Religion News Selection 19 (May 13

Religion News Selection 19 (May 13 - 20)

(19 May 12)
by Greg Spearritt

Religion News Selection

May 13 - 20, 2012

A selection of religion news stories from Australia.

(Research: Greg Spearritt)

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

Rabbi knew of molest rumours (The Age, Melbourne)

May 15 - THE ex-principal of a Melbourne Jewish school has changed his evidence about his knowledge of alleged paedophilia and conceded he was aware in the early 2000s of rumours that a former security guard had molested children.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

In a secular age, the big public galleries could do more (Sydney Morning Herald)

May 14 – (Opinion: Peter Hodge) Perhaps, as Alain de Botton suggests in Religion for Atheists, it is time we rethink the way art is organised in galleries.

INTERNATIONAL STORIES

Abuse

Philadelphia Catholic church's child abuse cover-up went to extraordinary security measures (Adelaide Now)

May 17 - EVIDENCE in a groundbreaking priest-abuse trial shows the men running the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia used elaborate methods to keep sex-abuse complaints from prying eyes.

Catholic Church

Exclusive: Order knew for months about priest scandal: Vatican official (The West Australian)

May 17 - VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Leaders of the scandal-plagued Legionaries of Christ religious order knew that their most famous priest had fathered a child for many months before they acknowledged it this week, a top Vatican official told Reuters on Wednesday.

US Politics

Religion as a partisan trump card (The Australian)

May 16 – (Opinion: Michael Gerson) MITT Romney did not rise on the power of his rhetoric.

Religious Violence

Iranian rapper draws Shi'ite wrath, death bounty (The West Australian)

May 14 - DUBAI (Reuters) - An Iranian rapper living in Germany has a $100,000 bounty on his head after an Islamist website offered a reward for anyone who kills him over a song that satirizes the Islamic Republic and irreverently addresses a historic religious figure.

Georgia gay activists rally after religious attacks (The West Australian)

May 19 - TBILISI (AFP) - Dozens of gay rights supporters rallied for a second day in the Georgian capital Friday after being attacked by Orthodox Christians during their initial march in the deeply religious Caucasus state.

Other

No hint of world's end in oldest Mayan calendar (ABC News)

May 11 - Researchers say new analysis of the earliest known Mayan calendar, found in an ancient house in Guatemala, offers no hint that the world's end is imminent.

Philippine rally demands Lady Gaga ban (The West Australian)

May 19 - MANILA (AFP) - Hundreds of protesters marched in the Philippine capital Saturday to demand a ban on pop phenomenon Lady Gaga's upcoming concerts, claiming her lyrics were anti-Christian.

RELIGION & SOCIETY

Doctors group says heterosexual marriage better for kids (ABC News)

May 14 - The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has distanced itself from a group of prominent doctors who say children are better off when raised by heterosexual parents, rather than same-sex couples.

Time to say 'I do' on gay marriage (Courier-Mail, Brisbane)

May 15 – (Opinion: Paul Syvret) I HAVE worn the same gold band on my wedding finger for close to a decade now.

Truth is the forgotten family value (Sydney Morning Herald)

May 16 – (Opinion: George Monbiot) Cultural conservatives' moral concerns about marriage are based on a view of history that is almost entirely false.

Australians must embrace gay marriage (Perth Now)

May 16 – (Opinion: Jeff Kennett) TODAY, I call on the Catholic Church and the community to review its position on marriage.

Judge ordered parents to vaccinate baby (The Age, Melbourne)

May 18 - A judge has ordered a mother and father take their newborn baby to hospital for urgent hepatitis B injections, despite the parents’ opposition to vaccinations.

No falling by the wayside for this revamped institution (Sydney Morning Herald)

May 19 - ''SOMETIMES I have Christians come in here who say, 'You're doing a great job, Pastor. But these people need to be saved,''' says Graham Long.