forces. You are invited to join this half-hour4 peace-filled event on Wednesday, 21 September 2022, online.

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Pope Francis wants World Council of Churches assembly that strengthens bonds between churches

Pope FrancisPope Francis sent greetings to the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly as it opened. Cardinal Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (Roman Catholic Church) delivered greetings from Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church to the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly during its first thematic plenary, focused on Care for Creation.

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Nostra Aetate: Interfaith – Understanding & Welcoming

Nostra Aetate: Interfaith – Understanding and WelcomingIn the spirit of Nostra Aetate, Garratt Publishing – in conjunction with Yarra Theological Union – invite you to a 4-week webinar series exploring other religious traditions from a Catholic perspective. The online webinar will be conducted on Monday Evenings – 5 & 12 September, 3 & 10 October. Religions examined will be Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam – all from a Catholic perspective.

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Updates on Baha’is in Iran

Australian Bahai Community Bahá’ís are not free to practice their religion without harassment. Arbitrary detentions and interrogations are continually carried out against adherents of the Bahá’í Faith throughout the country, and the charges they are accused of reflect the absence of freedom of religion or belief for Bahá’ís in Iran. Currently, more than a thousand Bahá’ís are awaiting their legal hearings on spurious charges or waiting to be summoned and placed into overcrowded prisons; their state of limbo presenting another form of psychological torture.

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Religion and Artificial Intelligence

artificial intelligenceThe widespread use of AI systems raises a number of concerns. Existing AI technologies exhibit several features that pose serious threats to the protection of the fundamental rights of individuals and groups – including religious or belief citizens and communities. Such features include the opacity, unpredictability, bias and partially autonomous behaviours of AI systems. Here, the author of this report discusses issues in a video with Relgion and Diplomacy editor Judd Birdsall.

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World Council of Churches: Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace Publications

World Council of Churches logo

The World Council of Churches and Globethics.net have co-published four new books on different facets of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. Harvesting the insights from the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace process and visits from the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan, this series focuses on a number of geographic and thematic areas.

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