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Section: Religion

  • RELIGION

    21st century moral education leaves Simpson's donkey behind

    • Frank Brennan
    • 25 October 2007

    Many Australians have reservations about a government poster espousing such values with a quote from an English novelist, George Eliot, proclaiming "Character is Destiny". Others wonder about Simpson's Donkey as the emblematic carrier of these values. But how do schools train their students to be moral agents in the 21st century.

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  • RELIGION

    Loose reasoning on death penalty - Frank Brennan

    • Frank Brennan
    • 25 October 2007

    We think it is wrong for foreign states to impose the death penalty on Aussie drug traffickers and drug mules. But we apply different reasoning to non-Australians facing death at the hands of the state. The practical, hands on, Aussie approach often plays fast and loose with moral reasoning about what is right and wrong.

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  • RELIGION

    Protecting human rights in the next Federal Parliament - Frank Brennan

    • Frank Brennan
    • 25 October 2007

    There are times when we Australians get the balance between national interest and individual liberty wrong, especially when the individual is a member of a powerless minority. One way of improving the balance is including the judiciary in the calculus, as has now happened in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

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  • RELIGION

    Frank Brennan replies to Tony Abbott on religion in politics

    • Frank Brennan
    • 25 October 2007
    1 Comment

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  • RELIGION

    Confront sexual abuse, don't manage it

    • Geoffrey Robinson
    • 25 October 2007
    59 Comments

    As long as the Church seeks to manage rather than confront, the devastating effect the sexual abuse scandal has had on the Church will continue and will cripple other activities.

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  • RELIGION

    Sir Ronald Wilson's life in compartments

    • Frank Brennan
    • 17 October 2007

    At his swearing in as a High Court judge, Sir Ronald Wilson noted the significance of rich personal relationships. Early in his career he forged links with police and lawyers, becoming known as a ruthless prosecutor. Later it was with members of the Stolen Generation, who held him in high regard and with great affection.

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  • RELIGION

    Australia's ageing theological workforce

    • Neil Ormerod
    • 03 October 2007
    9 Comments

    In the past, Australia has produced a number of theologians and biblical scholars of international standing. But the future is bleak, with 37 per cent intending to retire within five years. Structural rationalisation must start now.

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  • RELIGION

    Ecumenical sensitivity meets church law on women bishops

    • Charles Sherlock
    • 03 October 2007
    2 Comments

    The last pane of the 'stained glass ceiling' was removed last week for most Australian Anglicans. It turns out that a decision made for ecumenical and post-colonial reasons has enabled the change.

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  • RELIGION

    Delivering the mentally disabled from evil

    • Scott Stephens
    • 19 September 2007
    7 Comments

    Superiority and the benevolence of modern science and the health-care system, versus the cruel, more ancient practice of ostracising the sick from civic life.

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  • RELIGION

    Reasonable security a better bet than total security

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 19 September 2007
    3 Comments

    The internal logic of total security regards the dignity of people who stand in the way, as dispensable. Once respect for some human beings is treated as optional, the human dignity of those offered security becomes equally dispensable.

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  • RELIGION

    The impact of leaky asylum boats on the Federal Election

    • Frank Brennan
    • 19 September 2007
    4 Comments

    The Howard Government must be given credit for increasing the size of our migration program, including the refugee and humanitarian component. But the deliberations of civil society should provide a fair go for all refugees, including those who arrive by boat without a visa.

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  • RELIGION

    The vulnerability of the person in respect of the State

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 12 September 2007
    8 Comments

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