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Section: Religion

  • RELIGION

    Fence-sitter seeks balance on same-sex marriage

    • Frank Brennan
    • 26 May 2008
    15 Comments

    Cardinal George Pell opposes a bill of rights in any form, but there are pros and cons. Some judges are tempted to extend their reach, running ahead of the public in forcing a social agenda.

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  • RELIGION

    Getting the balance right after the 2020 Summit

    • Frank Brennan
    • 26 May 2008
    1 Comment

    The text is from Professor Frank Brennan's 2008 Institute of Justice Studies Oration from 22 May 2008.  

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  • RELIGION

    AFL Demons hope last really will be first

    • Kylie Crabbe
    • 22 May 2008
    2 Comments

    The Melbourne Demons might have something to say about Jesus' claim 'the first will be last and the last will be first'. He wasn't talking about some new magic-bullet draft system, but a way of looking past social ladders to human equality.

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  • RELIGION

    Fresh insights in old books

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 08 May 2008
    8 Comments

    Literary festivals introduce us to new writing. They rarely celebrate the old, for nothing is older than an old book. The works of St Augustine challenge our instinctive assumption that new wisdom supersedes old wisdom.

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  • RELIGION

    Indigenous summiteers put dreams into practice

    • Frank Brennan
    • 30 April 2008
    7 Comments

    The abuse of children in remote communities has been the catalyst for revising romantic notion of land rights and self-determination. 2020 summiteers were allowed to dream and strategise about closing gaps while wondering how best to recognise the enduring rights of indigenous Australians.

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  • RELIGION

    Pope visit holds mirror up to 'grappling' US Catholics

    • Binoy Kampmark
    • 28 April 2008
    2 Comments

    Did the Pope's first visit to the US usher in any significant changes for the Church in that country? Benedict acknowledged that child abuse was a problem that had to be confronted, but would not divorce it from the broader assault on community values.

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  • RELIGION

    Church's future beyond left-right divide

    • James McEvoy
    • 22 April 2008
    13 Comments

    The secular media tends to frame Church politics as a tussle between progressive and conservative. If that perspective is true, both sides of the divide rely upon a shallow analysis of the cultural change that shaped Western society since the 1960s.

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  • RELIGION

    Female bishop sets Church on wider path

    • Charles Sherlock
    • 16 April 2008
    7 Comments

    In May, the Rev. Canon Kay Goldsworthy will become Australia's first female bishop. The role will entail pressures from those opposed to having a woman as bishop, and those who have been waiting for this moment for decades.

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  • RELIGION

    Deflecting the war on sentiment

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 08 April 2008
    4 Comments

    Symbolic gestures such as the apology to the Stolen Generations are often seen as a substitute for practical action. But sentiment provides important pathways into understanding the human impact of government policy-making.

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  • RELIGION

    Necessary tolerance of religious vilification

    • Peter Hodge
    • 03 April 2008
    2 Comments

    Not all behaviour that offends religious beliefs amounts to vilification. However, when freedom of expression results in incitement to religious hatred, a line has been crossed.

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  • RELIGION

    Amplifying the 'still, small voice' of indigenous rights

    • Frank Brennan
    • 02 April 2008
    5 Comments

    The Rudd Government is consulting and working out what to do about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The symbolism of reversing Australia's vote against the Declaration would need to be matched by more work in partnership with indigenous Australians.

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  • RELIGION

    Top cop confronts underbelly of corruption

    • Kylie Crabbe
    • 20 March 2008
    6 Comments

    It seems Victoria Police's Chief Commissioner, Christine Nixon, was fast-tracked to unpopularity by trying to be a thoughtful, discerning leader. The bitterness displayed by those she's locked horns with is testament to the danger of reforming a powerful institution.

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