RSA Weekly For atheists, rationalists and secular humanists in Australia
Saturday 15 February 2025 Hi , In recent weeks, the RSA Weekly has been filling up with articles about the extremes of the emboldened Christian Right in the United States. In today's edition,
the trend continues, with articles about US states now embarking on efforts to impose prayers in public schools and introduce the teaching of intelligent design into science classes. Our top article highlights why we need to pay close attention to what's going on over there in the US. We have reported today on how Christian lobbyists in Australia are now calling for our
governments to set up “faith offices” based on the one being established by the Trump Administration. If you'd like to share something you've seen online or share your thoughts about articles in the RSA Weekly, feel free to email me on editor@rationalist.com.au. Si Gladman Executive Director, Rationalist Society of Australia |
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| RSA Christian lobbyists pushing for Trump-style ‘faith offices’ in
Australian governments15 Feb: Christian lobbyists will urge Australian governments to set up “faith offices” based on the one being established by the Trump Administration. Speaking on Christian radio this week, Greg Bondar, of Christian Voice Australia, praised President Donald Trump’s announcement of a White House Faith Office and welcomed the idea of the body having a say over government legislation. Read the full article |
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| RSA Non-religious AFL players deserve same opportunity to talk about
their worldview, RSA tells league13 Feb: The Rationalist Society of Australia has urged the Australian Football League to ensure non-religious footballers have the same opportunity as their religious colleagues to speak about their worldview on the league’s own media channels. The RSA has written to the AFL following the publication of an article on the AFL website last week in which a player spoke of how his Christianity inspired him and
his desire to “spread the goodness of Jesus”. Read the full article |
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| RSA Defence Force failing to meet wellbeing needs of non-religious
personnel, RSA tells committee10 Feb: The Australian Defence Force is failing to meet the wellbeing needs of its non-religious service personnel, the Rationalist Society of Australia has told a federal parliament committee. In a submission to an inquiry of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, RSA Executive Director Si Gladman said it was possible that thousands of Army and Air Force service personnel may be
unable to access appropriate frontline wellbeing support. Read the full article |
| SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Brothels, benders and exorcisms: The dark side of private rehab 15 Feb: A Herald investigation has heard allegations of
serious problems in NSW’s private rehabilitation industry, which can include centres operated by fringe charities as well as for-profit businesses; centres that take bribes to overlook positive drug tests, or turn a blind eye to sex workers, or refuse to provide prescribed medication because recovery is in God’s hands. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN JD Vance stuns Munich conference with blistering attack on Europe’s leaders 15 Feb: The US vice-president, JD Vance, has launched a brutal
ideological assault on Europe, accusing its leaders of suppressing free speech, failing to halt illegal migration and running in fear from voters’ true beliefs. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Josh Frydenberg launches foundation to tackle antisemitism 14 Feb: Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg is launching a high-powered foundation to
tackle the national surge of antisemitism, with a focus on stopping the targeting of Jewish Australians online and at university. Read the full article |
| REUTERS (US) Infant mortality rises in states with abortion bans, study finds 14 Feb: Increases in infant mortality have been found in US states that
enacted abortion bans or severe restrictions after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark ruling that guaranteed a right to the procedure, US researchers said on Thursday. Read the full article |
| SKY NEWS Senators Gerard Rennick, Hollie Hughes claim Australia importing antisemitism 14 Feb: Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes and independent Senator Gerard
Rennick have called for migrants to better embrace Western values and the Australian way of life in the wake of the Sydney nurse antisemitism saga. Senator Hughes said Australia had “without a shadow of a doubt” failed at multiculturalism, with the “disturbing” truth many migrants have failed to embrace the national culture. Read the full article |
| THE NATIONAL (UK) SNP MP in bid to end 400-year-old Westminster 'tradition' 14 Feb: An SNP MP is seeking to ban the more than 400-year-old practice of
opening the day in the House of Commons with prayers. Aberdeen North MP Kirsty Blackman has put her name to an early day motion which says that “prayers should not form part of the official business of Parliament”. Read the full article |
| AL (US) Alabama schools could lose millions for skipping daily pledge, prayer 13 Feb: Alabama lawmakers debated Wednesday whether to require schools to
start their day with the Pledge of Allegiance and a Judeo-Christian prayer. If a school refuses, it could lose a quarter of its annual state funding. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Proposed ban on protest outside places of worship could prevent Town Hall rallies, Sydney mayor warns13 Feb: According to multiple sources, a number of Labor MPs voiced
concerns about the broad nature of laws which would ban protest outside places of worship, with the laws giving police broad powers to issue move on orders regardless of whether the protest is directed at the place of worship. Read the full article |
| SYDNEY MORNING HERALD NSW nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion drugs under new bill13 Feb: Nurses and midwives would be able to prescribe abortion medications, and doctors with
a conscientious objection would be compelled to refer patients to abortion providers under a new bill aimed at redressing discriminatory barriers preventing women from accessing abortions. Read the full
article |
| NINE Abortion emerges as prominent topic in WA election13 Feb: Abortion rights has emerged as a prominent topic in the upcoming WA election, with Liberal leader Libby Mettam evading
questions on one of her candidate's views on women's reproductive rights. Amanda-Sue Markham, a Liberal candidate running for the Legislative Council, publicly opposed the decriminalisation of abortion in Tasmania in 2013. Read the full
article |
| IN FORUM (US) North Dakota lawmakers debate whether intelligent design belongs in science classrooms12 Feb: North Dakota Senate Bill 2355 would require schools to teach intelligent
