Irishman David Quinn says the Irish have become intolerant about public manifestations of religion. But, he says, “We really shouldn’t complain too loudly. In New Zealand they have it much worse, if that’s the word.” “I was in New Zealand on Good Friday three years ago visiting a family member, and on Good Friday no Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Secularism’
Census: Ashburton embraces God; Lyttelton doesn’t
Tuesday, April 29th, 2014Ashburton is the most Christian place in Canterbury, while Lyttelton is one of the least religious, according to new census data. Growing Filipino and Pacific Island communities have swelled congregations in the Mid-Canterbury town, which has the biggest proportion of Christian people in the district. About 71 per cent of the 1500 people that live Read more
With This Bacon I Thee Wed
Tuesday, February 25th, 2014A secular couple were married on February 8, 2014 in a l ceremony attended by family and friends at their home. The ceremony, officiated by Prophet John Whiteside of the United Church of Bacon, is the first wedding performed by our clergy and is legally recognised by Clark County, Nevada. Continue reading.
Religious instruction in schools in spotlight again
Tuesday, February 4th, 2014
Christian education in state schools is in the spotlight again after to parents laid a complaint with the Human Rights Commission about bible lessons at St Heliers primary school in Auckland New Zealand. A third parent is considering laying a complaint as well. The Education Act allows a school to close for up to 60 Read more
Census – Archbishop Dew says religion still plays an important part
Friday, December 13th, 2013
New Zealand Catholic Bishops welcomed the Census 2013 figures on religious affiliation published today and noted that the majority of New Zealanders identify with a diverse range of religions, although the number that don’t have a religious affiliation is increasing. “The number of Catholics is fairly similar to the number published in 2006, with about Read more
Are we now so godless that Christmas is irrelevant?
Friday, December 13th, 2013Christianity has shed hundreds of thousand of devotees in the past seven years, while the number of non-religious has risen strongly. Victoria University professor Paul Morris, who specialises in religious studies, said the country was in “new territory”, with Christianity losing its central position in society. “For the first time since 1901, Christians are not Read more
Lecture will show that the legacy of religion belongs to everybody
Tuesday, November 5th, 2013An unusual religious background has left a Victoria University of Wellington Professor of English with a taste for secular writing containing religious ideas. In his upcoming inaugural professorial lecture, titled ‘When You’re Dead You Go on Television: Sex, Death and Household Objects in Some New Zealand Poetry’, Williams says his lecture will show that the Read more
Christian can’t be anti-Semite, Pope insists
Friday, June 28th, 2013
“Given our common roots, a Christian cannot be an anti-Semite!” Pope Francis has declared to a delegation from a broad-based coalition of Jewish organisations representing Judaism to other religions. The Pope said Christians and Jews can work together to challenge the contemporary problems of secularism and disrespect for the human person. “Humanity needs our joint Read more
Dog Jesus OK’ed by Broadcasting Standards
Friday, June 21st, 2013The depiction of Jesus as a dog in adverts for The Graham Norton Show has been deemed appropriate by the Broadcasting Standards Authority. The TV advertisement, which aired in December, included a photograph of a couple dressed as Mary and Joseph holding a dog in swaddling clothes. In the week leading up to Christmas, TV3 broadcast the Read more
Europe more secular because of Muslim immigration
Friday, June 21st, 2013
The European relationship between religion, law and politics is a strange creature. Religious influence over political life is weaker in Europe than in almost any other part of the world. To adapt the phrase first used by Alastair Campbell when he was spokesman for the British prime minister Tony Blair, politicians in Europe generally ‘don’t Read more