Each December, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, among others, take over our thoughts and our wallets as we participate in ceremonies our ancestors have practised for as long as we can remember. These are all example of traditions. And in most cases, traditions are accompanied by rituals.
Europe
As European blasphemy laws endure, journalists should consider how words can get them in trouble
Emeritus Professor Gillian Triggs will deliver the World Interfaith Harmony Week address at Melbourne University on evening of 5 February. Her topic will be Religious Freedom in Australia. In Europe, the media are confronting an explosive combination: The democratic demand for freedom of speech and the equally emotionally laden demand that sincerely held religious beliefs not be subjected to indiscriminate insults and scorn.