Coming up in September - Three Public Lectures by Professor Joseph Camilleri

Professor Joseph Camilleri

Tuesday 11 September, 6 pm for 6.15 start: Life in The Post-Truth World. Life in The Post-Truth World. Are lies, fake news and cover-ups the new normal? Lecture by Prof. Joseph Camilleri. Truth is a human quality, not unlike beauty and wisdom. In public life, trust, reliability, judgment and solidarity all depend upon truth. In today’s world – Australia included – truth telling seems on the wane. What is happening to truth-telling in Australian public life? How much does our society value well informed, truthful communication? Venue: St Michael’s on Collins, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne - www.stmichaels.org.au. Tickets: $20 per lecture or $45 for all. Seats are limited, book early to secure yours Book: online at www.stmichaels.org.au to reserve your seats or call 9651 5120.

Tuesday 18 September, 6 pm for 6.15 start: Is Social Trust in Decline? Is Social Trust in Decline? – What does this mean for Politics, Business, Banking, the Media, Religion? Lecture by Prof. Joseph Camilleri. In Australia as elsewhere, many to think that our institutions — public and private — are not acting in the public interest. News organizations are themselves less trusted by the public than ever before. Social media are following suit. Religious leaders and organisations, far from setting the moral tone for public life, are now mistrusted and even shunned. Venue: St Michael’s on Collins, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne -www.stmichaels.org.au. Tickets: $20 per lecture or $45 for all. Seats are limited, book early to secure yours Book: online at www.stmichaels.org.au to reserve your seats or call 9651 5120.

Tuesday 25 September, 6 pm for 6.15 start: Redeeming Truth and Trust in Public Life: Redeeming Truth and Trust in Public Life: What will it take? Lecture by Prof Joseph Camilleri. This session asks whether – and how – we can summon the energy, resources and collective vision to reset the agenda and the conversation. How do we place truth and trust at the centre of our civic engagement? Is democracy still relevant to our globalised, digitalised world? If so, how can it be made to work? Is there an effective ethical compass to guide public life and personal growth? Venue: St Michael’s on Collins, 120 Collins Street, Melbourne -www.stmichaels.org.au. Tickets: $20 per lecture or $45 for all. Seats are limited, book early to secure yours Book: online at www.stmichaels.org.au to reserve your seats or call 9651 5120.

LARK, Yom Kippur, and paying it forward

From The Editor:

Through my interfaith activities, I have a dear Jewish friend - Av.  This morning, I have received this message and flyer from him through a mutual interfaith friend who is a Sikh, Aunty Jessiee Kaur Singh.

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Shalom to all, especially Rosa,

I felt it might be good if I sent out this reminder that Rosa's 3-days of LARK begin today, Friday, 20 July. the flier is again attached...

A Very Little LARK... G-d works in mysterious ways

I would like to share my LARK moment of yesterday... thought I would start a day early (but still share it today!)

• I found myself in a little family-owned cafe that I rarely frequent (2 staff, 3 when busy)... and the shop was having a busy moment.
• I ordered 2 coffees and a pastry for me and a friend, handing them a $20 note.
• I wasn't sure - but guessed the total bill would be maybe $14-16 - so I expected about $5 change
• The shop assistant handed me all 3 items, and some $12 change, which whilst carrying my shopping, I didn't count!
• I had already walked out the shop, when I looked at the change, and thought to myself
  • There seems to be too much change
  • I recalculated what I'd ordered - and was sure I'd received too much change!
  • I will be honest -  for a moment I tried to rationalise & tell myself "this is my lucky day!" & should I keep going down the street...?
  • Funds continue to be lacking in my life - I could buy 2 more coffees later...
  • At that moment, I remembered Rosa's LARK project...
• I went back into the shop and politely pointed out the situation
• Yes, they'd forgotten to charge me for the pastry, thanked me for being honest, and corrected the change
• I felt strongly the LARK message all around...
• Later on... I told this story at my usual cafe... and there the staff and I got immersed in a conversation about ethics... which got us discussing all manner of ways to be honest... debating scenarios like what if it happened in bigger shops like Coles... what if a vending machine overpaid... etc.
• I believe these other people will now spend their next few days thinking about honesty, ethics... and passing the conversation forward...

