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The Project apologise after controversial religious joke

<p>Hosts of <em>The Project</em> have issued a grovelling apology after a comedian shared a crude joke about religion live on air. </p> <p>On Tuesday night's episode, queer comedian Reuben Kaye was relaying details of the online hate he receives, particularly from the Christian community, when he made the <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/crude-religious-joke-on-the-project-sparks-wave-of-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X-rated remark</a>.</p> <p>"I think it's hilarious when someone messages me and says 'You have to accept Jesus' love or you will burn in hell', because I love Jesus."</p> <p>"I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more,” Kaye quipped.</p> <p>Waleed Aly looked stunned by the joke, while co-host Sarah Harris burst into laughter.</p> <p>The joke prompted a wave of backlash online, with the Christian community demanding an apology from the panel show, while others called for the show to be cancelled all together. </p> <p>On Wednesday night's show, Waleed and Sarah spoke directly to viewers as they apologised for Kaye's joke making it to air. </p> <p>“During a live interview last night, our guest told a joke which we know was deeply and needlessly offensive to many of you," Waleed began.</p> <p>“We want to acknowledge the particular offence and hurt that it caused our Muslim and especially our Christian viewers. Obviously, I understand how profound that offence was.”</p> <p>Harris added, “Live TV is unpredictable. And when this happened in the last few moments of the show, it took us all by surprise, there wasn’t a lot of time to react in a considered way.”</p> <p>Aly then said, “We weren’t expecting a comment like that to be made and we acknowledge the offence it caused. We are sorry.”</p> <p>Some viewers were unhappy about the joke at the time, with one person writing on Twitter, “Absolutely disgusting comment about Jesus. He just insulted millions of people of faith.”</p> <p>According to the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-28/census-2021-data-shows-a-changed-australia/101177152" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 Australian census</a>, Christianity is the nation's most common religion (declared by 43.9 per cent of the population), although the results also showed that Australians are increasingly unlikely to worship a god with the number of Australians who said they had no religion rising to 38.9 per cent (from 30.1 per cent in 2016).</p> <p><em>Image credits: The Project</em></p>

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Crude religious joke on The Project sparks wave of backlash

<p>A crude religious joke on <em>The Project</em> has prompted a wave of backlash, with many calling for a formal apology from the panel show. </p> <p>On Tuesday night's episode, the panel were joined by special guest Reuben Kaye: a queer comedian known for pushing social boundaries in his comedy. </p> <p>Reuben, who dresses in drag for his performances, was relaying details of the online hate he receives, particularly from the Christian community, when he made the X-rated remark.</p> <p>"I think it's hilarious when someone messages me and says 'You have to accept Jesus' love or you will burn in hell', because I love Jesus."</p> <p>"I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more,” Kaye quipped.</p> <p>Waleed Aly looked stunned by the joke, while co-host Sarah Harris burst into laughter.</p> <p>Some viewers, however, were not amused by the joke, with outraged religious believers taking their criticism online. </p> <p>“Absolutely disgusting comment about Jesus. He just insulted millions of people of faith,” one wrote on Twitter.</p> <p>An upset parent wrote, “Having to explain the offensive joke to my eight-year-old before <em>Survivor</em> kicked in, thanks legends. Shame on you guys. Have some respect and offer a public apology.”</p> <p>Another said, “Having to watch this FILTH during dinner time with a young family. You owe the public an apology &amp; furthermore, this horrible program cancelled.”</p> <p>One outraged viewer wrote, “The three nails sick derogatory joke allowed to air on tour show tonight is you giving permission to mock and ridicule Christianity and my Lord and saviour Jesus.”</p> <p>Despite the backlash from the Christian community, others thought Kaye's joke was "hilarious", and praised the comedian for his blunt delivery. </p> <p>“More of this on <em>The Project</em> please. I p***ed myself,” said one.</p> <p>Another wrote, “I can’t believe Reuben Kaye just said that on national, prime-time television. What an icon!”</p> <p>Kaye is known for his edgy jokes, saying elsewhere during his interview on <em>The Project</em>, when asked about his busy tour schedule, “I’m so thickly spread around this country that I might as well be systemic racism.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: The Project</em></p>

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Iran: protesters call for move to a non-religious state. What changes would that bring?