design, which is the idea that an intelligent entity — like God — designed the universe and created all life on Earth. Supporters of the bill say the idea deserves a spot in public school classrooms. Read the full
article |
| THE GUARDIAN (US) Rightwing Christians plot to increase US religious education during school hours12 Feb: A group of rightwing Christian organizations is pushing a model bill to
require public school districts to allow students to receive religious education during school hours, according to footage from a December meeting of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers. Read the full article |
| NEWS NSW government introduces new laws to crack down on hate crimes in places of worship11 Feb: Tough new hate laws, including two years jail for racial hatred offences, will be
debated in NSW Parliament following a rise in anti-Semitism attacks across the state. The NSW Government introduced two bills on Tuesday to protect places of worship and further criminalise Nazi symbols, as part of a crackdown on recent racial hatred and anti-Semitism. Read the full article |
| ABC Additional funding for abortion access all but ruled out10 Feb: Health Minister Mark Butler has all but ruled out additional federal funding to address unresolved issues about
abortion access in public hospitals, insisting the issue remains a matter for the states and territories. The federal government has announced a $573 million package for women's health, vowing to significantly lift Medicare rebates for long-term contraceptives. Read
the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN (UK) Church of England scandals stoke fears of mutiny as synod talks loom8 Feb: Mutiny may be in the air when the Church of England’s normally staid ruling body, the
General Synod, meets for a five-day session next week. The gathering of the 500-member church parliament follows a series of tumultuous events that have resulted in the unprecedented resignation of the archbishop of Canterbury, repeated calls for the archbishop of York to stand down, and the sudden departure of the bishop of Liverpool. Read the full article |
In the Victorian Parliament last week, Georgie Purcell, of the Animal Justice Party, called for the removal of the ability of taxpayer-funded religious hospitals to conscientiously object to providing abortion and contraception services. What do you think? Email your comments to: editor@rationalist.com.au |
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| RATIONALE The ‘Musk-eteer’ dismantling
America Paul Monk: Elon Musk has been a shooting star. His ambitions and his energy have been awe-inspiring to observe, from banking to electric cars to space and social media, there seemed to be nothing he couldn’t do; nothing he couldn’t transform. Five years ago, I read Anna Crowley Redding’s brief biography of the man, Elon Musk: A Mission to Save the World, and was astonished at what he had achieved.
Read the full article |
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| RATIONALE Objectivity, independent media and news
avoidance Matt Walsh: The way we get our news is changing fast. The latest research from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University shows that, around the world, news consumers are turning to Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok rather than television, radio or newspapers. Nearly a quarter of adults under 24 get their news from TikTok. Read the full article |
| HUMAN RIGHTS LAW CENTRE Explainer: NSW’s proposed laws on hate crimes and places of worship On Tuesday 11 February 2025, the Minns Government
introduced a suite of new laws which would criminalise a range of activities outside places of worship, give police new powers in regard to protests in or near places of worship, and increase penalties for certain acts of racial hatred. The laws, if passed, would have wide-ranging implications for the right to peaceful assembly and may lead to the criminalisation of conduct which does not impact on the rights of people to practice their religion and be protected from racial or religious hatred.
Read the full article |
| THE AGE If ‘hate speech’ laws go too far, we will lose essential freedoms George Brandis: Liberal societies have always recognised the
fundamental difference between conduct which causes harm to others and that which merely gives offence. Acts which fall within the former category, such as incitement of violence, intimidation, harassment or causing fear, should be – and in the case of inciting violence, always have been – crimes. Read the full article |
| PEARLS & IRRITATIONS Jewish group opposes adoption of IHRA definition of antisemitism The Jewish Council of Australia has said it opposes many of
the recommendations made by a Parliamentary panel into antisemitism released on Wednesday. It said it was strongly opposed to universities being asked to adopt a definition of antisemitism based on the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Association Working Definition of Antisemitism. Read the full article |
| THE AGE Feeling unwelcome: Why debate is mounting over an ancient ceremony Natassia Chrysanthos: In the riverside town of Taree on the NSW north
coast, an ancient custom was this month drawn into one of Australia’s most parochial forums for political debate: a local council meeting. Unlike most other gatherings of the MidCoast Council, the gallery was packed. Emails had bounced between constituents and councillors all week, as word spread that recently elected councillor Mick Graham was coming to February’s meeting with a motion to discontinue “Welcome to Country” ceremonies. Read the full article |
| PEARLS & IRRITATIONS Pope Francis and zero tolerance of child sexual abuse Kieran Tapsell: Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has
publicly claimed eight times that the Catholic Church practises “zero tolerance” towards child sexual abuse by clergy. At worst, this is simply untrue, and at best, like Humpty Dumpty in Alice in Wonderland, he makes the expression mean whatever he wants it to mean. Read the
full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Evangelical education nearly ruined me. Now the Christian right is coming for public schools Josiah Hesse: When I got the chance to
attend a conservative, evangelical high school in rural Iowa, I was ecstatic. My early education had been in a similar school – where creationism was the one true science, and evolution was satanic propaganda – and I’d spent the interim as a frightened pilgrim in the unholy land of public school. I was a teenage zealot and longed to be among my people. Read the full article |
| ABC The Catholic Church and the Jewish people in turbulent times: Reflections on “Nostra aetate” after 60 years Emmanuel Nathan: The Catholic
Church maintains two separate departments, called “dicasteries” — one for interreligious dialogue (which includes dialogue with Islam and other world religions), and another for dialogue with Judaism and the Jewish people (which is actually part of the dicastery for promoting Christian unity). Read the full article |
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