At its 12th annual Religious Liberty Lecture and Conference last month, the University of Notre Dame Australia’s School of Law and Business tackled hot-button issues on religious freedom. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
The event was supported by Freedom For Faith, the Affinity Intercultural Foundation and the Sikh Community of Australia.
The keynote lecture was delivered by Michael Quinlan, emeritus professor of the UNDA Law School.
His topic was “State Interests and the Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Belief of Individuals in New South Wales.” He spoke about two situations in which state interests and the freedom of conscience of individuals come into conflict: access to voluntary assisted dying and abortion.
He argued that the current legislative protections for conscientious objectors in NSW were inadequate and he highlighted the egregious use of guidelines and policies issued by bureaucrats to undermine even those protections.
The conference featured speakers from many religious traditions. Three of them spoke about the pressures on faith-based education.
Mark Sneddon, director of the Institute for Civil Society, said religious schools must be clear about their nature and argued that students flourish at religious schools.
Dr Paul Morrissey, president of Campion College, spoke of the importance of religious schools being coherent and integrating faith into all of their activities.
Osman Karolia, principal of the Islamic College of Sport, spoke of the growth of independent – primarily faith-based – schools. He highlighted the contribution that religious schools can make to civic cohesion and a shared understanding of nationality.
The conference canvassed the question of how religious people should respond to violence in the aftermath of the Bondi terrorist attack in December.
Zia Ahmad, editor of Australian Muslim Times, spoke of the Koran’s rejection of violence and recognition of human dignity of all people. Monica Doumit, Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, discussed the central importance of prayer in response to tragedy and of the place that faith leaders can play in addressing hatred, and especially, antisemitism.
Anglican Bishop Michael Stead mentioned the Faith Affairs Council and the multiple statements rejecting hate and violence in the name of religion which it had issued. He emphasised the importance of faith leaders speaking, standing and being together, particularly at times of crisis.
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UNDA conference highlights pressures on religious freedom (By Michael Quinlan, The Catholic Weekly)