<p>My friend was in Tehran during protests after <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/events-iran-since-mahsa-aminis-arrest-death-custody-2022-10-05/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the death</a> of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police (Gasht-e Ershad). My friend went into a grocery shop intending to buy milk. The seller refused to sell anything to her. “Why are you refusing?” she asked. “I can see that you have milk.” “Because you are wearing a hijab,” the seller responded.</p> <p>This is part of a backlash by those who see themselves as oppressed by the Islamic Republic’s discriminatory hijab law, which prosecutes women for not “covering up”. The term hijab is an Arabic word meaning cover. It’s used to refer to different types of covering, from a long-sleeved coat, pants and scarf to the Islamic government’s preferred form of dress, chador, which is a loose-fitting black cloth worn over the entire body. After Mahsa Amini’s killing in September, mass protests broke out over this law and its enforcement.</p> <p>Wearing hijab became obligatory for all Iranian women from April 1983, after the 1979 revolution. Since then, all women have been forced by law to wear hijab (a covering of hair and or body) in public, even non-Muslims and foreigners visiting Iran. If they don’t they face prosecution.</p> <p>The government of Iran, the Islamic Republic, argues that God commands women to wear hijab. This is a government which has leaders who are members of the clergy and merged religious beliefs into state law. But even some Islamic scholars argue that the Qur'an does not suggest that hijab should be <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300257311/women-and-gender-in-islam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">compulsory</a>.</p> <p>Mahsa Amini’s case is polarising Iran: those who rigorously advocate the hijab and religious law are set against those who prefer a <a href="https://time.com/6216024/iran-protests-islamic-republic-response/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secular state</a>, not run by religious values.</p> <p>This has led the nation to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/26/iran-at-least-15-killed-after-gunmen-attack-shrine-in-shiraz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the current upheaval</a>, with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/08/are-hijab-protests-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-irans-regime" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vast</a> protests across the country, and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-63410577" target="_blank" rel="noopener">people being killed</a>.</p> <p>At many protests the Iranian resistance chant is <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/iran-protests-women-life-freedom-mahsa-amini-killing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zan, Zendegi, Azadi</a> (#WomenLifeFreedom) is heard. The protesters call for life and liberty to be applicable to everyone (religious and non-religious). A big part of <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-protests-majority-of-people-reject-compulsory-hijab-and-an-islamic-regime-surveys-find-191448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the motivation</a> behind these protests is to challenge how the current religious law takes away the right of women to choose what to wear.</p> <h2>What is secularism?</h2> <p>Secularism is the idea that states should be <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/1881/chapter-abstract/141631825?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">neutral about religion</a>. The state should not <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/16/what-mean-secular-state-neutral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">back</a> a specific religion over others. A secular state <a href="https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1548-1360.2011.01117.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">provides</a> equal opportunity for religious and non-religious citizens to pursue their lives. The state must respect everyone’s values (including minorities), not just some people’s values.</p> <p>Secularism seems reasonable <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/28394" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to many</a> because it is unusual for an entire nation to believe in a religion as one source of law. Some <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00263206.2019.1643330" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scholars of Islam</a> disagree with the established interpretation of the Islamic Republic about whether God has commanded a mandatory hijab. As a result, they claim that hijab is not about covering hair but about “modesty”. Some others challenge <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/12/iran-hijab-law-protest-ali-larijani" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the way</a> the morality police treat women in the street.</p> <p>While some people might be railing against women being forced to wear the hijab, others continue to feel strongly about its continued use. <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-qom-women-hijab/31929986.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reports</a> say that Iranian authorities have closed some coffee shops because of the “improper” hijab of some female customers. And more <a href="https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/iran-detains-woman-eating-breakfast-without-hijab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently</a>, a woman was arrested for eating breakfast in a café with no hijab.</p> <h2>Iranian history of secularism</h2> <p>Modern debates about secularism in Iran can be traced back to the <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/irans-constitutional-revolution-9780755649235/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Constitutional Revolution</a> in 1906. It advocated <a href="https://iranicaonline.org/articles/constitutional-revolution-i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">liberalism and secularism</a> and began conversations about a society without religious rules for all.</p> <p>Iranians experienced enforced secularisation shortly after Reza Shah Pahlavi was <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Reza-Shah-Pahlavi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crowned</a> in 1925. In 1936 he issued a decree <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/iran-and-the-headscarf-protests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kashf-e hijab</a> that any public expression of religious faith, including wearing hijab, was illegal. Again, this was a leader was telling women what to wear. However, his attempt to militantly secularise and westernise Iran faced <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9780203060636-22/banning-veil-consequences-dr-stephanie-cronin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resistance</a> from society.</p> <p>The overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979 led to the establishment of a militant Islamic government based on <a href="https://www.icit-digital.org/books/islam-and-revolution-writings-and-declarations-of-imam-khomeini-1941-1980" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shia Muslim teachings</a>. After the hijab became <a href="https://www.mei.edu/publications/irans-headscarf-politics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mandatory</a>, it became a symbol of compulsory faith. It has also played a significant role in pushing some parts of the Iranian population towards a more secular state.</p> <p>In 2022 Iran is experiencing some dramatic shifts, including what appears to be a shift towards secularism. Some argue that secularism is an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1979/05/25/archives/khomeini-terms-secular-critics-enemies-of-islam-dictatorship-of-the.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enemy</a> of religion or a product of <a href="https://nyupress.org/9780814795644/democracy-in-modern-iran/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">western colonisation</a>. Despite the majority of Iranians considering themselves <a href="https://gamaan.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GAMAAN-Iran-Religion-Survey-2020-English.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">religious</a>, some evidence shows that Iranians are <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-protests-majority-of-people-reject-compulsory-hijab-and-an-islamic-regime-surveys-find-191448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less religious</a> than before.</p> <p>Since the Islamic revolution there’s been a lot of research about how Iran could work as a <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Secularization-of-Islam-in-Post-Revolutionary-Iran/Pargoo/p/book/9780367654672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">secular</a> society and about religious <a href="https://brill.com/view/book/9789047400714/B9789047400714_s006.xml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tolerance</a>.</p> <p>The current protest movement, led mainly by <a href="https://www.mei.edu/publications/irans-rising-generation-z-forefront-protests" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gen Z in Iran</a>, is growing partly because of its use of the internet and social media to communicate and share information. People can also learn from other nations’ experiences of secularism through social media. This is why the regime is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2022/oct/06/why-is-the-government-in-iran-shutting-down-the-internet-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shutting down</a> the internet and censoring YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.</p> <p><a href="https://gamaan.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/GAMAAN-Political-Systems-Survey-2022-English-Final.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">One poll</a> suggests that more than 60% of Iranians now want a non-religious state, the question is whether those in power are willing to give it to them.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-protesters-call-for-move-to-a-non-religious-state-what-changes-would-that-bring-193198" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Sky News</em></p>

