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MANY IMPORTANT struggles in Israel are calling out to people of conscience. Among others (in random order): The struggle for preserving the environment and the future of the planet. The struggle for democracy against fascist trends. The struggle for ... More >>
Indigenous people felt that the rocks and rivers, clouds and creeks were alive with spirit. In the few native cultures that are still relatively intact, people still do. Science has conditioned modern people to believe this way of seeing is superstition, ... More >>
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, sending Mahashivrati greetings to one billion Hindus of the world, has asked them each to take a vow of adopting at least one charitable project on this auspicious occasion for less fortunate members of the community. More >>
In a shock move, the Church of England decided today to disinvest from controversial miner Vedanta Resources on ethical grounds, dealing a devastating blow to the company’s credibility. More >>
Hindus have wished happiness and peace to Christian communities world over for the upcoming Christian season of Lent, which starts on February 17. More >>
[ Middle East News Service comments: For several days now I’ve been following the attacks by an Israeli right wing group Im Tirtzu on the New Israel Fund and its head, Professor Naomi Chazan. As a previous news item posted here indicated, the ... More >>
The Israeli military may be much less effective in winning wars than it was in the past, thanks to the stiffness of Arab resistance. But its military strategists are as shrewd and unpredictable as ever. The recent rhetoric that has escalated from ... More >>
The year 2009 was one of the worst for Ahmadis (a religious minority community) in Pakistan. Eleven Ahmadis were murdered for their faith. Since the promulgation of the anti-Ahmadiyya law in 1984, there has never been a year when less than 11 Ahmadis ... More >>
Thirteen Israeli human rights organizations sent an urgent letter (attached) to the president, the Knesset speaker and the prime minister, protesting the increasing and systematic campaign against human rights organizations in Israel: "A democracy ... More >>
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) condemns in the strongest terms the slanderous, ugly, and manipulative campaign targeting our longtime partner, the New Israel Fund (NIF), and its president, Professor Naomi Chazan, by the organization ... More >>
The Pope has criticised UK equality laws, including the Equality Bill that is currently before parliament. This attack comes ahead of the pontiff's State Visit to Britain, scheduled for September this year. More >>
The top United Nations official in Iraq today expressed his shock and sadness at the suicide bombing targeting Shi’a pilgrims, reportedly killing over 40 people. Media reports say that more than 100 people were also injured in the attack which ... More >>
For at least 100,000 years, since ‘modern man’ first emerged from East Africa, we have been as we are—tribal, self-centered, and dominated by the adaptive strategy of ‘higher thought.’ Now, as the fragmentation of the earth and humanity by the ... More >>
Audio: Selwyn Manning & Peter Godfrey discuss how two public district health boards are preparing to charge patients for healthcare services. Also discussed: Ratana & Labour's estrangement deepens after a challenge was laid down to Labour's leader ... More >>
A reader asks, “Can the people who have a natural talent to quiet their thoughts and clean their mind, not by effort and struggling, but only through insight, point the way for others?” More >>
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed for maximum restraint after inter-religious violence in the central Nigerian city of Jos has reportedly left over 200 people dead. More >>
A new media study among 312 viewers of a news clip featuring Christian Evangelist Pat Robertson discussing the earthquakes in Haiti revealed that the majority of viewers indicated that Robertson’s comments position Christianity in a negative light. More >>
Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, GOP luminaries Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh have once again waded into a catastrophic tragedy with all the care and concern of hammerhead sharks unleashed into a fish tank full of orphans. For those ... More >>
What happens when two religions and two world views collide? That was the question Victoria University graduate Hugh Kemp sought to answer via research that focused on how and why New Zealanders convert to Buddhism. “Buddhism is gaining traction ... More >>
This is a thought provoking if not fully developed work on the ongoing situation in Palestine/Israel. Avi Shlaim has compiled a set of his writings from previous publications that in a broad way cover the events of the region, with a brief look ... More >>
visionnetwork, New Zealand Christian Network, is urging Kiwis to respond generously to the disaster in Haiti, which is reeling from the largest earthquake to hit the Caribbean in 200 years, resulting in an estimated 50,000 dead and countless injured. ... More >>
The recent actions of people from around the world in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza have arguably represented the closest manifestation of international solidarity since the International Brigades against fascism during the Spanish Civil ... More >>
Murray and Michelle Smith of Cambridge are one step closer to homelessness and they couldn’t be happier. More >>
SUARAM strongly condemns the attack on three churches – the Metro Tabernacle Church in Kuala Lumpur, and the Assumption Church and the Life Chapel in Petaling Jaya – early this morning More >>
