Fiji’s prime minister prime Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama says it is inappropriate to mix religion with politics. He said some other political parties are engaging preachers in campaigns and also electing them as proposed candidates but this will not happen in the FijiFirst party. “To see a talatala (church minister) talking or backing a political party, Read more
On 6 March a petition to Parliament was launched seeking to remove tax free status from all religious institutions. The petition requests: “That the House of Representatives pass legislation to tax all religious institutions.” The reason for the petition is: “Destiny Church and similar evangelical institutions are having a direct and negative impact on the Read more
Claire Holley, co-founder of GOdsownnz wants to make it clear that the graphics on the party’s website were not sourced from Freedom of Speech Productions FaceBook pages, as reported by CathNews. She said GOdsownnz did not source the graphics on their website from either of the Facebook pages mentioned in the news item. “I purely copied the images from Read more
The protests against the christian governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, are not really about religion. Analysts believe the Islamists organised the protest at the behest of opposition parties hoping to derail Busaki’s re-election in February. There have been calls for Basuki to be imprisoned, or even executed for blasphemy and hate speech. 10,000 demonstrators Read more
This weekend Samoan representatives from 25 Auckland parishes will meet in south Auckland to discuss political parties and Christian values. Some commentators are saying this will be a litmus test for Labour support. South Auckland electorates are traditionally Labour thanks in large part to church-going Pacific Islanders. The meeting is a response to small group of Read more
Methodist church communications secretary Reverend James Bhagwan says his church was impartial and does not endorse any political parties. Bhagwan said the church would stay neutral and it should not be seen to be favouring anyone. “But at the same time we are pastorally speaking to our members, encouraging them to pray before each major Read more