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Religious group members charged over eight-year-old’s death

<p dir="ltr">Members of a religious group in southern Queensland have been charged over the death of an eight-year-old girl earlier this year.</p> <p dir="ltr">Elizabeth Struhs died on January 7 at her home in Rangeville, Toowoomba, after she was allegedly denied insulin for the treatment of her type 1 diabetes for about six days, per the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-05/religious-group-arrests-over-8yo-elizabeth-struhs-death/101208762" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Five men and six women have been charged as a result, with one 60-year-old man being charged with one count of murder and failing to supply the necessities of life, while the remaining eleven - aged between 19 and 65 years old - have been charged with one count of murder.</p> <p dir="ltr">Elizabeth’s parents, Jason and Kerrie Struhs, have previously been charged with murder, torture, and failing to provide the necessities of life.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police allege the dozen involved were aware of Elizabeth’s condition and didn’t seek medical assistance, adding that emergency services weren’t contacted until about 5.30pm on January 8.</p> <p dir="ltr">It is alleged the parents and other members of the religious group prayed for Elizabeth’s recovery instead.</p> <p dir="ltr">The charges laid against them come after six months of investigation by the Toowoomba Child Protection and Investigation Unit, the Child Trauma Unit, and the Homicide Investigation Unit.</p> <p dir="ltr">More than 30 officers conducted a search at a residence in Harristown, where the 12 residents were arrested.</p> <p dir="ltr">Detective Acting Superintendent Gary Watts said the investigation was unlike anything he had ever seen.</p> <p dir="ltr">“In my 40 years of policing, I’ve never faced a matter like this,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And I’m not aware of a similar event in Queensland, let alone Australia.”</p> <p dir="ltr">According to sources that spoke to the <em>ABC</em>, the religious group is small, tight-knit, and has no ties to any established church in Toowoomba. </p> <p dir="ltr">In a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-brothers-and-sister-of-elizabeth-struhs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fundraiser</a> set up to support Elizabeth’s siblings, her older sister Jayde Struhs said her estranged parents were part of a “fear-driven and controlling” cult that took religion to its extremes.</p> <p dir="ltr">She said her younger sister’s death had left their extended family “completely shattered and heartbroken”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We have faced the brutal reality that the people who should have protected her did not, and we may never know the full extent of what took place,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The people charged in relation to Elizabeth’s death are expected to appear in court on Wednesday, while her parents will return to court later in July.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ce4dfc84-7fff-8c1e-2124-4a4839db7c11"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Supplied</em></p>