A recent survey of Muslim youth shows that despite the challenges of living as members of a religious minority, Muslim youth are adapting well to life in New Zealand. The Victoria University study examined life satisfaction, psychological symptoms, school ... More >>
It is with great sadness that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat confirms that another member of its community, Retired Professor Muhammad Yusuf (aged 70) was killed earlier today by two masked gunmen in Lahore.They immediately fired two shots at Professor Yusuf ... More >>
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. I just concluded a meeting with members of my national security team, including those from our intelligence, homeland security and law enforcement agencies involved in the security reviews that I ordered after ... More >>
However President Obama is judged on various subjects for his first year in office, he has already made history in the way that neither his predecessor nor any other leader has ever managed. More >>
It pays to read Hebrew: Are IDF dogs trained to pounce all who say 'God is great' in Arabic? More >>
Calling it a “step in the right direction”, Hindus have praised The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) for listing inter-religious dialogue under “priority areas”. More >>
Having inherited the Bush administration’s rising stack of terrorism lists, President Obama’s team had expressed interest in culling them “so they are more accurate and manageable and Americans experience less stress”, according to Homeland Security ... More >>
There is no greater composer of the language of the emotions than J.S. Bach. To listen with all of one’s being to his works is to feel at once salved, saved, and stretched. More >>
Thanks to everyone who has helped Werewolf to get off the ground during 2009 – whether by writing articles, or by reading them. Both ways, the effort/response has been terrific, and much appreciated by everyone here at Scoop. Special thanks to ... More >>
Hindus have applauded Pope Benedict XVI’s proposed historic visit to Great Synagogue of Rome on January 17, calling it a “step in the right direction”. More >>
As the Decade of Darkness draws to a close, thinking and feeling people find themselves asking: Is a breakthrough in human consciousness imminent? Or is the first decade of the 21st century the beginning of the first global Dark Age? More >>
It seems that the targeting of Muslims and Islam has become a kind of national theater in France. Unlike theater, however, the disturbing trend can, and will turn ugly – in fact to a degree it already has – if the French government doesn’t get ... More >>
It has been depicted in the Vedic Hindu philosophy that Dharma is to ‘Adopt’, i.e. “Darmo Dharyate Praja.” I am in total agreement with this. But the question still remains as to what ought to be adopted? The straightforward answer is adopting ... More >>
Two hundred meters downstream, on the bank of a creek that flows during winter and spring along the edge of town, sits a great sycamore. It’s home to a pair of kestrels, a small species of falcon that has one of the most beautiful flight patterns in nature. More >>
Grand Ayatollah Hosein-Ali Montazeri has passed into the history of the Iranian Revolution as he was, potentially at least, about to create another. Thirty years ago, he was a vital figure in unseating the Shah, and well placed within the circle of the Ayatollah ... More >>
A New Zealand priest, at the centre of a storm over a Christmas billboard, will be invited to speak at a Melbourne Conference. Glynn Cardy, the vicar of Auckland’s St Matthews-in-the-City church, was forced to defend the posting of a billboard depicting ... More >>
Hardcore Kiwi metal band, Legacy of Disorder’s hard hitting new music video ‘Façade’, aims to kick the Catholic Church repeatedly in the head over recent revelations of child abuse by priests in Ireland and the subsequent cover up. More >>
New Zealand sister TV channels Triangle and Stratos Television are to screen the Christmas Mass live from St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Pope Benedict XVI is to break with tradition this year and will celebrate the Christmas Eve Mass from ... More >>
The Bishop of Auckland, the Right Reverend John Paterson says there are a multitude of issues for a city and the wider church that he would rather focus on in the season of Christmas than a billboard. The Bishop is disappointed that St Matthew- in- the-City has decided to continue with the display of a billboard on its church grounds with a replacement billboard. More >>
Brendan Roberts, author of “God: Fact or Fiction?: Exploring the Relationship of Science Religion and the Origin of Life” will release the second edition of the controversial book in 2010. Using the spectacular Big Bang Theory, Natural Selection, ... More >>
This week is the last week for you to catch the hilarious Christmas show at The Basement, Christ Almighty! To cope with demand, two LATE SHOWS have been added - Thursday and Friday, 10pm! More >>
The Bishop of Nelson, the Right Reverend Richard Ellena, is pleased to announce the appointment of the Very Reverend Charles Tyrrell, Dean of Nelson’s Christ Church Cathedral, as Bishop’s Adviser for Care of Older People. This is a new diocesan ... More >>
Family First NZ is labelling a proposed billboard by Auckland’s St Matthew-in-the-City Church as insensitive and objectionable to many people. More >>
In its ongoing effort to provoke conversation about spiritual matters, St Matthew-in-the-City will be putting up a Christmas billboard on Thursday that lampoons literalism and invites people to think again about what amiracle is. Is the Christmas miracle a ... More >>
