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Ethics in Schools

Tuesday, 13 April 2010 14:34 | Written by joni

SMH reports that Archbishop Peter Jensen has lobbied the NSW Premier because he fears that secular ethics clases could "jeopardise the future of religious education".

NSW is launching a trial of ethics classes which will be trialed/reviewed by the St James Ethics Center.

During the initial consultation process Dr Jensen refused to meet representatives from the St James Ethics Centre, which will conduct the trial, according to its executive director, Simon Longstaff.

Why would Jensen refuse? What is wrong with non-religious teaching of ethics?

The article goes on to say that the church thinks that enrolments in religious classes could fall.

'Be warned: if the government allows this course to continue after the trial, it will jeopardise religious education in public schools,' Dr Jensen wrote in the Anglican newspaper Southern Cross. 'Without such a religious component, public schools will cease to be inclusive of all children.'

Why does the church think they have a monopoly on ethics? Why is it bad if parents decide that secular ethics classes are better for their children?

Arrested Behaviour

Monday, 12 April 2010 11:28 | Written by joni

As Nasking has put in comments, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have instructed lawyers to look into the possibility of arresting Pope Benedict XVI on charges of "crimes against humanity". The Guardian says:

The pair argue that Pope Benedict XVI should be arrested when he visits Britain in September and put on trial for his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic church. Last week a letter emerged from 1985 in which the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger urged that a paedophilic priest in America not be defrocked for the "good of the universal church".

I think as bad as the actions of the Catholic Chruch are, these sort of moves are counter-productive.

But is the pope immune from prosecution as a head of state?

The Vatican has already suggested the pope is immune from prosecution because he is a head of state. But Dawkins and Hitchens believe that because he is not the head of a state with full United Nations membership, he does not hold immunity and could be arrested when he steps on to British soil.

Interesting times ahead I think.

The church that sins

Sunday, 28 March 2010 15:47 | Written by joni

With Easter just around the corner, the catholic church is losing the media battle. ABC has an article that brings together some of the media from around the world. For example:

In Spain's El Pais, a theology professor remarked that the Roman Catholic Church was quick to link abortion with sin but had "difficulty doing the same thing when it came to sexual abuse committed by people dedicated to God."

The allegations of sexual abuse are not new, so why does the church not really deal with the issue. In any other organisation I am sure that the law enforcement agencies would have been called in, but the church is just allowed to deal with the issue internally.

Mercy Ministries Shut Down!

Thursday, 05 November 2009 10:54 | Written by B.Tolputt

As you probably have noticed, my article contributions have dropped of late. Amongst the minor "fire-fighting" efforts I took on as moderator, my work load recently increased which has reduced my "free time" somewhat. Along with the successful purchase, move, and fixing up of my new home. However, sometimes a story comes up I just have to comment on. It would appear that "bad publicity" is shutting down the Aussie branch of Mercy Ministries... and personally I'm cheering.

Now, I will acknowledge that there has been some good come from the organisation in Australia. Some young women have been helped through troubling times and have, in some cases, had their afflictions cured or at least alleviated to a large extent. That said, there have been some very troubling stories coming from the Aussie branch of this Christian charity (and yes, the Christian part is important, see after fold for why).

Holy Days and Religious Holidays

Monday, 14 September 2009 16:07 | Written by Shane in QLD

As most of you know I am a Christian and was raised a Catholic. However I truly believe in a society where all are free to practice whatever religion they choose, provided they abide by and respect our laws.

I also believe a religion should lead by example, especially if they want another country to respect or recognise their own holy days and religious ceremonies.The muslim community which respesents 1.5% of our population (according to the 2001 census) are now asking for Australia to observe and respect their holy days and ceremonies and are asking that Australia observe other religious ceremonies and holy days of religions other than christianity including jewish holy days.