RSA Daily

For atheists, rationalists and secular humanists in Australia

Monday, December 18, 2023

Good morning ,

Another of RSA Fellow Neil Francis's landmark reports on Religiosity in Australia. Volume no 5 investigates morality and religiosity. Does it drive you crazy how people (including Charities Minister Andrew Leigh) tend to assume religious people are somehow morally better than the rest of us? Well, it ain't necessarily so, and Francis has the data to prove it.

And will Labor cave in, yet again, on the Productivity Commission's recommendations to claw back long built up financial privileges by religious schools? Hmmm...

Lead stories

RSA Fellow Neil Francis has done the hard work, analysing reams of data and information to see whether religious people are in fact more moral than the non-religious. Answer: Nope.

The High Court makes a decision, which basically says the Catholic Church's tactics to avoid paying for clerics' abuse will no longer be allowed. Undeterred, the Church continues to challenge, but it looks like the High Court's decision will lead to more abused people suing. Watch this space!

The UK has an established church (ie, one officially favoured by the govt) and has bishops in their upper house as of right -- but in some ways they are more secular than Australia. 

This is one to watch too. Will Labor retain a semblance of backbone and implement the recommendations of the Productivity Commission - or cave in, once again, to the religious lobby?

Other stories of interest

Australia has so far resisted American populism and dysfunction. This is why

Vatican cardinal handed 5.5 years jail for embezzlement

Secrecy and the climate disinformation industry

Does Science Really Show Free Will Doesn't Exist? Here's What You Need to Know.

Got a comment on any of these stories? 

Write to me at president@rationalist.com.au

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