The greatest question that science and religion aren’t asking pertains to the relationship between humans and the cosmos. Specifically, how did Homo sapiens, which evolved along with all other life, evolve the power to become such a destructive force. More >>
Parachute 2010 enthusiasts are gearing up for a Flash Mob this afternoon, named The Giant Birthday Cake Fight. Today is the last day that earlybird tickets are on sale for the birthday Festival, and this mob will be throwing cake in Auckland’s Albert ... More >>
The NZ Atheist Bus Campaign is one step closer to placing atheist ads on buses, with their fund raising target of $20,000 having been easily reached in less than a week. Launched just last week, hundreds of Kiwis have supported the campaign by donating ... More >>
In the typical fashion that have made Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins into heroes among those who hate (sometimes for good reasons, sometimes not--there are some destructive elements in many religions, but that's not the whole story) the ... More >>
Jews have backed Hindus who are protesting against the Fox News channel for remarks that river Ganges (whom Hindus consider holy) “sounds like a disease”. More >>
Christmas is increasingly succumbing to consumerism says The Right Rev Dr Graham Redding, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. More >>
For the second year running The Salvation Army's Christmas CD has sold 15,000 copies in less than two weeks. That's the equivalent of reaching platinum sales status. The Salvation Army produced 50,000 copies of 'It's a Wrap 2' CD released on 24 November. ... More >>
In 2004, France banned headscarves and school principals chased after young "defiant" Muslim girls who continued to cover their heads in school. Now, following a national referendum, Switzerland has banned the construction of minarets, because minarets ... More >>
For the first time ever Flaxmere is going to celebrate Christmas with music, lights and displays at the inaugural “Twelve Days of Christmas” programme 13th - 24th December 2009. Hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, this music ... More >>
St Matthew-in-the-City rejoices in the elections of Mary Glasspool and Diane Bruce, bishops-elect of the Diocese of Los Angeles on their historic election. Archdeacon Glynn Cardy points out that “Not only did they elect two outstanding and deeply ... More >>
The New Zealand Atheist Bus Campaign plans to put ads carrying atheist and humanist messages on buses in major NZ cities, encouraging Kiwis to think critically about their beliefs. Following the success of the original UK campaign and other campaigns ... More >>
Rotorua MP Todd McClay has said that he is disappointed that his Members bill to allow local communities to choose trading rules for Easter Sundays did not pass first reading in Parliament tonight. Mr McClay said that the people of Rotorua will be ... More >>
I am pleased to stand to respond to the Methodist Church of New Zealand Trusts Bill. In essence, this Bill is about changing with the times. More >>
Based on the “bed of nails” used by ancient Hindu yogis; a new cure-all “nail mat” fad has inundated Europe, USA and the West; which fans are using for “mental and physical renewal”. More >>
Retail workers are urging Members of Parliament to exercise their conscience votes in favour of family and community life and not commerce, when they vote on a Bill aimed at opening shops on Easter Sunday later today. Margaret Dornan, a worker at ... More >>
With another Easter Trading Bill served up on Parliamentary Members’ table just before the festive season, a Church group is asking the Bill’s proponent Todd McClay to discuss the issues – on Christmas Day. More >>
It’s billed as the happiest night of the year but the word is out that Saturday night’s Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park at the Auckland Domain will be the biggest, brightest, most impressive musical extravaganza to ever hit the big stage. And a ... More >>
IT WOULD have been the epitome of political kitsch. Binyamin Netanyahu and ten of his ministers were to hold a joint meeting with Angela Merkel and ten members of the German cabinet. What for? To demonstrate Germany’s love for Israel. At the ... More >>
The Very Reverend Ross Bay, Dean of Parnell’s Holy Trinity Cathedral, has been elected as the new Anglican Bishop of Auckland. He will now be seen as more evidence that the Church is placing its trust in a new generation of leaders – because, ... More >>
Christmas is a time for sharing - not just gifts, but a little of yourself too. Auckland City Mission is encouraging everyone to remember the great gifts that come out of a few caring thoughts, a little time, and a small amount of effort. “Many families ... More >>
The latest film from acclaimed New Zealand director Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country), The Vintner's Luck is a story about balance, questions, struggles, ambition and life. A story that has hit a chord with the Dalai Lama Visit Trust New Zealand. ... More >>
The Swiss are in a spot of bother, at least before the disapproving eyes of international opinion. 57 percent of those from a country described by Jonathan Raban as full of phobic hand washers in a Barclays Bank have voted in favour of banning minarets. ... More >>
[ Middle East News Service comments: While Australians are glued to their media watching events in Canberra relating to the most important issue of climate change, the rest of the world goes on. Last weekend’s Swiss vote banning new minarets should not ... More >>
Religious minorities in Laos remain isolated with little access to higher education, few opportunities for job promotions in the public sector and effective exclusion from decision-making processes, an independent United Nations human rights expert ... More >>