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Religious freedom bill falls at second hurdle

<p dir="ltr">The Australian federal government’s bid to overhaul religious freedom laws has been shelved indefinitely, after a failed motion to bring the matter on for debate in the Senate.</p><p dir="ltr">After the laws were passed in the House of Representatives in the early hours on Thursday morning, the bill was due to enter a second round of discussions and votes during the Senate.</p><p dir="ltr">However, the failure to bring it on for debate has meant it will likely be shelved indefinitely, with coalition sources confirming the government is highly unlikely to bring it back for debate when the Senate sits again in March.</p><p dir="ltr">According to the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-10/government-consults-religious-groups-discrimination-bill/100818568" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a></em>, this is because the government doesn’t want debates about religious freedoms to affect its chances of selling a pre-election budget.</p><p dir="ltr">The proposed law has been the subject of intense criticism in recent days due to the introduction of new amendments to protect gay students from discrimination by religious schools which wouldn’t extend to transgender school students.</p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-4ff1d6b5-7fff-3c88-6926-5c3cc535a8ba"></span></p><p dir="ltr">Though it was a more watered-down version of the bill the government initially proposed, several moderate Liberals were concerned about the amendment as well as other parts which remained from the original bill.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Liberal MP Bridget Archer has rejected her own party's religious discrimination bill, saying she is "horrified" that trans kids aren't protected, and "in 2022, I can't believe that we are even having this conversation"<br /><br />Neither can we<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CallTheElectionDickhead?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CallTheElectionDickhead</a> <a href="https://t.co/qequTAhHqT">pic.twitter.com/qequTAhHqT</a></p>— Media Analyst (@MediaAnalystOz) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediaAnalystOz/status/1490952870992412674?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote><p dir="ltr">This prompted five Liberal MPs to cross the floor and vote with Labor and the crossbench against the government in order to extend protections for transgender students.</p><p dir="ltr">Following that defeat, the government consulted with religious groups on the future of the laws.</p><p dir="ltr">Some of these groups have expressed that they are adamantly against supporting the protections for transgener students that now came with the bill.</p><p dir="ltr">Assistant Attorney-General Amanda Stoker said the amended bill was flawed and that “it’s not what the government designed”.</p><p dir="ltr">“It’s not what we thought had got the balance right,” she said.</p><p dir="ltr">The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has also advocated for the bill to be dumped, claiming that removing exemptions allowing schools to discriminate against trans students “completely undermined” the bill.</p><p dir="ltr">“[The exemptions] have enabled faith-based schools to teach their religion and conduct their school according to their faith values,” ACL director Wendy Francis said.</p><p dir="ltr">“The loss of this protection would outweigh any benefits that could be obtained by the religious discrimination bill.</p><p dir="ltr">“With the amendments so damaging to religious freedom, the government should immediately withdraw the bills.”</p><p dir="ltr">Conservative government members have also called for the bill to be dumped.</p><p dir="ltr">When the government proposed to strike out existing laws allowing students to be expelled due to their sexuality, the move was supported by groups such as the Christian Schools Association (CSA).</p><p dir="ltr">But Christian schools and the government argued that extending those protections to gender identity created additional complications, with the CSA fearing protections for transgender staff and students could hinder the teaching of the school’s faith.</p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fe804c25-7fff-58f9-f9e2-b4e18b375bf7"></span></p><p dir="ltr">In a moving speech prior to the bill passing in the House of Representatives, Shadow Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones spoke about his son Paddy, the unique risks LGBTQIA+ children experience in the community and his anxiety as a parent of a child within that community.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I spoke on the Morrison Government's religious discrimination bill and the message we want to send our kids. (1/2) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://t.co/7FOW2XEJKj">pic.twitter.com/7FOW2XEJKj</a></p>— Stephen Jones MP (@StephenJonesMP) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenJonesMP/status/1491131692345532420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote><p dir="ltr">“I worry myself sick every time he leaves the house. I think to myself, ‘You look beautiful, but do you have to go out looking like that?’ I know that the love and protection that he enjoys with his mother and his friends and his family is very different to the reception that he may receive in the outside world,” Mr Jones said.</p><p dir="ltr">In response to his dad’s speech, Paddy said he became overwhelmed with emotion.</p><p dir="ltr">“I cried for the first time I saw it. It was a really beautiful speech,” Paddy told the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-10/paddy-stephen-jones-son-speech/100819064" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a></em>.</p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-7d73f1e3-7fff-8666-8bf3-ba451131050e"></span></p><p dir="ltr">“I didn’t know what was going to happen after that speech but I told (my dad), yes, I think it is important for you to make this speech because it’s more important for young children who are gay, trans, they need to know that there are people out there that are just like them and who are supporting and loving them.”</p><p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

