Crosses on chains are offered in a devotional objects shop
in Munich, southern Germany, on June 1, 2018. (AFP)
The
government of Bavaria has decided to instruct
all state administrative
buildings in the German state
to display a cross in their public entrances by
June 1.
A controversial decree requiring Christian crucifixes to be installed at entrances of most public buildings in Bavaria came into force on Friday, sparking accusations of identity politics ahead of elections in the southern German state.
But the order sparked an outcry, with critics accusing Soeder of politicising a religious symbol as his CSU party battles to claw back voters who have turned to the far-right and Islamophobic AfD ahead of state election in October.
"Soeder has misused the cross for an election manoeuvre," the region's Social Democrat chief Natascha Kohnen told the Augsburger Allgemeine daily.
Soeder was also widely mocked, including by the state premier of neighbouring Baden-Wuerttemburg, Winfried Kretschmann, who said a photo of his Bavarian colleague holding the cross made him "think of a vampire film."
But among the harshest condemnations was that from Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the president of the German Bishops' Conference, who warned Soeder that "if the cross is viewed only as a cultural symbol, then it has not been understood."
"Then the cross is being expropriated by the state," said Marx in an interview with Sueddeutsche daily, adding that it must not be used as a tool to exclude.
Amid the push-back, Soeder's office had sought to tone down the decree, saying that while it was compulsory for buildings like police stations, courts or ministry offices, it was merely recommended for higher educational institutions, museums and theatres.
On 25 July, 2017 this blog carried a post regarding a Sikh child being refused enrolment in a Christian school because the traditional headcap the child wore did not conform with the school's dress code.
Readers of Beside The Creek will be pleased to know that the matter has now been resolved in favour of the child and his family.
A Christian school unlawfully discriminated against a five-year-old boy when it banned him from wearing a traditional Sikh patka, a child's version of a turban, a tribunal has ruled.
In a win for Melbourne father Sagardeep Singh Arora and his son Sidhak, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled that Melton Christian School breached the Equal Opportunity Act.
Sagardeep Singh Arora with his son Sidhak. Photo: Supplied
The decision, which was handed down on Tuesday, could have implications for the way schools set their uniform policies.
It also paves the way for Sidhak to attend the school of his choice.
____________________________________________________________"It is not reasonable to accept enrolment applications from students from non-Christian faiths only on condition that they do not look like they practise a non-Christian religion," VCAT member Julie Grainger said.
Mr Arora had hoped that his son would start prep at school this year, but the enrolment hit a roadblock when principal David Gleeson said Sidhak would have to comply with the school's uniform policy.
Dear friends & members of the ANZAC Centenary Peace Coalition.,
An invitation to another organisation’s AGM might seem like the ultimate turn off.
Nevertheless Pax Christi Victoria does warmly invite you to our AGM for the following reasons:
We live at a time when relations between the West and Islam are at low ebb. This raises troubling but unavoidable questions for all of us.
How should we relate to our Muslim brothers and sisters in Australia at what is a rather difficult time for them? Many Muslims feel isolated, harassed and humiliated by the words and actions of politicians, important sections of the media and bigoted elements of society.
To help us think through this and other questions we have invited Ghaith Krayem to address us on the occasion of Pax Christi’s Annual General Meeting on Sunday 15 November, at 2.00 pm.
Ghaith was until recently president of the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV), the umbrella body of the Muslim communities of Victoria which brings together some fifty member and affiliated organisations. In his position as president and before that as Secretary of ICV, he has played an important leadership role in guiding the Muslim community’s response to terrorist incidents, the government’s counter-terrorism policies and so-called deradicalisation strategies.
Ghaith is one of Australia’s most thoughtful Muslim leaders, articulate and outspoken, with a firm grasp of the needs of Muslim communities and of the diverse views and traditions within Islam. He has at the same time a sharp understanding of how mainstream society operates. Ghaith has held many senior positions within Australia Post, and presently runs his own consultancy Hikmah Consulting.
Ghaith Krayem’s address on Sunday 15 November and the lively discussion that will no doubt follow will help Pax Christi and its friends, supporters and partner organisations to develop a clear set of objectives, strategies and actions over the coming year. The issues to be dealt with are morally and politically challenging. They include:
· Christian-Muslim relations
· Appropriate responses to terrorism and the ‘war on terror’
· Practical ways of promoting a peaceful end to the conflict in Syria
· Australia’s role in the Middle East
· The dangers posed by the Sunni-Shia divide within Islam
· The need to rethink the future shape of interfaith dialogue and multicultural Australia.
The address by Ghaith is open to the public. So, please bring the event to the attention of people in your networks, and feel free to mention it to your social media contacts, whether through Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or other avenues.
I very much hope that you will be able to join us for this crucial discussion on 15th November.
Sunday 15 November, Kildara Centre rear, 39 Stanhope St, Malvern
1 p.m. Shared meal to which you are warmly invited. Bring some food to share.