THOMAS FRIEDMAN, the New York Times columnist, has an idea. That happens to him quite often. One might almost say - too often It goes like this: The US will turn its back on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The entire world will follow. Everybody is fed ... More >>
[ Middle East News Service comments: Binyamin Netanyahu announced a settlement freeze, but with a “few” exemptions. Buildings which have started will continue. There is a special dispensation for the 900 units that were recently announced , public ... More >>
The annual Farmers Santa Parade welcomed Father Christmas to town today to the glorious roars of the estimated 250,000-strong crowd of mums, dads and littlies. More >>
By the time I take my seat beside the little creek that runs along the perimeter of the town, there’s only ten minutes of direct, warm sunshine left in a bright autumn day in northern California. The earth’s rotation slowly turns down the burner, ... More >>
Someone from a Baptist Church in Kansas sent me a nasty, Muslim-hating mass mailing in reaction to my last column. It goes to show that people can proclaim a belief in God and still be godless, which has nothing to do with belief (or deity for that ... More >>
Ethnic Affairs Minister Pansy Wong looks forward to welcoming the international delegates of the 14th General Assembly of the Regional Islamic Da’wah Council of Southeast Asia and the Pacific (RISEAP). Auckland is currently playing host to the conference, ... More >>
The new law took away protection of a parent for disciplining his child. Formerly he was permitted by section 59 of the Crimes Act to discipline a child by using ‘reasonable force’. A review was recently tabled in Parliament by Peter Hughes, the CEO of ... More >>
The Rotorua Deepawali Festival 2009 was officially opened by His Worship the Mayor, Kevin Winters JP, by lighting the lamp on Saturday, 7th November 2009 at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre. Many dignitaries including Grahame Hall ex-Mayor and the current ... More >>
The thirtieth anniversary of the Erebus disaster will be marked with a memorial gathering at Nelson Cathedral on Saturday. Dean Charles Tyrrell says the short ceremony at 3pm will be a time for meditation, remembrance and reflection. “Everyone is welcome ... More >>
Several months ago, CNN published the results of a couple of disturbing polls about Americans and their religious beliefs. The first found that more Americans are rejecting religion and thus, according to CNN, America is becoming "less Christian." The second, ... More >>
Great tunes for a great cause – the perfect formula for success at Christmas! The Salvation Army’s new Christmas CD – “It’s a Wrap 2” – is available from Tuesday (24 November), only at Countdown, Foodtown and Woolworths stores, and for ... More >>
"I talked to the world leader - what he says goes. I said I was gay. He told me to 'never accept myself for who I was, and to always fight against myself'." 20-year-old Craig Hoyle, like his whole extended family, was brought up in the Exclusive Brethren ... More >>
New Zealand Islamic Meat Management is ready and able to take up the Prime Minister’s challenge to sell exports into more Halal markets. NZIMM, one of two Halal export certifiers in New Zealand, says the Halal certification we have for meat and ingredients ... More >>
What do you believe is the spiritual significance of music? A new book edited by a New Zealand-born writer explores this thought-provoking question with personal contributions from many of the world's leading musicians and writers. Justin St. ... More >>
THESE DAYS mark the 5th anniversary of the murder of Yasser Arafat, and bring back to me our last conversation in his Ramallah compound, a few weeks before his death. It was he who brought up the idea of a threefold federation – Israel, Palestine ... More >>
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's military wants the U.S. to provide satellite equipment and imagery so it can hunt thousands of Islamist separatists who are killing Thai troops and civilians with hidden roadside bombs in the south. More >>
The country’s leading retailing district is supporting the Auckland Chamber of Commerce’s call today for Parliament to fix the annual Easter trading circus once and for all. Reignited calls from Auckland’s Chamber of Commerce and the Newmarket ... More >>
In 1987, the conservative author Midge Decter described her association with Israel and those willing to place it above conventional judgment. ‘We know ourselves to be bound by ties so deep, so essential, so unconditional, that they are beyond daylight ... More >>
A group of about 40 people gathered at the Ponsonby Mosque to celebrate the launch of the Charter for Compassion on 15 November. The meeting was organised by Aarif Rasheed representing the Rasheed Memorial Trust and Dave Moskovitz representing the ... More >>
Rotorua MP Todd McClay has said that he is delighted his Easter Trading Bill has been drawn from the Members Ballot in Parliament today. "On the day of our one year anniversary of the National Government, this is fantastic news" he said. Mr McClay ... More >>
A Muslim family sits across of me in café, in a largely Muslim Asia country. An older woman shyly hunches over and desperately trying to avoid eye contact with the giant plasma screen TV, blazing loud music on the popular music video channel, MTV. ... More >>
Port Chalmers mother of four, Nicky Chapman, is angry about climate change. So angry she’s launched a formal petition to Parliament, and within a few days has already gathered hundreds of signatures. “Climate change is hard to imagine. It’s not ... More >>