All because Rosa reminded us to be kind (and honest) especially on these days... Thank you!

The moral perhaps - We can "Pay It Forward"...  Even When We "Pay It Back"!

Shabbat Shalom, 

Tsom Kal (Fast Effectively - to those that fast this Saturday night/Sunday)

Avraham

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Postscript from The Editor:

Our Jewish friends have been  in the midst of Yom Kippur 

which explains the fasting reference in Av's greeting.

Ethical Update from Australia

View on mobile June-July 2018 Everyday choices to change your world

Choose to refuse - single-use plastic ​​​More than 6 out of 10 of us are already refusing plastic shopping bags, avoiding pre-packed fruit and veg, picking up other people's litter and avoiding buying bottled water. If you’ve ever wanted to reduce your reliance on harmful plastic products and reduce your plastic waste, then this is the month to do it. Register for the Plastic Free July challenge. See the Enviro Shop for items to help you reduce plastic use, and some Hints from Rose.

Big Banks - how ethical? What would the big four banks do with a 17 billion dollar tax cut if they got one? Perhaps more jobs and fairer (fatter) pay packets for employees. Given the recent Royal Commission, and continuing criticisms (including fossil fuel funding and foreign land grabs), "investing" in the big banks in this way may not be backing the most "ethical" horse. Check out these resources to find a bank that reflects your values. See Get Up!'s Brighter Banks campaign - partnering with 100% customer-owned Bank Australia.

The Kind guide - made with compassion The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, employing millions of people worldwide of which many are underpaid, overworked and enslaved. A new resource, The Kind guide, advocates for brands with strong ethics and are constantly asking who, where and how products are made. See their directory. Check out this vid from Citizen Wolf, one of the featured brands, explaining what they do. See more on clothing alternatives at Shop Ethical Clothing.

Be Inspired: towards a plant-based diet Change the world - one bite at a time! A plant-based diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds and limits meat, fish, dairy, eggs, cheese and other animal by-products. It differs largely from a vegan and vegetarian diet in that it promotes unprocessed foods. Yep, no tofurkey! This month's Be Inspired feature explores the benefits of a plant-based diet, including the "reducetarian" movement, empowering individuals to eat less meat in an easy and manageable way.

Cash for containers - it makes cents! April saw Boomerang Alliance hit the road with a 3 metre-long Coke Bottle on a mission to sway the Victorian government to implement a statewide 10 cents Container Deposit Scheme. Similar schemes have been hugely successful in NT, SA and NSW, and within the next six months, WA, QLD and ACT will introduce their own legislation, leaving Victorians, along with Tasmanians, unable to reap the rewards. Sign up to the Cash for Containers campaign and find out more about the Big Bottle Tour.

Quick Bites Apple has been fined $9m for misleading Australia customers about their warranty rights by refusing to inspect or fix faulty devices without charge if they had been repaired by a third party.  Guardian Does you AFL footy team profit from pokies? Nine AFL clubs around Australia use pokies to fund their footy clubs. Sign the petition to help clubs get out of the pokies.   Pokies Play You McCafé is the largest producer of coffee cup waste in Australia, using over 84 million cups each year. Their plastic lining means that most are never recycled. Sign the petition.   Sum of Us The government has suspended the export licence of Emanuel Exports, the biggest live sheep trading exporter and the company responsible for the 2017 Awassi Express shipment.   The Conversation In a bid to reduce ocean pollution, Japan has passed a bill calling on companies to cease use of microplastics in their products (especially face washes and toothpastes).   Global Cosmetics

Ethics in our daily doings

Compass is Australia's only religion, ethics and social values TV program.

It has reflected and explored belief, faith, values and the search for meaning through personal stories, documentaries and debate since 1988.