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Ian Thorpe doesn't hold back in slamming ScoMo's religious discrimination bill

<p dir="ltr"> Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe has hit out against Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s religious discrimination bill.</p><p dir="ltr">Appearing at a media conference on Tuesday, the Olympian minced no words while sharing his opinion of the bill.</p><p dir="ltr">“We want to see it disappear,” he <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10487413/Ian-Thorpe-unleashes-Scott-Morrisons-religious-discrimination-bill.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p><p dir="ltr">“It has no friends in Parliament, it hasn’t, the first time it came around, the second has come around, and now this is the third time of this bill and is something that we would prefer to see squashed and get rid of it.”</p><p dir="ltr">“What this is, is it becomes a state-sanctioned discrimination. To give rights for 100 people while excluding another group of people, for me, is discrimination.</p><p dir="ltr">“And with that, we should consider what this place that we are in, what it represents and how it represents each and everyone of us.”</p><p dir="ltr">His comments come as the proposed amendments to the bill would prevent religious schools from having the right to expel gay students, but withholding the same protection from transgender students.</p><p dir="ltr">The bill is Mr Morrison’s top priority as Parliament returns this week and ahead of the upcoming federal election.</p><p dir="ltr">Appearing on Sunrise, Thorpe said the bill allows “state-sponsored discrimination”.</p><p dir="ltr">“Any bill that protects one group of people yet discriminates against another group of people, it’s actually wrong.”</p><p dir="ltr">Thorpe was joined on the show by transgender Year 12 student Olivia, who told reporters she experienced “direct discrimination” from a former school after coming out.</p><p dir="ltr">“They told me I was very likely to be bullied by people… that my twin brother in the same year at the school would also be bullied. They told us that his leadership potential would be jeopardised,” she said.</p><p dir="ltr">“They said that if I just leave this term, it would not have to pay the rest of the term’s fees. This left me without a school going into the new year and with nowhere to go.”</p><p dir="ltr">The retired swimmer, who came out as gay in 2014, said he supported people expressing their faiths and that he had been raised in a Christian household, but that expressing a view “that may be villifying another group of people'' would come with repercussions.</p><p dir="ltr">Members of the LGBTQI+ community fear the proposed laws could see them be denied work opportunities from those with religious views, as the laws protect a person from being discriminated against on the basis of their religion.</p><p dir="ltr">Finance minister and Senate leader, Simon Birmingham, confirmed the amendments would only relate to sexual orientation, raising concerns that trans students would be excluded and left unprotected.</p><p dir="ltr">“The proposal that is put forward is to repeal the exemption as it relates to students being exempted from the Sex Discrimination Act on the basis of their sexual orientation. Now it doesn’t go further than that,” he told ABC Radio on Tuesday.</p><p dir="ltr">However, Mr Morrison denied that transgender students would not be able to be expelled from religious schools.</p><p dir="ltr">“This bill does not seek to endorse that arrangement. That's an existing law. What we're dealing with today are not those matters,” he said.</p><p dir="ltr">“We're dealing with discrimination against people for their religious belief and faith.”</p><p dir="ltr">Despite opposition from within his own party and from the opposition, Mr Morrison said he was confident the bill would pass parliament.</p><p dir="ltr">“I stand by it 100 per cent, and I'm standing with the millions of Australians for whom this is such an important issue,” he told reporters in Canberra.</p><p dir="ltr">“For many Australians, their faith and religion is their culture, you can't separate them.”</p><p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty Images</em></p>

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"Absolutely livid": Mayor furious as 400 allowed to gather at Sydney mosque

