Joint Interfaith Statement to the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

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Shepparton Interfaith Network LogoThe Shepparton Interfaith Network has endorsed the Joint Interfaith Statement to the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The statement will also be read at an interfaith vigil coordinated by the United Religions Initiative Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons on Friday, 5 August at 2pm EDT. It will take place at the Tillman Chapel at the Church Center for the UN, and also via zoom.

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Faith Communities Supporting Healthy Family Relationships

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Faith Communities Supporting Healthy Family Relationships

From 2018-20, Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health was proud to partner with University of Melbourne to deliver a Participatory Action Research project called ‘Faith Communities Supporting Healthy Family Relationships.’

The project was established by the Multifaith Advisory Group (MAG) based on recommendations 163 and 165 of the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence, and funded by the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Multicultural Affairs Unit.

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Protect our planet with your superannuation

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Australian Religious Response to Climate Change logoIs your Superannuation fuelling global warming by funding coal, oil & gas projects? Come and share, learn and discuss what actions we can take. You are invited to attend our free multifaith groups by registering for one of these free 90-minute online Australian Religious Response to Climate Change workshops about SUPERANNUATION on Thursday 11th August 2022.

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Elvis was a devout Christian who prayed before shows, reveals stepbrother

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Elvis PresleyWhile his fans worshipped him as a rock’n’roll deity, Elvis Presley would say a prayer before going on stage, reading the Bible and looking to God for guidance in everything he did, his stepbrother has recalled in a new biography.
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Australians reject discrimination that is based on religious belief

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no right to discriminateAnalysis of the recent census results on religion and religous observance in Australia, new understandings have arisen regarding discrimination based on religious belief. The Australian Cooperative Election Survey (ACES) is a collaborative project involving Australian universities that used YouGov panel data and methodologies to study the 2022 federal election, has provided an analysis of the data, published in The Conversation.
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Vatican commits to Paris Agreement

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Vatican commits to Paris AgreementThe news that the Holy See will be joining the Paris Agreement indicates that the Vatican will be stepping up its climate diplomacy. The Holy See has announced that, on 6 July, its Permanent Observer at the United Nations ‘deposited before the Secretary-General of the United Nations the Instrument with which the Holy See, in the name and on behalf of Vatican City State, accesses to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’. The announcement continued that the Holy See would be acceding to the Paris Agreement as soon as that treaty’s ‘legal requirements’ allow.
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Christians in Jerusalem

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President Joseph BidenAfter being received by representatives of the churches managing the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem on 15 July, President Joseph Biden was accompanied on a short tour to the site of the birth of Christ, where he was awaited by Patriarch Theophilos III, the Custos Father Patton, and the Armenian Orthodox Patriarch Norahan Manugian, all of whom took Biden on a tour and exchanged discussion with him in the presence of a number of Palestinian officials.
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When is Eid al-Adha and why is it called the Feast of Sacrifice?

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Mosque illustration

Muslims around the world are preparing for a second Eid celebration in the final month of the lunar calendar — and it will be bigger and more significant than the first.

Eid al-Adha — known as the Feast of Sacrifice — follows on from Eid al-Fitr, known as the Feast of Breaking the fast, which took place earlier in April at the end of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting.

While they are slightly different, the essence of any Eid celebration remains the same: worship, sacrifice, and gatherings.

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Celebrating the Dalai Lama

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XIV Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet and one of the most beloved and recognized leaders of our time, turned 87 on Wednesday.

His Holiness is the fourteenth person to be recognized as a Dalai Lama, believed to be a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. The self-proclaimed “simple monk” has dedicated his life to that spirit of compassion, and in turn has made a worldwide impact with his service as a statesman, spiritual teacher, and theologian. In this article we look at his life as inspiration for our own. These days, we need the Dalai Lama’s wisdom more than ever.

This teaching by the Dalai Lama explains how the Buddhist teachings of mindfulness and compassion lead inevitably to feelings of self-confidence and kindness.