2 p.m. Address & discussion, Ghaith Krayem until 3.30
Don’t feel obliged to stay for the AGM business. (Actually we lock the doors & don’t let you out until you have agreed to join the committee!)
Warm regards.
Harry Kerr, Convenor, Pax Christi Victoria
Rev Harry Kerr 101 Katrina Street, BLACKBURN NORTH, Victoria Australia 3130 Phone +613 (0) 9893 4946 Mon +61 (0) 424 950 852
Who was the centre of attention in front of and near Victoria's Parliament House yesterday? Reclaim Australia and their associates wanted to provide a double focus of attention: themselves and Muslims living in Australia.
No Room for Racism and its sympathisers were equally determined on a dual focus: to counter the racism of Reclaim Australia and its cohort and to make the public aware of their organisation.
Did the events of the day go as planned for both sides? Possibly. Possibly not. However, it seems that there were elements on both sides who were prepared for trouble one way or another.
What Restore Australia did not take into account in the Ballarat situation is that community friendships had already been forged within the broader community by the time they blew into town. The local Islamic community had friends - a broad spectrum of friends. And the then Mayor was an early responder.
Meanwhile, amid all this swirling of clashing tensions and violent police intervention, what were Muslims doing? Yesterday was the beginning of Eid celebrations. Muslims were enjoying themselves. Behind them was a month of fasting. Now can come the feasting. Perhaps Reclaim Australia chose the day and date deliberately with an intent to insult Muslims - or perhaps they knew there would not be a Muslim in sight or hearing of their rampage!
The Faith Communities Council of Victoria has issued the following statement.
The Faith Communities Council of Victoria (FCCV) has issued the following statement in light of reports that over the weekend of the 18/19th July 2015, Reclaim Australia is planning nationwide rallies which we believe are divisive and not in the nation’s best interests.
The acceptance of our multicultural and multifaith society is one of Australia's greatest achievements and assets. The celebration of this rich diversity that exists in our society ensures we remain innovative, resilient and globally competitive - all of which enhances our society and increases our standard of living.
Like any asset, our multicultural and multifaith identity needs to be continuously nourished and threats to undermine it need be addressed. The current environment fueled by economic uncertainty and fear is encouraging the rise of extreme groups like Reclaim Australia and UPF (United Patriots Front), who are intent on disenfranchising minorities and disturbing the peace within our society.
These groups demonstrate they possess anti-Muslim, anti-Asian, anti-Indigenous, anti-Semitic and anti-Refugee sentiments.
We, the Faith Communities Council of Victoria, actively discourage any kind of involvement with these groups and see them as a threat to peace and social cohesion within our society.
We believe there has to be a continuous dialogue promoting multiculturalism and multifaith.
We also encourage all to discourage others from supporting these groups in any way.
The harmony and diversity in our society is the basis of the beauty of Australia, and we request your support in maintaining this.
Faith Communities Council of Victoria is comprised of the following peak bodies: Baha'i Community of Victoria, Brahma Kumaris Australia, Buddhist Council of Victoria, Hindu Community Council of Victoria, Islamic Council of Victoria, Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria and Victorian Council of Churches.
From Crosslight, a newspaper published by the Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania
To reimagine is to remake, recreate, re-think, or form a new conception of something. Reimagining our future as a multicultural church is what director of the synod’s Cross-Cultural Mission and Ministry unit, Rev SweeAnn Koh is asking UCA members to do.
What does it mean to be a multi-cultural church as we proudly declared ourselves to be in 1985?
This is particularly relevant at a time when our federal government is reimagining multiculturalism. Prime Minister Tony Abbott has eliminated the position of Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship. In its place he has installed a Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, thus removing the word multiculturalism itself.
Australia is a multicultural country – the vast majority of the people who currently call Australia home have ancestry that originated somewhere else.
The irony of the ‘Stop the Boats’ campaign by the coalition is that we are a country full of boat people, or people (or descendants of those) who have ‘come across the seas’ to share in Australia’s ‘boundless plains’. The culture of the First Australians, here for 40,000 years before white settlement, adds another important multicultural element into the mix.
Because of the recent changes made by the government, our responsibility and role to embrace the cultural diversity within our church becomes paramount. So often when the state fails citizens, minority groups and those most in need, the church picks up the slack – but we are not a self-proclaimed multicultural church out of necessity or obligation. We choose to be one because of a belief that these differences are a gift.
The “We Are A Multicultural Church” statement adopted by the 4th Assembly of the Uniting Church in July 1985 states UCA’s belief that; “Christians in Australia are called to bear witness to a unity of faith and life in Christ which transcends cultural and economic, national and racial boundaries… Jesus Christ has made peace between people of every race, culture and class. This unity too is a gift of God, a foretaste of the reconciliation of all things in Christ. It is also a goal to be achieved as we commit ourselves in one fellowship to achieve justice, affirm one another’s cultures, and care for any who are the victims of racial discrimination, fear and economic exploitation.”
