Religion News Selection 26 (July 4

Religion News Selection 26 (July 4 - 11)

(10 July 10)
by Greg Spearritt

Religion News Selection

June July 4 - 11, 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.

ABUSE

The sins of the fathers – and an apology (Sydney Morning Herald)

July 5 – (Opinion: Barney Zwartz) The Vatican might have named 2010 the Year of Abuse Revelations, rather than the just concluded Year of the Priest. But in Melbourne, Archbishop Denis Hart has just made the most comprehensive apology for sexual abuse by clergy that I’ve yet come across.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Creation (Perth Now)

July 10 – (Review) VIEWERS expecting a spirited philosophical debate in this intriguingly titled flick are going to be sorely disappointed.

CATHOLIC CHURCH

Rosary fashion offends Catholics (Adelaide Now)

July 11 - CATHOLICS are outraged after discovering rosary beads - sacred objects used in prayer - are being flaunted as a new fashion statement.

EDUCATION

Think tank proposes Australian students be taught positives about Islam and Muslims (The Courier-Mail, Brisbane)

July 11 - EVERY Australian school student would be taught positive things about Islam and Muslims and that Australia was a racist country, under a plan being proposed by an education think tank.

INTERNATIONAL STORIES

Anglican Church

Anglican leaders fear split if gay priest is ordained bishop (Sydney Morning Herald)

July 9 - LONDON: An openly gay cleric has been prevented from becoming a Church of England bishop, amid fears the controversial ordination could further strain the Anglican movement, according to newspaper reports.

Church of England rejects women bishop plan (The Australian)

July 11 - THE Church of England was in turmoil after plans by its top leaders designed to avoid a split over allowing women bishops were voted down.

Buddhism

Celebrations and sadness as Dalai Lama turns 75 (Sydney Morning Herald)

July 6 - The Dalai Lama turned 75 Tuesday, a milestone marked by celebrations in his hometown-in-exile but tinged by sadness that his compatriots in Tibet were unable to honour the occasion.

Islam

Don't label all Muslims as extreme, US told (The Courier-Mail, Brisbane)

July 7 - MALAYSIAN Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has offered some insight for the US on dealing with the Muslim world: highlight successes, fund education, and do not fear openly debating radicals.

Former Hezbollah mentor had radical views about women (Sydney Morning Herald)

July 8 – (Obituary) Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah was one of the most revered clerics in the Shiite Muslim faith and a one-time spiritual mentor to the Lebanese political organisation and militia Hezbollah.

Sufi tragedy should be remembered (Sydney Morning Herald)

July 9 – (Opinion: Stephanie Dowrick) Intra-faith violence is just as tragic as enmity between religions.

The veil: woman's right or millstone? (The Australian)

July 9 – (Opinion: Ida Lichter) THE association of Islamic dress with militancy is the source of Western fears

Religious Violence

Stoning case review (The Age, Melbourne)

July 11 - IRAN has imposed a media blackout over the case of a 43-year-old mother of two who was sentenced to be stoned to death and whose fate is still unclear despite an apparent ''reprieve''.

Other

Retiring Murali hails 'God's gift' (ABC News)

July 9 - Sri Lanka's record-breaking spinner Muttiah Muralidaran brushed aside criticism of his bowling action, calling his unorthodox style "a gift from God" as he officially confirmed his retirement from Test cricket.

ISLAM

Democracy is the right stuff (The Australian)

July 5 – (Opinion: Editorial) ISLAMIC organisation Hizb-ut-Tahir met in Sydney yesterday to discuss its campaign for a trans-national Islamic state and to denounce democracy, which local spokesman Uthman Badar calls, "a bankrupt and irrational idea".

Also: Cry halt when Islamists take liberties (The Australian)

July 9 – (Opinion: Carl Ungerer and Anthony Bergin) THERE'S a case for clamping down on the confrontationist group Hizb ut-Tahrir.

JUDAISM

Siblings given religious freedom of choice (The Age, Melbourne)

July 7 - A FATHER has won the right to stop his children from taking part in Jewish coming-of-age ceremonies, after a court agreed with the man that they should be able to make their own religious choices.

POLITICS

Secret women's business acknowledgment welcomed (ABC News)

July 5 - A new chapter is being written in one of Australia's most bitter political and cultural sagas.

Don't judge Gillard on lack of faith: Abbott (Sydney Morning Herald)

July 8 - Prime Minister Julia Gillard should not be judged on her absence of faith, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says.

Power not a God-given right (The Australian)

July 10 – (Opinion: David Burchell) IT'S become increasingly clear in the past decade that religion did not actually die out simply because intellectuals may have willed it to; and that even as faith becomes more tenuous and variegated, its political implications become more complex.

Catholics led charge against communists (The Australian)

July 10 – (Opinion: Angela Shanahan) Many DLP supporters sacrificed their careers to save Australia from communism.

RELIGION & SOCIETY

Faith healing in the USA (Sydney Morning Herald)

July 5 – (Opinion: Dick Gross) In March 2008, 11-year-old Kara Neumann lay on a mattress on the floor of her family’s home in Wisconsin while parents and friends around her were praying.

Banking not the devil's domain (The Australian)

July 10 – (Opinion: Niall Ferguson) WOULD-BE financiers must be taught there is a moral dimension to their business, says Niall Ferguson.