Religion News Selection 24 (June 20

Religion News Selection 24 (June 20 - 27)

(26 June 10)
by Greg Spearritt

Religion News Selection

June 20 - 27, 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.

EDUCATION

School ethics classes at risk in NSW (The Age, Melbourne)

June 22 - Proposed ethics classes in NSW are at risk after the Department of Education ruled full-time teachers cannot conduct the lessons.

Creationism creeps into NSW schools (The Australian)

June 25 - STUDENTS at one NSW school were told by an untrained scripture teacher they would "burn in hell" if they didn't believe in Jesus

INTERNATIONAL STORIES

Catholic Church

Vatican, Vietnam look to improve ties (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 27 - The Pope will appoint a representative for Vietnam in a first step toward establishing diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the communist nation.

Religious Violence

Best we can do is to pull out of Afghanistan (The Australian)

June 23 – (Opinion: Michael O'Connor) THE war in Muslim Afghanistan cannot be won by the armed forces of a Christian country.

Al-Qaeda's 'first lady' a middle-class mother (The Age, Melbourne)

June 27 - SAUDI Arabia is reviewing its terrorism strategy after the detection of a female-run network that was fund-raising for al-Qaeda.

Other

Rome finds oldest icons of four Apostles beneath its streets (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 24 - SANTA TECLA, Rome: The earliest known icons of four of Christ's apostles have been found in an elaborately decorated chamber in a catacomb beneath the streets of Rome.

ISLAM

No burkas at religious freedom taskforce (The Australian)

June 25 - GRACE Portolesi bristles at the suggestion her pro-burka religious freedom taskforce is a half-hearted attempt to build tolerance

POLITICS

Christian voters put Rudd, Abbott to the test (ABC News)

June 22 - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott have been put to the test by Australia's Christian leaders in what could be the final week of Parliament before the next election.

Also: Here God is anything but dead (The Age, Melbourne)

June 22 – (Opinion: Gerard Henderson) Religion still matters if last night's roll-up at the 2010 Make It Count event, organised by the Australian Christian Lobby, is any guide.

NSW Premier rejects burqa ban bill (The Age, Melbourne)

June 23 - NSW Premier Kristina Keneally doesn't support a proposal to ban women from wearing burqas in public, saying she wants a NSW which is "open and tolerant".

Also: Nile is denying Muslim women their freedom (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 24 – (Opinion: Widyan Al Ubudy) The curtains have opened and the burqa has yet again taken centre stage on the political agenda.

Also: Full-face burka lifts the veil on Western feminists' insecurities (The Australian)

June 26 – (Opinion: Angela Shanahan) NSW morals campaigner Fred Nile would like women to cover up more, one might think.

Strange mix of politics and faith (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 26 – (Opinion: Joel Gibson) Julia Gillard may have been the first Prime Minister in Australia's history to eschew the good book when being sworn in this week.

Also: Woman on a mending mission (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 26 – (Opinion: Lenore Taylor) In the space of a single night Australians found themselves with a chatty, left-wing, female, non-religious Prime Minister when they had voted for a nerdy, Christian bloke from the right.

RELIGION & SOCIETY

Thinking men and women need clear conscience on gay adoption (Sydney Morning Herald)

June 26 – (Opinion: Lisa Pryor) Those gays are after the children again.