<p>A decision made by NSW Health has been slammed by local officials who claim that they weren't told about the latest exemptions as 400 worshippers gathered at a mosque to celebrate EID.</p> <p>Current COVID-19 social distancing restrictions in NSW prevent more than 100 people from gathering in places of worship, but NSW Health gave permission for four times that number to attend the Auburn Gallipoli Mosque in western Sydney on Friday for Eid al-Adha prayers, which is a major religious event.</p> <p>The worshippers that attended wore masks but Cumberland City Council Mayor Steve Christou said that he was "absolutely livid" about the government's decision to allow the event.</p> <p>"This kind of behaviour from the state is inexcusable and I am absolutely livid that they would potentially jeopardise the health and wellbeing of our residents and the health of greater Sydney residents," he told<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/parramatta/coronavirus-nsw-auburn-mosque-cumberland-mayor-slams-decision-to-allow-400-worshippers/news-story/611f46da61d8f68c51138cb71d11fbe5" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink"> The Daily Telegraph</a>.</p> <p>"We either have a pandemic, which we acknowledge and adhere to the relevant health directives for one and all, or we don’t."</p> <p>Attendees had to sign in and were split into four zones, which included two levels of the mosque, a function hall and a car park.</p> <p>Up to 100 people were allowed inside and attendees also wore stickers to designate the zone to which they'd been assigned. </p> <p>Mayor Christou claimed he found out about the decision through media and said that he would have opposed the exemption had he known about it.</p> <p>"I don’t understand how NSW Health can pick and choose who is at risk and who warrants an exemption," he said.</p> <p>NSW Health said in a statement that the mosque developed a "comprehensive safety plan" and that the government body was on site on the day to ensure procedures were being followed.</p> <p>The mosque's president Abdurrahman Asaroglu had said previously the venue had implemented appropriate measures to reduce the risk of a coronavirus outbreak.</p> <p>"Our community is really understanding and they are OK to follow these measures — no shaking hands, no hugging — making sure that they just pray," Dr Asaroglu told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-31/auburn-mosque-granted-coronavirus-exemption-for-eid-al-adha/12508358" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink">ABC</a>.</p> <p>"If everyone does the right thing I don't think there will be any issues."</p>

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Why are people religious?

<p>The quick and easy answer to why people are religious is that God – in whichever form you believe he/she/they take(s) – is real and people believe because they communicate with it and perceive evidence of its involvement in the world. Only <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/05/christians-remain-worlds-largest-religious-group-but-they-are-declining-in-europe/">16 per cent of people worldwide</a> are not religious, but this still equates to approximately 1.2 billion individuals who find it difficult to reconcile the ideas of religion with what they know about the world.</p> <p>Why people believe is a question that has plagued great thinkers for many centuries. Karl Marx, for example, called religion the “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/jun/26/religion-philosophy">opium of the people</a>”. Sigmund Freud felt that god was an illusion and worshippers were reverting to the childhood needs of security and forgiveness.</p> <p>A more recent psychological explanation is the idea that our evolution has created a “<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23631561-000-effortless-thinking-the-godshaped-hole-in-your-brain/">god-shaped hole</a>” or has given us a metaphorical “<a href="https://www.csicop.org/si/show/the_god_engine">god engine</a>” which can drive us to believe in a deity. Essentially this hypothesis is that religion is a by-product of a number of cognitive and social adaptations which have been extremely important in human development.</p> <p><strong>Adapted for faith</strong></p> <p>We are social creatures who interact and communicate with each other in a co-operative and supportive way. In doing so we inevitably have stronger attachments to some individuals more than others. British psychologist John Bowlby demonstrated <a href="https://www.learning-theories.com/attachment-theory-bowlby.html">this influence of attachments</a> on children’s emotional and social development, and showed how these can suffer when they are threatened through separation or abuse. We continue to rely on these attachments in later life, when falling in love and making friends, and can even form strong attachments to non-human animals and inanimate objects. It is easy to see that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10508619.2012.679556">these strong attachments could transfer</a> to religious deities and their messengers.</p> <p>Our relationships depend on being able to predict how others will behave across situations and time. But the things that we form attachments to don’t necessarily need to be in front of us to predict their actions. We can imagine what they would do or say. This ability – known as <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=R5c4AAAAIAAJ&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PR9&amp;dq=decoupled+cognition+development&amp;ots=EguvU5WaPt&amp;sig=vFzsPLOgvR-DVKo45otxPToTL-s#v=onepage&amp;q=decoupled%20cognition%20development&amp;f=false">cognitive decoupling</a> – originates in childhood through pretend play. It is a small leap from being able to imagine the mind of someone we know to imagining an <a href="http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/271772">omnipotent, omniscient, human-like mind</a> – especially if we have religious texts which tell of their past actions.</p> <p>Another key adaptation that may help religious belief derives from our ability to to anthropomorphise objects. Have you ever seen the outline of a person only to realise that it is actually a coat hung on the door? This capacity to attribute human forms and behaviours to non-human things shows we also readily endow non-human entities, such as gods, with the same qualities that we possess and, as such, make it easier to connect with them.</p> <p><strong>Behavioural benefits</strong></p> <p>In addition to these psychological aspects, the ritual behaviour seen in collective worship makes us enjoy and want to repeat the experience. Dancing, singing and achieving trance-like states were prominent in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4958132/">many ancestral societies</a> and are still exhibited by some today – including the <a href="https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/sentinelese">Sentinelese people</a>, and <a href="https://www.aboriginal-art-australia.com/aboriginal-art-library/aboriginal-ceremonial-dancing/">Australian aborigines</a>. As well as being acts of social unity, even more formal rituals also <a href="https://www.salon.com/2014/01/04/this_is_your_brain_on_religion_uncovering_the_science_of_belief/">alter brain chemistry</a>. They increase levels of serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin in the brain – chemicals that make us feel good, want to do things again and provide a closeness to others.</p> <p>These cognitive adaptations are facilitated by educational and household norms which don’t tend to dispute religious ideas. While we are encouraged to challenge other ideas presented to us early in childhood that may not have a strong evidence base – such as Father Christmas or the Tooth Fairy – this is not the case with religion. These challenges are often discouraged in religious teachings and <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/billy-graham-its-sin-in-the-eyes-of-god-to-criticize-your-pastor.html">sometimes regarded as sinful</a>.</p> <p>Regardless of your point of view, the impact of religion and religious thinking on human functioning and evolution is a captivating intellectual debate that shows no sign of ending. Of course, one might argue that god creates everything outlined above but then this leads us onto another, bigger question: what is the evidence for god?<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108647/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Nick Perham, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Cardiff Metropolitan University</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-people-religious-a-cognitive-perspective-108647" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>. </em></p>