Compass airs for 30 minutes on Saturday nights at 6.00 pm and is repeated on Sundays at 11am, with a third screening on Fridays at 10:30am. You can also choose to watch the program on ABC iview. The Compass website offers an archive of programs and transcripts. You can also take part in our dynamic social media community, by following us on Facebook or Twitter.

This week on Compass they are talking ethics.  An Australian family, the Easthopes, attempt to redefine the way they live, making ethical choices about how they travel and what they eat.  

Part of the show is a visit from Costa Georgiadis of ABC's Gardening Australia -

because growing our own is part of an ethical lifestyle.

Compass on Facebook

CONFERENCE: Exclusion and Embrace: Disability, Justice and Spirituality 21-23 August 2016

Exclusion and Embrace 2016: Disability, Justice and Spirituality

From August 21, 2016 03:04 until August 23, 2016 05:04

•  At Jasper Hotel, 489 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Australia

The Australian Catholic University, The Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, The Progressive Christian Network of Victoria Inc., would like to invite you to:

2016 Exclusion and Embrace Conference

Date: 21-23 August 2016
Venue: Jasper Hotel, 489 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Australia.

This Conference is a rare opportunity to bring together people interested in understandings of sacred texts, and the experiences of people with disabilities and carers within the context of faith. This  multi-faith Australasian Conference  has the support of a wide number of organisations including the Jewish Christian Muslim Association (JCMA) and the Faith Communities Council of Victoria (FCCV). The Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania is providing the Conference Secretariat.

The Conference will draw on the wisdom of all faiths, and will deepen our understanding of the many aspects of disability and spirituality. We are interested in your experience, research, practice, and ideas and knowledge.

Among the themes explored will be ethics, care, inclusion in faith communities, friendship, discrimination, love, justice, liberation.

In Australia, and abroad, an increasing number of people are actively exploring the intersection of disability and spirituality. An excellent Conference program will present perspectives across the faith spectrum, with opportunities for dialogue and formation of new networks. It will have appeal to people who live with disability, families and carers, academics and practitioners (volunteers and staff).

Two esteemed speakers will be keynoters at our Conference: Prof Hans Reinders is Chair of Ethics at VU University, Holland, and editor of the journal Religion and Disability. Rev Bill Gaventa is Director of the Summer Institute of Theology and Disability and President-elect of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). We are also delighted that an Australian cast of presenters is increasingly coming on board: Prof David Tacey an interdisciplinary scholar who is widely published for his knowledge of Australian spirituality. Other presenters include Lorna Hallahan, Sheik Isse Musse, Melinda Jones and Diana Cousens (see website Speakers tab for details).

There will also be an exhibition of artworks that reflect people’s experience of disability and spirituality, as it relates to the conference theme.

View and download the brochure (note: when printing remember to tick print on both sides and flip on short edge)

The Conference is also seeking Abstracts within these three streams, as they relate to disability and spirituality.

(i)         Supports in faith communities/service providers

(ii)        Sa­cred texts/theological understandings of disability

(iii)       Theological Educa­tion/Research.

Please go to Call for Presentations for details of Abstract Details and Guidelines. Abstracts need to be submitted by 10 April, 2016. Presentations may include formal papers, posters, personal stories, poetry, or other approaches.

We invite presentations which address aspects and experiences as they relate to spirituality and disability. Themes include liberation, education, bioethics, reconciliation, sexuality, pastoral care, inclusion, love, theological interpretations. All presenters must be registered for the event by 15 July, 2016.

Other sponsors and endorsers include Spiritual Health Victoria, Spiritual Care Australia, Christian Blind Mission, Victorian Council of Churches, Progressive Christian Network Victoria, Australian Catholic University and the University of Divinity.

As part of the Conference, we are also launching and displaying an  Art Exhibition, depicting the conference themes. Andy Calder, Conference Convenor

Further Information:  Ann Byrne  The Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania  Email: ann.byrne@victas.uca.org.au

Phone: (03) 9251 5404

Endorsed by: Faith Communities Council of Victoria, Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia, Victorian Council of Churches, Spiritual Care Australia, Spiritual Health Victoria and University of Divinity.

Doing good - who knows the rewards...