We are halfway through the season of Advent, when Christians look forward to the return of Jesus Christ and also start celebrating Christmas, his first time on Earth. Unfortunately, according to the 2011 Census results just released, there are more than four million fewer Christians celebrating now than ten or so years ago. It seems somewhat Read more
The task of evangelisation is closely linked to the work of ecumenism, Pope Benedict XVI has told participants in a plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. “We cannot follow a truly ecumenical path while ignoring the crisis of faith affecting vast areas of the world, including those where the proclamation of Read more
The public reviews of the CTV building collapse in the Christchurch earthquakes and the Pike River mine disaster have revealed the profound practical significance of faith existing or failing in relationships and individual actions. Both disasters have raised questions over engineering, design and rescue management. Both situations reveal a sorry record of law and regulation Read more
It is harder than ever to claim, as the Britain’s Prime Minister does, that Britain is still a Christian country. It was at the time when Baroness Thatcher stood outside No 10 and recited the prayer of St Francis of Assisi, to offer reassurance about her intentions. Two thirds of Brits were Christian then, and Read more
Ed Miliband, leader of the British Labour Party, took the risky step of talking about faith at his party’s annual conference. ‘Not a religious faith,’ he was quick to point out, ‘but a faith nonetheless; a faith that I believe many religious people would recognise.’ ‘I believe we have a duty to leave the world a better Read more
Humanism in its most virulent form tries to make science into a religion. It is awash with the intolerance of enthusiasm. For a start, there is the near-hysterical repudiation of religion. To quote Richard Dawkins: “I think there’s something very evil about faith … it justifies essentially anything. If you’re taught in your holy book Read more
I have previously written about the Catholic Church’s need to be realistic about its property needs — in terms of schools, churches and presbyteries. If a property is no longer needed or the revenue generated from its sale would be a better use of the asset, assuming it’s not going to be disproportionately detrimental to Read more
I recently travelled to Darwin and was surrounded by the living and remnant artefacts of the indigenous faiths by which the first Australians ordered their lives. It was another example, if ever I needed one, of the power of spirituality and its necessity for many, or indeed most, communities. The doyens of New Atheism taunt Read more
There is no conflict between evolutionary biology and belief in God, two professors have asserted during a session on faith and science during the international Rimini Meeting in Italy. The annual event, in the northern Italian resort city of Rimini, brings together international experts on religion, politics, economics, science and the arts to debate cutting-edge Read more
The percentage of Catholics practicing their faith is declining almost everywhere around the globe. Almost all bishops report it, but it’s difficult to prove statistically. Each year, the Vatican’s own statisticians compile mountains of data about the number of Catholics, baptisms, priests and religious, weddings and annulments in each diocese and country. The numbers illustrate Read more