RSA Weekly For atheists, rationalists and secular humanists in Australia
Saturday 19 April 2025 Hi , In recent days, we've reported on some positive news from New South Wales. The state government's education department has confirmed it is investigating claims about the teaching of
caste in Hindu scripture classes. We have been reporting about this issue for a number of months and have been urging the government to take the issue seriously. With Anzac Day fast approaching, we've published a new podcast episode featuring David Stephens, of the Honest History group. In the interview, we discuss the conservatism of the Australian War Memorial and the institution's
reluctance to change on issues such as the religious domination of Anzac Dawn Services. Listen to The Secular Agenda on major podcast apps or here on our website. Also, I
recommend a new article by the ABC highlighting our advocacy work in calling for the South Australian government to abolish sacrilege and blasphemy laws (see the 'Opinion/Analysis' section). If you'd like to share your thoughts about articles in the RSA Weekly, email me on sigladman@rationalist.com.au. Si Gladman Executive Director, Rationalist Society of Australia |
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| RSA NSW education department investigating caste-based discrimination
in SRE classes15 Apr: The New South Wales’ Department of Education has confirmed it is investigating complaints of caste-based discrimination being taught in the Hindu Special Religious Education program in the state’s public schools. In a letter to the Rationalist Society of Australia last month, a spokesperson confirmed that the department had met with community representatives who raised concerns about the teaching of caste in
SRE. Read the full article |
| DAILY TELEGRAPH Rates rebellion: Catholic school parents fear huge fee slug 19 Apr: Catholic schools in some of Sydney’s wealthiest suburbs have refused a
call by one local council to start paying rates, as parents fear they will be the ones to “fork out” the extra cash. Read the full article |
| ABC Administrators announce a proposed new operator for Brindabella Christian College after EOI process 17 Apr: Administrators for Canberra's Brindabella
Christian College have announced a preferred new operator after the college entered voluntary administration last month. Christian Community Ministries was selected to take over the school pending public consultation. Read the full
article |
| THE HILL Young Americans are becoming less religious: Survey 17 Apr: Younger Americans are becoming less likely to say they are religious, with about a
third of Generation Z and millennials now identifying with no religion, according to a survey. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Muslim advocacy group to preference Greens above Labor in some seats despite disagreement on religious freedom 16 Apr: A potentially
influential Muslim advocacy group is planning to tell voters to preference the Greens above Labor on how-to-vote cards in several key seats, despite objecting to the minor party’s position on religious freedom in schools. Read the full article |
| ABC UK Supreme Court rules that law defines a woman as someone born biologically female 16 Apr: The UK Supreme Court has ruled that a woman is someone born
biologically female, excluding transgender people from the legal definition. Five judges unanimously ruled "biological sex" is what defines a woman, according to law. Read the full article |
| ABC How election candidates are boosting a news site promoting neo-Nazi ideologies 14 Apr: Federal election candidates and elected officials have been
sharing content from a publication that regularly publishes articles promoting white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies. The Noticer runs white supremacist content alongside stories lifted from selected news sites. Read the full
article |
| ABC Catholic chaplains locked out of NT jails as prison population continues to rise 13 Apr: Darwin's Catholic bishop has written to the Northern Territory
government expressing concern over a chronic lack of access to NT prisons, saying chaplains are effectively being locked out. In a letter to Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, Bishop Charles Gauci said Catholic chaplains were facing "significant obstacles" reaching prisoners. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN State department staff told to report colleagues for ‘anti-Christian bias’ 12 Apr: The state department is ordering staff to report colleagues
for instances of “anti-Christian bias” during the Biden administration, part of Donald Trump’s aggressive push to reshape government policy on religious expression in his first months back in office. Read the full article |
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| RATIONALE It’s for good reason that religion is in
retreat Paul Monk: Bari Weiss’s highly successful Substack site, The Free Press, hosted a debate in March. All good rationalists would do well to watch it. The debate was between Ross Douthat and Ayaan Hirsi Ali on one side, and Michael Shermer and Adam Carolla on the other, on the topic: ‘Does the West need a religious revival?’ Read the full article |