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Sir Doug Nicholls: 50 years since knighthood honoured in national stamp

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Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls
From today, Yorta Yorta Elder Sir Douglas Nicholls’ name will live on in tangible form with Australia Post releasing a stamp in his honour. The release marks 50 years since the knighting of Sir Doug, the first Indigenous Australian to be knighted, and coincides with NAIDOC Week.

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2022 NAIDOC WEEK

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NAIDOC WEEK 2022

NAIDOC Week is 3 – 10 July 2022. This year’s theme is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!

The theme calls for all Australians to continue advocating for systematic change. “We all must continue to Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! for systemic change and keep rallying around our mob, our Elders, our communities.

Whether it’s seeking proper environmental, cultural and heritage protections, Constitutional change, a comprehensive process of truth-telling, working towards treaties, or calling out racism—we must do it together.” NAIDOC Committee.

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Experience the Bahaʼi faith

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Mona Vale house of worshipThe Contemplative Studies Centre at the University of Melbourne conducts online webinars themed “Tradition Deep Dives“. The next webinar is an exploration of the Baha’i Faith, whose central teaching is oneness: oneness of humanity, the oneness of religion, and the oneness of God. This session will explore what meditation means to Baha’is, and how prayer and meditation are the foundation of Baha’i efforts to establish an inclusive and vibrant community life. This event invites participation from all persons, regardless of religious beliefs.
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How effective is mindfulness for treating mental ill-health?

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Mindfulness and mental health

Mindfulness forms part of the trillion-dollar wellness industry, representing 1.5–6% of yearly spending around the world (estimated to be more than US$200 million) on wellness products and services.

Smartphone apps, in particular, have skyrocketed in popularity offering incredible promise for mental health with wide reach, and scalability at low cost. Mental ill-health was on the rise before the pandemic but reached new heights during it. Correspondingly, COVID created previously unseen demand for mindfulness apps and online courses.

It’s no surprise people have turned to mindfulness in the wake of the past few stressful years, and their considerable promotion. And while there may be some benefit, it cannot treat mental ill-health on its own, and should not be relied upon to do so.

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Buddhist and Catholic, priests and theologians practice ‘double belonging’

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Statues of Buddha and Jesus.
Statues of Buddha and Jesus. Photos via Unsplash/Creative Commons

(RNS) — In a dimly lit Roman Catholic church in Manhattan, a dozen or so congregants sit as the Rev. Michael Holleran leads them in contemplative prayer. There is some singing, and some prayers said aloud throughout the hour-and-a-half-long worship service. Every so often Holleran rings a bell three times, meant to awaken worshippers from “sleep and into a consciousness of God’s presence.”

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Preventing and Responding to Family Violence: A Faith Leader’s Practice Guide and Toolkit

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Preventing and Responding to Family Violence: A Faith Leader's Practice Guide and ToolkitSisters4Sisters Support Services – with support from the Women’s Information and Referral Exchange and other family violence specialist organisations, including consultation with members from Victoria’s diverse faith communities, have produced Preventing and Responding to Family Violence: A Faith Leader’s Practice Guide and Toolkit, a broad and wide-ranging guide for Faith Leaders in responding to family violence. Specialist input was given by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), affiliate researchers, and strategies from specialist CALD and LGBTQIA+ family violence organisations. The guide is available for download.
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Australian Muslims ‘devastated’ by Saudi Arabia’s new Hajj pilgrimage lottery

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Kabaa at night

Saudi Arabia’s new visa lottery system has thrown Australian Muslims’s Hajj plans into chaos.

The rules changed overnight, forcing many to cancel their flights and hotel bookings.

Saudi Arabia says the lottery system is designed to crack down on Hajj-related scams.

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Pope to Buddhists: Let’s work together to cultivate compassion and hospitality

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Pope Francis receives a Delegation of Buddhists Pope Francis receives a delegation of Buddhists from Thailand and reiterates Pope St. Paul VI’s feelings of profound regard for the spiritual, moral and socio-cultural treasures of the Buddhist tradition.
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