A new resource produced by Plunket and Barnardos and written by Rev Nove Vailaau, "A Theology of Children" which provides guidance to Pacific parents within a biblical context, is a fantastic resource and deserves to be read widely, Labour’s Pacific ... More >>
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today cautioned against the erosion of diversity and rise of discrimination as the forces of globalization and technology bring disparate communities across the world closer together, in a message marking the International ... More >>
In a remarkable interfaith gesture, clergy belonging to various religions and denominations participated in the installation ceremony of new Jewish Rabbi Teri Appleby of Temple Sinai in Reno (Nevada, USA) on November 13 evening. More >>
This means that no war has broken out, no suicide bomb has exploded, no Qassam rocket has been launched at Sderot. Ahmadinejad has not test-fired a new missile that can reach Tel Aviv. Just another murder. Not that Israel is the world’s murder capital. ... More >>
The dead man living next door cut down the three finest trees on the block soon after moving in. It’s difficult to fathom, but the living have to fathom the dead, for they are destroying the earth and humanity. More >>
Jews, Christians and Muslims Join Together to Launch Charter for Compassion in NZ Media Release – Rasheed Memorial Dawah Trust More >>
The Dalai Lama Visit Trust New Zealand has issued an invitation to Auckland’s Mayors to attend the Dalai Lama’s public talk when His Holiness visits the city early next month. More >>
I had an aunt that was a nun in the Catholic Church. Even as a kid, I never saw her as religious person however. She was a career woman in a black habit, at a time when there were two choices for Catholic women: marry a man and have kids; or marry Jesus ... More >>
Virginia-born Major Nidal Malik Hasan, in a ten-minute orgy of killing at the Texas military base of Fort Hood last week, is now in custody recovering from his wounds. Thirteen people (twelve soldiers and a civilian) were killed, and thirty injured. ... More >>
The screening of unborn babies for Down syndrome with a new national screening programme is further manifestation of a culture of death. It is a search and destroy programme that has as its sole objective the termination of the lives of unborn children. More >>
Two men had plenty of time to 'repent' as they languished in a Police cell early this morning after being caught stealing metal spouting off a Hamilton church overnight. Constable Myles O'Donnell said officers were called to the scene on Pine Ave about ... More >>
New Zealanders love of the movies will make this year’s Christmas that much happier for some 9500 Kiwi families. More >>
A local Lutheran church, which is considered one of the more progressive faiths in this town and country, has an astounding declaration on its home page. More >>
A YEAR before the Oslo agreement, I had a meeting with Yasser Arafat in Tunis. He was full of curiosity about Yitzhak Rabin, who had just been elected Prime Minister. More >>
Last Friday in Perth, I proudly introduced Botany to the world stage as an example of a place where multi-ethnic and multi-faith communities exist in harmony. More >>
You had to hand it to John Key, said my colleague over dinner last week: he's very good. But some of the people around him, "not so much". I couldn't disagree-- the sometimes inarticulate and politically unworldly Leader of the Opposition has offered ... More >>
New Zealand has been praised as international leaders in social harmony at the fifth Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue in Perth, Australia. More >>
In one of Hollywood’s latest in the perennial series of TV cop shows (e.g. Hill Street Blues, CSI, Criminal Intent, and now “Criminal Minds”) there is a very telling and theological opening line. More >>
Amidst the terror and debauchery of the Old Testament are some passages of striking intrigue and beauty. Among these is Psalm 79 - a passage I was drawn to ponder during a recent visit to a ‘Miracle Faith Healing’ service held by one of our country’s ... More >>
This statement is in response to TV3’s Campbell Live item on Thursday 29th October 2009 featuring Destiny Church. The item centered around commentary by an ‘unidentified’ individual and hidden-camera footage obtained by that person whilst at a public men’s ... More >>
Te Runanganui, the biggest regular event in the life of Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa, the Maori Anglican Church, kicks off in Auckland this afternoon. Te Runanganui, which is held every two years, is, in effect, the parliament of Te Pihopatanga. It’s ... More >>
If you are looking for a family friendly alternative to ‘Trick or Treating’ on Saturday, the Family Fun Night at Nelson Cathedral is the answer. This is the sixth year the cathedral has offered this event, with numbers building up to several hundred. ... More >>
Sunday, November 8 is the 91st commemoration of the end of WWI. Lest the cost of war fade from our collective memories, we will remember those who have served our country on war-torn battlefields and will celebrate those who are fighting for peace ... More >>
This statement is released in response to media enquiries relating to the annual Labour Weekend Destiny Church Conference and the 700-man ‘covenant’ initiative. Celebrating 11 years as a movement, Destiny Church hosted Manukau’s Mayor Len Brown ... More >>
The bombing of a kosher café; a protest over reports that the Quran had been desecrated at an American prison camp; a bomb explosion outside a mosque; a tight security cordon to facilitate a Hindu festival: a snapshot of world news today. More >>