Part of reimagining ourselves as a multicultural church is revisiting a model which often sees a wide variety of cultural groups respecting each other’s differences but still remaining quite separate and disconnected.
Mr Koh asks if we are in danger of espousing the idea of multicultural harmony yet only enacting it on a surface level.
To counter this trend, CCMM have created a new program called ‘Below the surface: congregation to congregation partnership’. The program invites two congregations to build an intentional partnership over two years – one congregation comprising predominantly Anglo-Saxon members and the other comprising predominantly CALD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) members.
The hope is this program will encourage more congregations to engage on a deeper level with congregations of a different culture in a way that goes beyond lip service or tokenism.
Participating congregations will sign a memorandum of partnership committing to: share combined church council meetings at least twice a year; participate in at least one joint congregational activity per year; keep informed of each other’s specific programs; attend a cross-cultural weekend once a year facilitated by the CCMM unit; celebrate each other’s culturally significant dates and occasions and participate in mutual prayer.
When we declared in 1985 at the 4th National Assembly that ‘the Uniting Church is a multicultural Church’ we affirmed that we are a diverse church. Diversity is the hallmark of a multicultural church. Many within our church would readily affirm how we are enriched by the cultural, racial and ethnic diversities.
However, there is a diversity that we seldom name or feel comfortable with – the theological diversity that exists within a multicultural church. This is one of the elephants in the room that we dance around.
If the truth be told, I become irritated when I hear someone say: “But this is not Uniting Church theology.” Indeed, what is Uniting Church theology? I know we have the Basis of Union but I am yet to find a document or book that states unequivocally what Uniting Church theology is.
I think there is an assumption within some parts of our church that the Uniting Church subscribes to orthodox theology or normative, transcultural, universal and historic theology. Anything else is considered ‘heretical’ or ‘dumb-down’ theology.
What is often considered ‘orthodox Christian theology’ has been a theology of empire, a theology of colonialism, a theology that powerful people used as a tool to achieve and defend land theft, exploitation, domination, superiority, racism and privilege.
One of the biggest challenges of a multicultural Church is this theological diversity – from conservatives to liberals or evangelicals to progressives. Due to our theological differences it’s almost impossible to agree on contentious issues such as same-sex marriage or ordination of homosexual ministers.
Much of the doctrine we take for granted and consider transcultural and trans-contextual was developed in response to questions that arose during the early centuries of Christianity. So we shouldn’t be surprised if ‘new’ theologies emerge today.
According to British theologian Andrew F. Walls: “The doctrines of Trinity and incarnation were developed as theologians grappled with the questions of the Hellenistic-Roman world. Christian theology is expanding today as it comes into contact with new areas of experience in Asia and Africa.”
Since diversity always means difference and often means disagreement, how can we maintain our unity within diversity? How does a multicultural Church with theological diversity like ours hang together?
First, we need to name and embrace the uncomfortable feelings of our diversities or differences.
We like to huddle with those who are somewhat similar to us. We need to become aware of our own preferences and biases and name them for what they are. And some people fear differences.
Our society and church seem to be increasingly full of fearful, defensive people anxiously clinging to their property and inclined to look at the world with suspicion, expecting an enemy to suddenly appear, intrude and do harm.
But still – that is our vocation: to embrace the other as a guest and to create the free and fearless space where brotherhood and sisterhood can be formed and fully experienced. In our world full of strangers, estranged from their own past, culture and country, from their neighbours, friends and family, from their deepest self and their God, we witness a painful search for a hospitable place where life can be lived without fear and where community can be truly found.
Second, work hard at building mutual respectful relationships across differences. We need to create intentional spaces to listen and engage one another. Try to hear what someone is saying and not just hear the differences. Refrain from judging another person’s theology because it’s different from yours. Practice generous orthodoxy.
How can we as “the theologically diverse church” begin to live to what Scripture clearly calls us to do: to treat one another with respect and dignity, especially in the face of theological difference? Practice mutual forbearance.
Gene March, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, explains why this principle is so hard to embody. He says the stakes are higher the more common our ground becomes. We may find it easier to practice mutual forbearance with those in other churches than we do within our own. We shouldn’t ignore our disagreements, but it’s possible to disagree with people without doubting their place at the table.
Third, we need to free our Church from Western/Euro-centric captivity. The cultural Church default setting is still the dominant culture and often operates from the assumption that European worldview can be applied to all people despite the cultural, ethnic diversity/differences. Our church governance, polity, processes, theological education and even pastoral care are informed by Euro-centric worldview. There is a great need to acknowledge and understand other worldviews.
We need to affirm Christian unity while celebrating the theological richness that arises from its racial and ethnic diversity. I do, however, acknowledge that there are ‘bad’ theologies that I would not support. For me, bad theologies are those that seek to dehumanise, discriminate, disempower and colonise others who are different.
Rev SweeAnn Koh Director, Cross Cultural Mission & Ministry Unit Commission for Mission
