Bishop Steve Lowe the Catholic Bishop of the Hamilton says New Zealanders are fortunate to live in a land where freedom of speech and belief was enshrined in law and blasphemy laws seem archaic. “Some years ago I had a wonderful opportunity to visit Pakistan at a time when their Blasphemy Laws were causing real Read more
IM GOD is not allowed as a number plate message in Kentucky. Bernie L Hart, who is an atheist, said he applied for the number plate because he wants to spread his views about religion. In his opinion, there’s no way anyone can prove or disprove a person’s claim to be God. He wants others Read more
Three senior officials of The Fiji Times and another man appeared in the Suva Magistrates Court on Wednesday. Nai Lalakai editor Anare Ravula, The Fiji Times Editor-in-Chief, Fred Wesley and The Fiji Times general manager/publisher Hank Arts, the Fiji Times Limited. They are charged with inciting communal antagonism in relation to letter to the editor Read more
The recently enacted Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 allows for an individual to begin proceedings if it is alleged that a digital communication caused an individual to suffer serious emotional stress by denigrating that individual’s religion. The Humanist Society of New Zealand have taken issue with the Act. They agree there is a need to address Read more
Catholics object to mockery of their religion, such as encasing a statue of the Virgin Mary in a condom, but show no signs of resorting to barbarism, said Tim Pankhurst, former editor of the Dominion Post. “The leader of the world’s Roman Catholics makes his point about inequality and injustice by washing poor people’s feet,” Read more
The Timor Lesté parliament has adopted a new media law that does not differentiate between journalists and social media users. It will impose licensing for journalists and a narrow definition of a “journalist” and potentially bars foreign journalists. Journalists are expected to fall into line with the government’s media definitions and foreign reporters could be Read more
A Victoria University report, Fears, Constraints and Contracts suggests campaigning charities are increasingly fearful of speaking out about government policies because of gagging clauses in contracts, and concerns they could lose their funding. Researchers say 51.6% of the 153 charities surveyed feared losing contracts or grants as a result of criticising government actions. Nearly a third Read more
Fiji’s Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, has told religious leaders that they have a special responsibility not to spread misinformation and must uphold that responsibility. He was reacting to a comment made by the Catholic Archbishop of Suva, Peter Chong, which, he said, “clearly had the potential to inflame public opinion.” Bainimarama said that it Read more
Companies are usually accountable to no one but their shareholders. Internet companies are a different breed. Because they traffic in speech — rather than, say, corn syrup or warplanes — they make decisions every day about what kind of expression is allowed where. And occasionally they come under pressure to explain how they decide, on Read more
Separation of Church and State is an essential pre-condition for Western style democracies. But it is not total separation, as desired by the secularists. Church members vote and hold high office as citizens. The Churches have a part to play in the ‘public square’. In fact Evangelical Catholics are committed to robust public proclamation of Read more