A collaborative study carried out by a number of universities around the world, including the The University of Otago in New Zealand, has found evidence for the existence of the Ned Flanders effect. Nedward “Ned” Flanders, is a character in the long running TV series The Simpsons. He is the Simpson family’s extremely religious next “diddly-door” Read more
Parliament’s Speaker David Carter has proposed a new prayer to be read at the opening of the parliamentary day. He is asking MPs for their feedback on the prayer which could replace the existing one adopted in 1962. MPs have been told the choice is between the existing prayer, which is 70 words long, and 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
A new Catholic “subculture” committed to evangelisation is needed to counter decades of Catholics becoming absorbed into secular culture, according to an American Catholic author. “We’re no longer evangelising the culture, we’ve been evangelised by it, and it’s not good for the secular culture, and it’s destroying us as a religious community,” said veteran journalist Read more