Religion News Selection 11 (Mar 21 - 28)
(27 March 10)by Greg Spearritt
Religion News Selection
Mar 21 - 28, 2010
A selection of religion news stories from Australia.
Inclusion here does not endorse the veracity or quality of any particular item – it just means I found it worth reading and reflecting on (even if badly conceived or poorly written).
If you’re after the unexpurgated (and reasonably unbiased) version, see Religion News Australia which appears weekly on our website.
BUDDHISM
River offerings to ward off disaster (The Age, Melbourne)
Mar 23 - THE 18th incarnation of the Kadhampa Buddha moved yesterday to protect Melbourne from natural disasters and to increase compassion and happiness in the world by casting offerings into the Yarra River.
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Church prepares for Indian priests' arrival (ABC News)
Mar 25 - Central Queensland's Catholic Church is looking at ways to make Indian priests feel welcome in the region.
Cardinal Pell tipped to tackle Church's sexual abuse scandal (The Australian)
Mar 27 - IRISH and British media, and Catholic Church officials, are speculating that Australia's Cardinal George Pell will be sent to clean up the mess over church abuse in Ireland.
EDUCATION
Greens push for counsellors, not chaplains (WAToday.com.au)
Mar 27 - THE Greens want to scrap the national school chaplaincy program and replace it with a scheme to help schools employ counsellors and community liaison officers.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES
Abuse – Catholic Church
Church has lost moral authority (The Age, Melbourne)
Mar 22 – (Opinion: Madeleine Bunting) There is only one conceivable reaction to the fast-spreading crisis in the Catholic Church: horror.
Catholics leave in record numbers (The Age, Melbourne)
Mar 26 - BARELY one in six Germans say they have confidence in the Catholic Church in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal, and those in dioceses affected by paedophile priests are leaving in record numbers.
Vatican decries 'ignoble' smear of Pope Benedict XVI (The Australian)
Mar 27 - ROME: The Vatican yesterday denounced what it called an "ignoble attempt" to smear the Pope over his handling of a sexual abuse case involving a priest who allegedly molested hundreds of students decades ago at a Milwaukee school for the deaf.
Media attacks Pope's handling of abuse (ABC News)
Mar 28 - The child abuse scandal rocking the Catholic Church homed in on Pope Benedict XVI, labelled the "biggest sinner" in one newspaper as the Vatican said his handling of the crisis would only strengthen his authority.
Islam
Not all tension in Turkey is West v Islam (The Australian)
Mar 25 – (Opinion: Whit Mason) A HISTORIC power struggle is afoot in a Muslim-majority country of the greatest importance to the future of the Islamic world and to the West's relationship with it: Turkey.
Other
Bewildered author vows he's not the messiah (WAToday.com.au)
Mar 21 - A religious group bizarrely believes a writer has come to save the world.
My big fat last supper: the apostles' greed (Sydney Morning Herald)
Mar 24 - LOS ANGELES: Christianity holds several acts of ''super-sizing'' to be miracles accomplished by Jesus - a handful of fish and loaves of bread expanded to feed thousands; a wedding feast running low on wine suddenly awash with the stuff.
Millionaire keeps vow to God and gives his empire to charity (Sydney Morning Herald)
Mar 27 - LONDON: The multimillionaire who founded the Kwik Save supermarket chain has given his business empire to charity to fulfil a ''pact with God''.
ISLAM
Sharia law would harm Aussie Muslim women (The Australian)
Mar 25 – (Opinion: Ida Lichter) SHARIA law for Australia is being mooted again.
POLITICS
Religious groups fear 'witch-hunt' (The Age, Melbourne)
Mar 25 - RELIGIOUS groups fear the Equal Opportunity Bill debated in State Parliament yesterday will launch a witch-hunt against them and schools, forcing some to secularise or disband.
Catholics vs. non-believers (The Australian)
Mar 25 - THE Catholics are coming. Or so it would seem with political leaders of both persuasions publicly discussing their faith.
RELIGION & SOCIETY
Darwin could be new spiritual capital (ABC News)
Mar 25 - A business lecturer from Charles Darwin University says the Top End could become the spiritual tourism capital of south-east Asia.
Gullibility is written in the stars (Sydney Morning Herald)
Mar 26 – (Opinion: Sarah McKenzie) The utter stupidity of astrology was brought home to me when I was pregnant with my first child.
Out of the closet (The Australian)
Mar 27 – (Opinion: Phillip Adams) I'M told that "friends of Dorothy" introduce themselves at AA meetings by saying, "I'm John. I'm an alcoholic".
Fast road to piety (The Age, Melbourne)
Mar 28 – (Opinion: Charles Waterstreet) Each year for Lent, my mum would give up her five teaspoons of sugar in her cup of tea.
From the Archive…
Religion News Australia 2010 - 11 (March 21 - 28)
Religion News Australia 2010 - 10 (March 7 - 21)
Religion News Australia 2010 - 9 (February 28 – March 7)
Religion News Australia 2010 - 8 (February 21 - 28)
Religion News Australia 2010 - 7 (February 14 - 21)
Religion News Australia 2010 - 6 (February 7 - 14)
Religion News Australia 2010 - 5 (February 1 - 7)
Religion News Australia 2010 - 4 (January 24 - 31)
Religion News Australia 2010 - 3 (January 17 - 24)
Religion News Australia 2010 - 2 (January 10 - 17)
Religion News Australia 2010 - 1 (January 2 - 10)
Religion News Australia 2009 - 50 (December 27 – January 2)