Pope Benedict XVI is nothing if not wily. The Catholic Church issued a call last week stating that it would enable Anglicans to convert to Roman Catholicism, thereby undermining an already conflicted Church amounting to 77 million followers. Disaffected ... More >>
The Archbishops of the Anglican Church here are relaxed about the Vatican’s moves to ease the way for some traditionalist Anglicans to join the Roman Catholic Church. More >>
A Muslim writer begins an article with, “who says the campaign for animal rights was started in the West ..” She goes on to argue that Islam provided the original treatise on the humane treatment of animals. Her case was poorly constructed, inadequately ... More >>
American peace activist, author, lecturer and 2008 Nobel Prize nominee John Dear will be in New Zealand for a week from 28 October to speak at public lectures throughout the country. He will also meet with members of the group who caused an estimated ... More >>
Hindus are encouraging Hollywood divas Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Simpson to spend some time in an ashram (hermitage) in India for solace and reinventing themselves. More >>
Church bells will toll up and down New Zealand on Saturday, October 24 – but not to signal a civil defence emergency. They’ll be ringing support for ‘350 Day’ – a global pointer to the need to cut carbon dioxide concentration in our atmosphere ... More >>
Victoria University of Wellington and the Wellington Council of Christians and Jews Present a Public Seminar More >>
"No Dreadlocks No Cry" 2nd Angus Gillies Book On Ruatoria Rastafarians Published Press release Angus Gillies More >>
Nowhere in the world is Shariah more contested ( yet seldom debated) than in war-weary Somalia where each of the entities competing for power claims to have embraced it while condemning its detractor, or rather, its enemy, as a dangerous imposter. More >>
Hindus have welcomed Grammy winner American singer-rapper-musician-producer Kanye West’s reported decision to escape to a Hindu ashram (hermitage) in India for about a month to seek spiritual guidance. More >>
Deepawali (Festival of Lights) is a well known Hindu festival celebrated by Indian community all over the world. More >>
YESTERDAY, OUR table celebrated with Ada Yonath. This “table” just had its 50th anniversary. It started by accident in “ California ”, the Café established at the time by Abie Nathan, who later became famous as the Peace Pilot. Afterwards, ... More >>
Expressing concern at the forthcoming blockbuster Hollywood movie “Avatar”, Hindus have urged its famed director James Cameron to be careful when handling Hindu concepts and terminology. More >>
Artist Lai Chung demonstrates how a torus-shaped balloon can imitate the body forms of flowers and animals as part of a serious new theory of the origin of life and evolution. Animations are presented showing the path from the egg to the human baby. More >>
IN the midst of so many disasters this month TEAR Fund is urging Kiwis not to forget about southern India which has been affected by heavy rains with a death toll of more than 250 and a displaced population of 2.5 million. In terms of the scale of ... More >>
Grant Norsworthy, a former member of the popular Paul Coleman trio who wowed audiences earlier this decade, is touring the North Island with a series of free concerts from October 9 to 18 in support of TEAR Fund. A Grammy nominated, and Dove award-winning ... More >>
As Israel’s democratic posture becomes more questioned, its mystique becomes more exaggerated. To prove the validity of its actions, Israel’s supporters focus on three components of Israel’s drive to an accomplished nation: More >>
Some people never learn. The arrogance of empire? Ignorance of history? Political opportunism? Or cowardice to confront the global challenges we face? They probably all contribute to the incredible situation in which the United States is now debating ... More >>
On Saturday 10th October at the Hamilton Gardens Victorian Glass House, a unique documentary film will be made by a Wintec post -graduate film student. Sri Lankan Honours student Chinthaka Senadeera. Graduated from the Loyola College, Hyderabad, ... More >>
Local and international delegates will gather in Auckland tomorrow for New Zealand pro-life and family conference Local and international delegates and speakers will gather in Auckland tomorrow and Sunday at the Family Life International Pro-Life ... More >>
Auckland's coolest cats and most debonair dogs will be making their way to the animals' social event of the year, this coming weekend. Rabbits, donkeys, sheep, chickens, goats, parakeets and members of a wide range of other species are thought likely ... More >>
Come and soak up the fantastic atmosphere of India's most popular and vibrant festival - Diwali - at the Viaduct Harbour on 10 and 11 October from noon to 10pm. More >>
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is contributing NZ$25,000 towards relief efforts in the Philippines following massive flooding and landslides in and around the capital Manila. Caritas Director Mike Smith says, “Our Caritas partner in the Philippines ... More >>
The stately precincts of the Church of St Matthew-In-The- City will echo once more with woofs, meows and a variety of other sounds, as creatures great and small come together for SPCA Auckland’s annual Blessing of the Animals service. Scheduled ... More >>
Fact or Fiction? That is always the question when thinking of a Dan Brown novel as there is no doubt that he writes his novels in the hazy twilight-zone in between. So, as a Freemason I was quite concerned at what this new book with our logo on the ... More >>