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The apple doesn’t fall from the tree! Israel Folau’s cousin loses job over religious comments

<p>The cousin of rugby star Israel Folau has reportedly left his job at a Catholic school days after he was reportedly quoted speaking against the Catholic Church. </p> <p>Josiah Folau was an employee at St Gregory’s Catholic College in Campbelltown in South West Sydney and attends the same church as his elder cousin. </p> <p>The 20-year-old was recently quoted saying the Catholic Church was the “synagogue of Satan.”</p> <p>Ben Fordham, 2GB radio show host, reported Folau’s religious beliefs was part of the reason he decided to part with St Gregory’s. </p> <p>“I’m told his employment came to an end,” Fordham said. </p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 282.23270440251576px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7829170/dailies-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/435a190e2e1f418d8bd188e3b3be7a23" /></p> <p>Folau is a member of The Truth of Jesus Christ Church in Kenthurst in north west Sydney - the same as Israel. </p> <p>He is often seen translating his uncle’s Tongan preachings into English. </p> <p>His latest Instagram posts are similar to his famous rugby star cousin’s who posts religious remarks often. </p> <p>Recently he posted a graphic that read: “If it was a sin 100 years ago, it’s still a sin today. Don’t water down the gospel for this offended generation.”</p> <p>Last month, <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.smh.com.au/" target="_blank">Sydney Morning Herald</a></em> reported Josiah saying: “Any devout Catholic person IS NOT A SAVED CHRISTIAN WHATSOEVER (his capitals). Look at Catholic doctrine, almost 100 per cent of it is false and is filled with lies.”</p> <p>He was also reported to have said, “Roman Catholicism is masked devil worship” and the Catholic Church was the “synagogue of Satan.”</p> <p>Fordham said Folau and St Gregory’s have made it unclear why they severed their relationship. </p> <p>“We don’t know if Josiah’s Instagram post or his comments on the Catholic Church are what led to employment coming to an end at St Gregory’s,” he said.</p> <p>The Catholic school released a statement that has come from the headmaster Lee MacMaster. </p> <p>“We have met with Josiah recently and in our discussions, Josiah has made the decision to discontinue his casual employment at St Gregory’s College. We respect Josiah’s privacy in this matter,” Ms MacMaster said.</p>

