religious freedom
Hillsong Hallelujah! Sex, drugs and Rock’n’Roll
The revelations about Hillsong just keep coming. This week, in a leaked letter, a senior church manager suggested board members consider resigning and a former insider described the church’s ‘sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll’ ethos. Plus, a former senior member alleged Brian Houston knew of his father’s child sexual abuse years before he admits. In January, …
Remarkable timing: Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed
Hillsong founder Brian Houston quit his church the day before the release of the 3-part Discovery Plus docuseries Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed. Discovery Plus announced the air date a month ago. Watch the trailer for Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed below. Hillsong History Brian Houston’s father Frank Houston became superintendent of the New Zealand Assemblies of …
Raise your voice now to stop the Religious Privilege Bill
The infamous Citipointe College contract banning gay and trans kids has thrown a hand grenade into the national debate about Scott Morrison’s Religious Privilege Bill. Fill out the Just.Equal election survey and let’s Kill the Bill! Rodney Croome is a board member of Just.Equal Australia. Suddenly, millions of Australians can see what kind of bigotry …
Religious Entitlement: Samsung drops drag queen ad
Samsung Singapore dropped an ad showing a Muslim mother demonstrating her love and support for her drag queen son because – of course – of religious entitlement. After all, for some, religious freedom’s just another word for… …shitting on other people. Activists grabbed the video before its removal and reposted it online. Scroll down to …
Mother blames secret conversion therapy for daughter’s death
The mother of Alana Chen who died by suicide in 2019, says secret conversion therapy led to her daughter’s death. Joyce Calvo writes in the National Catholic Reporter that despite their denials, Alana’s diaries reveal that priests and nuns encouraged her to conceal and suppress her sexual orientation without her parent’s knowledge. “I am still in …
Satirical supergroup Thrillsong calls out Hillsong
Australian musicians announced earlier this week the formation of the new supergroup Thrillsong. Following the Hillsong COVID-19 restrictions fiasco, Thrillsong is ready to ‘take bookings for religious and sporting events’. Thrillsong features a wide variety of performers who will no doubt appeal to fans of different musical tastes and also perhaps religious preferences. The list: …
The Religious Discrimination Bill Threatens Our Lives, Not Just Our Laws
The Great Backlash, the Religious Discrimination Bill is here and it is literally killing us. Lunatic laws rolling back LGBTIQ+ discrimination protections and attacking trans people have been proposed in NSW and will inevitably spring up in other states. Nationally, we face the looming threat of the Religious License-to-Discriminate Bill that will take away the …
On this day December 17: David Marr, The High Price of Heaven
On December 17 1999, the Australian Jewish News published a review of The High Price of Heaven: A book about the enemies of pleasure and freedom by David Marr. In The High Price of Heaven, David Marr addressed the politics of salvation. Earlier that year, he gave the third annual Freilich Lecture on Tolerance and …
Lyle Shelton wants prayers to save warring Christian Democrats
The warring Christian Democrats return to the NSW Supreme Court next Tuesday. In advance of the hearing, Lyle Shelton wants prayers. The former heir-apparent to party elder Reverend Fred Nile says Australia desperately needs the party to save the nation from ‘chaos and debauchery’. The Christian Democrats enjoy an unenviable track record for internal squabbling. …
Breakfast With a Twist: Religious Freedom Bill Panel
Pride Business Network (PBN) will devote their 14 September Breakfast With a Twist to a panel discussion on upcoming federal government legislation. The Religious Freedom Bill Panel will feature community leaders and political figures in addition to open discussion of the bill. PBN President Richard Bakker said members of the organisation expressed an interest in …