A UNESCO Confucius Literacy prize has been awarded to a literacy programme in Afghanistan which has been supported by Kiwis through TEAR Fund NZ. Warfare, strong cultural resistance to female education and lack of a writing system for the dialect being ... More >>
A Law Commission report issued today shows the law governing private schools needs to be brought up to date to ensure the schools meet accepted education standards, Labour’s education spokesman Trevor Mallard said today. More >>
Alturas Productions recording artist Jaime Thietten arrives in New Zealand next week to showcase at several events around the country. More >>
About 2:00 pm on 21 Sept 2009 police were called by staff at the St Heliers Presbyterian Church in St Heliers Bay Road, St Heliers. A person who is known to the staff at the church arrived there and showed them a knife and a hand gun. The staff then retreated ... More >>
Attached is a copy of a speech given in Wellington on 18 September by Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Lesley-Anne Knight to an audience of about 65 people. More >>
Famed British footballer Theo Walcott is the newest one to join “Sanskrit Tattoo Club”. On the inside of his right arm, a Sanskrit tattoo reportedly meaning "Beautiful, Blessed, Strong, Intelligent” is engraved. “Beautiful” is dedicated for his ... More >>
IS THERE no limit to the wiles of those dastardly anti-Semites? Now they have decided to slander the Jews with another blood libel. Not the old accusation of slaughtering Christian children to use their blood for baking Passover matzoth, as in the past, ... More >>
Moving to part-time paid employment seemed a natural step for long-term volunteer, and service user, Te Amo Roberts. For a long-time he’s supported Downtown Community Ministry by helping out in the food bank and the annual book fair. This year he officially ... More >>
In some places, the picture that's beginning to develop from Back to Church Sunday (held last Sunday, Sept 13) is more impressive still. Some snapshots: * St Barnabas, Fendalton - 100 more people, which is a 30% increase on the average congregation, ... More >>
After New York and Italy, Oscar winner Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman) reportedly landed Thursday in Delhi (India) with cast and crew to shoot the next leg of “Eat, Pray, Love”. More >>
The anniversary of the infamous tragedy of 9/11, 2001, and the subsequent ramifications indeed induce, throughout the world, a plethora of feelings of sorrow. The 9/11 event should have never taken place. Regardless of the situation, targeting civilians is ... More >>
Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Hindu workers in NSW would like to be home on these days to celebrate the festivals with their families, friends, and the community. More >>
• UMR tested New Zealanders’ attitudes to a number of moral issues. More than two thirds of New Zealanders regard the following issues as morally acceptable: • Divorce (81% say this is acceptable). • Sex between an unmarried man and woman ... More >>
Left out of the options under consideration in "Obama's war" is the only one with any chance of success. Despite assurances to the contrary in Washington and a major policy speech in London, one need not quibble with the obvious fact that the situation ... More >>
By 2050, it is estimated 146,699 New Zealanders will have dementia. Currently, 40,746 New Zealanders have dementia. Every year, 12,333 new cases are reported. Worldwide, more than 30 million people have the debilitating disease, which affects memory, ... More >>
Mohammad Hannoun is twelve years old. He loves swimming and playing chess. He goes to school in Shuafat, East Jerusalem, where he studies English and Arabic. A rotund boy, he often smiles and makes jokes. At 5.30 a.m. on August 2, 2009, Israeli forces ... More >>
Decades of resolutions, arguments, and negotiations have maintained the Middle East struggle as a Middle East struggle. A major thrust attempts to resolve the crisis by negotiations leading to two independent states – a natural and conventional ... More >>
The story of Palestine is poorly represented in western media, generally taken out of context and generally - as a strong cohort to the lack of context - with a strong bias in favour of the Israeli perspective. That perspective in short is that of Arab ... More >>
The last full rays of a setting sun stream over my left shoulder as I stand on the edge of town looking out over the fields toward the foothills. Over a mile away, something flashes in the sunlight. More >>
THE PEOPLE of Sodom, the Bible tells us, were very wicked indeed. They had a nasty habit of putting every passing stranger into one particular bed. If the stranger was too tall, his legs were shortened. If he was too short, his body was stretched ... More >>
Jehovah’s Witnesses had powerful reasons to rejoice regarding their 2009 “Keep on the Watch!” District Convention. They were delighted to note many in the community chose to attend sessions of their annual three-day event. The peak attendance of ... More >>
The Anglican Church in Auckland is calling on the Government to ensure direct Maori representation in structures for Auckland governance, otherwise law and the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi are being ignored. The Bishop of Auckland, The Right Reverend ... More >>
The New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) is pleased that the government is introducing new initiatives to protect our most vulnerable infants. The announcement of the “Never Shake a Baby” campaign and its associated first ... More >>
Auckland, 3 September 2009 – Parachute Band has just been announced as a finalist for the Vodafone NZ Music Awards next month. The worship band is a final contender in the Best Gospel/Christian Album category, for its sophomore album TECHNICOLOR. ... More >>