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“Two points I want to address”: Senator Penny Wong delivers a message to Israel Folau

<p>Labor Senator Penny Wong had a two-fold statement to give to Israel Folau on ABC’s <em>Q&amp;A</em><span> </span>last night.</p> <p>Wong was responding to a question from an audience member that asked whether the response to Folau’s comments would be different if he was a Muslim instead of a Christian.</p> <p>Wong took a moment to compose herself before answering the question.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">If Israel Folau were a Muslim would the Attorney-General be considering new laws to protect religious freedoms? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QandA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QandA</a> <a href="https://t.co/rMNFdTomkn">pic.twitter.com/rMNFdTomkn</a></p> — ABC Q&amp;A (@QandA) <a href="https://twitter.com/QandA/status/1148208502046724096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>“OK, two points I want to address,” Wong began.</p> <p>“First, in relation to Mr Folau, can I say — first on an emotional level — I wish that we could have more expressions of love and forgiveness rather than condemnation when it came to belief.</p> <p>“I wish public figures, politicians, sporting stars, may consider … where their words land with vulnerable Australians.”</p> <p>Wong is a practicing Christian herself who attends Pilgrim Uniting Church in Adelaide and made it clear that she sees the religion that herself and Folau share very differently.</p> <p>“He is entitled to his beliefs,” she said. “I disagree. I think we ought remember he doesn’t speak for all Christians.</p> <p>“In terms of the broader issue, we are an accepting, tolerant nation … Whatever happens in this current debate around religious freedom, I think we mustn’t lose sight of those key characteristics of Australian identity.</p> <p>Wong continued by explaining that the aim of religion isn’t to become less “tolerant”.</p> <p>“We don’t want to become less accepting, less tolerant. We don’t want to abrogate our agreed view that people are entitled to equality before the law, that we believe that people are equal, regardless of gender, race, faith, sexuality, disability, etc.</p> <p>“We should hold to those objectives, that we’re not seeking to diminish that. I’m open to a discussion about how we deal with religious protections.</p> <p>“But I would make this point: There is a distinction between a right to belief and the assertion that that belief should lead to you being treated differently before the law.”</p> <p>Human rights lawyer Diana Sayed, who was also on the panel, said that the Morrison Government must not “give people a licence to discriminate”. This is in reference to the religious discrimination bill that has been developed in response to the controversy around Folau.</p> <p>“It is really important that this bill strikes a balance that people who are free to practice their religion are not granted a licence to discriminate,” she said.</p>

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Kmart under fire for banning religious words

<div> <div class="replay"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>A ban on religious words such as “God”, “church”, “Christian” and “Jesus” at Kmart photo printing kiosks has been blamed on a software error.</p> <p>Shoppers Anthony and Marelynda Dorsett spotted the issue when they tried to add captions to their photographs on a Kodak self-service print machine at Kmart on Tuesday, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/kmart-blames-ban-on-christian-words-on-system-error/news-story/84f22c818e4b32dd6f4423faee6a692a" target="_blank"><em>The Daily Telegraph</em></a> reported.</p> <p>The newspaper’s ensuing investigation revealed that the words “Jesus”, “Allah”, “Christian”, “bible”, “God”, “Jewish” and “church” were marked as “profanity” and censored by the system at a number of Kmart stores across Sydney.</p> <p>“Profanity has been detected in text and was substituted with *****,” the message on the machine read.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">Kmart is under fire for banning words 'Jesus' and 'Church' on their photo kiosks while 'Islam' and 'Mosque' are OK. <a href="https://t.co/qgSiuWdNpr">pic.twitter.com/qgSiuWdNpr</a></p> — Sunrise (@sunriseon7) <a href="https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1138913033093169152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>Kmart said the ban was unintentional. </p> <p>“This is a system error and it will be updated overnight,” said a Kmart spokeswoman.</p> <p>“It in no way reflects our views as a business. At Kmart, we support diversity and inclusiveness irrespective of race, religion, age, gender, ethnicity, ability, appearance or attitude, and we want our teams and stores to reflect the communities in which we operate.”</p> <p>Kodak sales and marketing manager Gavin Wulfsohn said the religious word ban was a “complete error”. He said the newly installed “profanity detecting software” came pre-loaded with a list of offensive words, but the issue extends beyond religious terms, with the word “Canadian” also being banned.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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