Weekend Wrap for 28 April 2024

Lucy Hamilton: The Bishop
"The stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel on the weekend during his church service, days after the Bondi stabbing, demands Australia focuses on solving the causes. ... The Bishop is a complicated man. Apparently he does much good but he also expresses his bigotry in his “humorous” caricatures of, for example, Koreans, as part of geopolitical fearmongering. He dismissed Islam in “many of his sermons.” The religious ethnostate and militarism are central to this Christian Nationalist worldview. We must discuss the elements of Christian Nationalism that promote violence, whether in its demonisation of Islam and LGBTQIA+ people, or its inculcation of the misogyny that is connected to so much violence in our society. There is no excuse for this stabbing. We must work to address the many causes, including heated rhetoric, that promote it." (20 Apr 2024)
Read more at Pearls & Irritations

Josh Roose: Is Australian multiculturalism at a crossroads? How terror attacks on faith communities tear the social fabric
"In the case of the attack on Bishop Mar Mari, it was reported that the alleged offender openly stated his religious motivation (as defending Islam). Further, it seemed to be timed to coincide with a livestream, and obviously caused serious harm and danger. Labelling the incident an “act of terror” would not, historically, be particularly controversial. ... There have been efforts by some in Muslim communities to challenge the designation of religious motivation for terrorism as an element of the Australian legislation. Gamal Kheir, Secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association, asked, 'Why are we so quick to jump to a definition of terrorism when religion is involved?'" (23 Apr 2024)
Read more at ABC Religion & Ethics

Alastair Lawrie: Decoding Life, Freedoms and Governance
"I must confess I don’t feel particularly qualified to talk in detail on the topic of ‘decoding life’ – which is something most people do in consultation with their therapist. I do, however, have plenty to say on the twin, and intertwining, topics of ‘decoding freedoms’ and ‘decoding governance’, at least partly based on my lived experience. That’s because, as a 45-year-old gay man, it has been impossible to avoid thinking about the meaning of freedom – of what I have been free to do, or not do, or protected from, or not, at different stages of my life. And what others, including religious organisations, have been legally free to do to me. Or to deny the role of governance, and governments – state and federal – in determining the extent of those ‘freedoms’, far-too-often without consultation with or even consideration of those most affected by their decisions." (23 Apr 2024)
Read more at alastairlawrie.net

Bill Uren: Where does Infinite Dignity meet finite reality?
"The Vatican Declaration is basically a statement of Catholic principles on human dignity. It draws the line in a whole variety of contexts where human dignity may not be compromised and where consequential human rights must be maintained as inalienable. Because it is exclusively a statement of principles there are no concessions of a pastoral nature to those whose lifestyles and practices (e.g. LGBTIQA+, transgenders, surrogate motherhood) are at odds with these principles. This, however, is not only disappointing in itself but doubly so in that a more sensitive approach to some of these ‘problems’ has been evident in more recent Vatican documents. In these documents, while there has been no retreat from the basic principles, there has also been evident a willingness both to recognize that adherence to these principles is very difficult for some people and virtually impossible in some situations and that a more inclusive and inductive moral logic that respects individual circumstances must be employed if the Church is to engage effectively with these alienated 'irregulars'." (24 Apr 2024)
Read more at Eureka Street

Paul Gregoire: Proselytising from the NSW Lower House, and the Rise of Faith in State Politics
"'NSW needs to come together,' Minns wrote on X, above photos of himself sitting with Sydney faith leaders to discuss a 16-year-old boy stabbing a 53-year-old man in front of a crowd of people in the immediate aftermath of the crime, which doesn’t appear to be regular government protocol. ... Minns further advised the ABC that his late-night meeting with faith leaders had resulted in them, 'unanimously', calling for calm and condemning 'any violence in Sydney'. And while this could have potentially been ascertained via a group email the following day, that wouldn’t have conveyed the understanding that faith is now being inserted into the political sphere, which, from a secular viewpoint, might not be the best option for the state to take at this point." (25 Apr 2024)
Read more at Sydney Criminal Lawyers

Alexia Adhikari: Federal funding for private schools
"If the public does not support giving tax deductions for private schools to build new facilities unless they have a clear educational benefit, then the tax deductibility status given to school building funds needs to be re-examined. Indeed, a 2023 Productivity Commission inquiry found that giving deductible gift receipt status to private school building funds is an ineffective use of government support, unless there is an explicit equity objective. ... Another idea that could help ensure more public benefit comes from the tax concessions given to private schools would be to require private schools to make their facilities available for community groups to use outside of school hours. Australia Institute polling shows that this is an idea with which an overwhelming majority of Australians (80%) agree." (26 Apr 2024)
Read more at the Australia Institute