On the campaign trail last year, Ardern raised eyebrows when she blithely told journalists she expected “wide support” for expanding existing hate-speech laws to include religion. When asked whether sexual orientation, age or disability could be included, she said, “Yeah.” The Prime Minister, who had just unveiled a memorial plaque at Christchurch’s Al Noor mosque, Read more
Much blood has been shed during human history in the name of religion. Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826) knew this all too well. Here are Jefferson’s very words: “Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, and imprisoned” (“Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVII,” 1781-1782). It Read more
An imam in Samoa has questioned whether the proposed constitutional change to reinforce Samoa as a Christian country would mean it would no longer do business with non-Christian countries. Imam Mohammed Bin Yahya said there are a lot of non-Christian countries that give aid to Samoa. “Will they say no aid because you are not Christians, keep Read more
The Auckland Regional Migrant Services (ARMS) Trust is not doing away with Christmas, says its chief executive Dr Mary Dawson. “To those who celebrate Christmas, we wish you a very happy Christmas. To those who do not, “season’s greetings”. The Anglican Bishop of Auckland, Ross Bay, says “All very laudable in a way, though an Read more
Catholic leaders in Indonesia have welcomed an announcement that the government will review religion laws that critics say restricts constitutional protections to religious freedoms. “The most important thing is that freedom of religion and of worship guaranteed in the constitution must not be narrowed with regulations that can create problems,” Father Guido Suprapto, the Indonesian Read more
Christianity is in danger of ceasing to be a truly global faith as increasing numbers of its followers flee violence and persecution across swaths of the Middle East and Africa, according to a new report. “Christians are fast disappearing from entire regions – most notably a huge chunk of the Middle East but also whole Read more
A Seventh Day Adventist man has been awarded $40,000 after he was fired as a result of his religious beliefs. He had refused to work on Saturdays because it was against his faith. Mark Meulenbroek had worked since 2004 at an Invercargill company that installed TV and audio systems, and was considered a model employee. Read more
Four Catholic bishops in Eritrea have taken a huge risk in issuing a statement criticising conditions in their nation. A 2014 Human Rights Watch report described the African nation as one of the most closed countries in the world, where human rights conditions are “dismal”. Indefinite military service, torture, arbitrary detention and severe restrictions on Read more
The spokesman for Papua New Guinea’s bishops has condemned a proposal, introduced in parliament, by the governor of one of the Papua New Guinea’s 22 provinces, to ban non Christian religions. Last Friday, Hela province governor, Anderson Agiru, moved a motion to carry out a nationwide consultation on the question of religious freedom and whether to Read more
Last week’s Westminster Faith Debate examined religion in schools in Britain. But there’s a danger that we get so sucked into our own national preoccupations that we lose perspective. My work on research and policy extends into Europe, and I want to give a wider European perspective to the United Kingdom debates. Above all, I suggest that Read more