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| RATIONALE How paranormal beliefs help people cope in
uncertain times Neil Dagnall: Research has shown that teaching critical thinking and scientific literacy can help people tell the difference between helpful spiritual practices and harmful misunderstandings. Encouraging scepticism and rational thinking allows people to engage with the world in a way that balances hope with reason. Read the full article |
| ABC The history behind controversial laws of sacrilege and blasphemy in Australia Anna Levy: The Rationalist Society of Australia has been vocal
in calling for the abolition of the crimes of both sacrilege and blasphemy. In 2024, it successfully appealed to the Tasmanian government to repeal its "clearly antiquated" blasphemy legislation. In 2023, the organisation wrote to South Australian Attorney-General Kyam Maher, urging his government to remove the law of sacrilege. "Sacrilege and blasphemy laws have no place in modern-day Australia," executive director Si Gladman says. Read the full article |
| PEARLS & IRRITATIONS Coalition commits to Christian Nationalism Lucy Hamilton: The Republican Party thought it could ride the tiger of the
Christian Right: instead, that movement swallowed the party whole. There a presidential candidate’s victory could depend on their success at gaining the Christian Right leaders’ endorsement. The news released on Sunday that Coalition candidates submitted a Christian principles statement to the Australian Christian Lobby’s voter advice site signals they are making the same dangerous gamble. Read the full article |
| SYDNEY MORNING HERALD The ‘grassroots’ lobby group funded by some of Australia’s richest Tim Elliott: It claims to be a “grassroots” group
promoting free speech and common-sense policy to ordinary Aussies. But behind Advance’s propaganda machine – and its deluge of disinformation – are links to the far right in the US. Read the full
article |
| ABC RADIO How should Christians engage in politics? This year, Easter is enfolded in a federal election, so it’s the perfect time to ask how Christians
should take part in politics. The ABC Religion & Ethics report interviews Dr Mark Fowler, a lawyer and academic, on the question of whether Christians should submit to the power of the state. Listen to the full
episode |
| ABC This federal election, Australian Muslims face an ethical dilemma Zouhir Gabsi: Casting a vote is a significant civic act for many Muslims
today. Islam encourages Muslims to be involved in decision-making and to be active citizens — especially when those decisions could have implications for the condition of Muslims and of humankind in general. In Australia, with Labor and the Liberal Party running neck-and-neck in the polls, Muslims find themselves faced with an ethical dilemma. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Victoria’s Liberal leader is counting the days to the election. But will ‘brand Brad’ pass the pub test? Benita Kolovos: Brad
Battin describes himself as an atheist and rejects that he’s a conservative, saying instead that he’s “common sense”. He has repeatedly ruled out any changes to Victoria’s abortion laws or its ban on gay conversion therapy. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Trump has put Christian nationalists in key roles – say a prayer for free speech Adam Gabbatt: The Trump administration’s promotion
of white Christian nationalists and prosperity gospel preachers to key government roles will lead to the “further dismantling of government institutions” and the chilling of free speech, experts have warned. Read the full article |
| THE CONVERSATION Claims of ‘anti-Christian bias’ sound to some voters like a message about race, not just religion Rosemary Al-Kire: President
Donald Trump and members of his administration have long used allegations of anti-Christian discrimination as a rallying cry for supporters, arguing that policies and laws on issues like school prayer and LGBTQ+ rights threaten Christians’ right to express their beliefs. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Ireland’s mother-and-baby homes are a stain on the Catholic church – but this latest refusal to atone is a new low Rhiannon Lucy
Cosslett: There are some stories so horrifying that their details embed themselves in your flesh and haunt you for the rest of your days. The suffering of the women and babies – an estimated 170,000 of them – who were incarcerated and abused in the Magdalene laundries and mother-and-baby homes that housed “fallen women” is one such story. Read the full article |
| THE GUARDIAN Why 43 women are suing the secretive Opus Dei Catholic group in Argentina Harriet Barber: The first item Opus Dei gave 12-year-old
Andrea Martínez was a pink dress. The second was a schedule that detailed every task for every minute of her day. Then, when she was 16, she was given a cilice – a spiked metal chain to wear around her thigh – and a whip. In the late 1980s, Opus Dei, a secretive and ultra-conservative Catholic organisation, promised Martínez an escape from a life of poverty in rural Argentina. Read the full article |
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