Religion News Selection 23 (June 13

Religion News Selection 23 (June 13 - 20)

(21 June 10)
by Greg Spearritt

Religion News Selection

June 13 - 20, 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.

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Cardinal Pell 'blocked' on top Vatican post (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 16 - CARDINAL George Pell, whose promotion to a top Vatican job was expected this month, has been dropped from consideration because of former abuse allegations against him, according to informed sources in Rome.

INTERNATIONAL STORIES

Catholic Church

Vatican blesses Blues Brothers (ABC News)

June 18 - When Jake and Elwood Blues - the protagonists in John Landis's cult classic The Blues Brothers - claimed they were on a mission from God, the Catholic Church apparently took them at their word.

iPad Mass app hits the church altar (The Australian)

June 19 - AN Italian priest has developed an application that will let priests celebrate Mass with an iPad on the altar instead of the regular Roman missal.

Islam

A clash of civilisations

June 18 - Death threats have failed to intimidate an outspoken critic of Islam as she campaigns for a new feminist drive to liberate non-Western women.

Iran cleric says dogs "unclean" and not to be kept as pets (The West Australian, Perth)

June 19 - TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior Iranian cleric has decreed dogs are "unclean" and should not be kept as pets -- a move aimed at discouraging Western-style dog ownership in the Islamic state, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

Judaism

Ultra-Orthodox Jews in mass rally in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (The Australian)

June 18 - PARTS of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv disappeared under a sea of black hats as tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews massed in protest against a High Court ruling ordering children from different groups to study at the same school.

Other

Heir to throne attacks science, good sense (The Australian)

June 19 – (Opinion: Christopher Hitchens) THIS is what you get when you found a political system on the family values of Henry VIII.

ISLAM

An Australian gift turned the Cat to Islam (The Age, Melbourne)

June 16 - A YOUNG seeker named Cat Stevens ''picked up a couple of very important strands of the mysterious truth'' during his last tour of Australia in 1974.

The touchy nature of human faith (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 19 – (Opinion: Michael Leunig) "A Fatwa on you,'' said the email. A stranger is alerting me to a photograph that may be of interest.

POLITICS

Health Minister Nicola Roxon attacks Tony Abbott on abortion issue (News.com.au)

June 16 - FEDERAL Health Minister Nicola Roxon has launched an attack on Tony Abbott and his religion, accusing the opposition leader of letting his "personal beliefs" in Catholicism affect policy formulation.

Pro-lifers attack Fielding over 'wedge' (The Age, Melbourne)

June 17 - A ROW over late-term abortions threatened to overshadow debate on Australia's first paid parental leave scheme yesterday, as Family First senator Steve Fielding was accused by other pro-life senators of trying to create an ''abortion wedge''.

Also: Fielding hits pay dirt in the gutter (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 19 – (Opinion: Lenore Taylor) Australians finally got paid parental leave this week... So you'd think the lone parliamentary representative of a party called Family First would be happy, right?

Also: We need to reclaim 'family values' from the lingo of extremists (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 19 – (Opinion: Lisa Pryor) Prostitutes and Prisoners sounds like a great theme for a fancy dress party.

RELIGION & SOCIETY

Why can't a woman be more like a man?

June 14 – (Opinion: Barney Zwartz) “Why can’t a woman be more like a man?” inquired Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady – a most reasonable yet unanswerable question.

Keeping the faith (The West Australian, Perth)

June 15 - Orthodox and Pentecostal religious groups have weathered the demise of faith over the past 16 years, coming out on top of other followings that had experienced a sharp decline.

Christian groups want ban on 1975 film reinstated (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 16 - CONSERVATIVE groups and senators are launching a legal bid to reinstate the ban on the Italian film Salo.

Kids need protection from ads - and Bible bashers (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 20 – (Opinion: Leslie Cannold) THIS is James, a NSW scripture teacher: "The great opportunity we have in teaching scripture in our primary schools ... is that we're allowed to teach it up to an hour a week ... I spoke to a ... student ... and I said: 'Did you know that God loves you?' and he said: 'No I didn't.'

From the Archive…

Religion News Australia 2010 - 23 (June 13 - 20)

Religion News Australia 2010 - 22 (June 6 - 13)

Religion News Australia 2010 - 21 (May 30 – June 6)

Religion News Australia 2010 - 20 (May 23 - 30)

Religion News Australia 2010 - 19 (May 16 - 23)

Religion News Australia 2010 - 18 (May 9 - 16)

Religion News Australia 2010 - 17 (May 3 - 9)

Religion News Australia 2010 - 16 (Apr 26 – May 3)

Religion News Australia 2010 - 15 (Apr 18 - 26)

Religion News Australia 2010 - 14 (Apr 11 - 18)

Religion News Australia 2010 - 13 (Apr 4 - 11)