When former Lynfield College student Laurie Turner left school at age 17 to join the army, the last thing he thought he’d be doing with his life was learning a foreign language and working as a volunteer missionary in the hills of Thailand. ... More >>
New York, Sep 2 2009 10:10AM A senior United Nations official spoke out against today’s suicide bomb attack at a mosque in eastern Afghanistan, stressing that it is “indefensible” that such a blast occurred during the holy month of Ramadan. More >>
Jews and Hindus have urged the Texas State Board of Education to treat all the major religions and denominations evenly in its Social Studies curriculum, which is currently under revision. More >>
Michael Laws’ response to a group of school children who wrote to him expressing their views on the Whanganui/ Wanganui debate was defensive and over the top, says Labour’s Associate Maori and Education spokesperson Kelvin Davis. “During my ... More >>
As a result of their Bible research, Jehovah’s Witnesses anticipate global changes in the very near future. Key Bible texts explaining the meaning of what many people refer to as the end of the world will be discussed in the Witnesses’ upcoming three-day ... More >>
Hindus and Jews have urged entertainer Madonna to undertake the cause of apartheid of 15-million Roma people of Europe, after she was booed in Romania when she sympathized with them during her August 26 concert. More >>
The head of one of the world’s largest humanitarian networks is visiting Wellington, New Zealand on 18-19 September and available for media interviews. Lesley-Anne Knight is Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 164 Catholic ... More >>
Recently a Fijian high chief and several senior ministers in the Methodist church were arrested and later released on bail. Casually informed readers outside Fiji would probably take this as further evidence of abuses of human rights by the Fijian ... More >>
When Jon Clarke was just a boy a crippling disease saw him trade dreams of football fame for a Bible and a 55-year mission watching out for an event that most people seem sceptical about. As a 13-year-old at New Plymouth Boys High Jon’s rugby skills ... More >>
Radio Adelaide: Manning & Godfrey discuss the National-Led Govt's dilemma over whether to include or exclude Maori from having direct representation on Auckland's new council. Also, PM John Key looks to be resisting pressure to have NZ's anti-smacking law repealed... More >>
The Human Rights Commission will launch Religion in New Zealand Schools: Questions and Concerns at the New Zealand Diversity Forum at Victoria University, Wellington today. (subs: 24 August) In an easy question and answer format the booklet provides ... More >>
Theron, 34 years old actress-director-producer-model, was participating in fast-paced photo-shoot for Dior’s fragrance named J’Adore. She reportedly depended on relaxing Indian chants to deal with the fast pace of the shooting and remain inspired. She ... More >>
The Dean of Auckland’s Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, The Very Reverend Ross Bay, has expressed concern at the attitude of some Christians that it is their God-given right to use corporal punishment in the discipline of their children. More >>
AUCKLAND - A vigorous campaign has been launched inviting the public to hear what the Bible says about the future at an annual conference in Manukau City this year. “Are you ready for the end of the world?” That’s the bold question being asked ... More >>
Former Indian Foreigner Minister and a front line politician Mr. Jaswant Singh has been sacked from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of India which he served more than 30 years after his retirement from the Indian Army. Mr. Singh’s misdeed was to ... More >>
The recent attacks on Christian communities in the village of Korian in the Toba Tek Singh District of the state of Punjab on July 30 and in nearby Gojra on August 1 are of grave concern to Interfaith Cooperation Forum (ICF), a regional network ... More >>
Reports of religious profiling in the US have given rise to many a raging controversy before. But this one is different. The latest instance has provoked a national outrage this time in a non-Islamic country - India. More >>
“We Are All Hindus Now”—headlines the article in the upcoming edition of prestigious newsmagazine “Newsweek”, saying “U.S. Views on God and Life Are Turning Hindu”. More >>
Suddenly they were all over the place, arriving not as singles but in battalions. Many, like Maryland’s 5th District Rep. Steny Hoyer had been to Israel nearly a dozen times; career stalwarts once more showing fealty to Israel’s brutal occupation ... More >>
New Zealand has a special interest in the rape law that Hamid Karzai has reportedly sneaked into effect only days before the Afghan election on Thursday. The law will particularly affect the Hazara community that form the majority in Bamiyan province, ... More >>
THE ANCIENT port of Acre is now the object of a fierce battle. The Arab inhabitants of the town want the port to bear the name of an Arab hero, Issa al Awam, a general under Saladin, the Muslim leader who defeated the Crusaders. The municipality of ... More >>
pon learning that the Breast Cancer Foundation has declined to accept a donation of $5000 by the organizers of "Boobs on Bikes" and the Erotica Lifestyle Expo, Steve Crow has announced that he has withdrawn the pledge and will instead support Clitoraid, ... More >>
A gang of your relatives believe in "goblins, ghosts and demons". They believe you contain a "demon". No doubt the more you resist, the more they are convinced you have one. More >>
Returning New Zealand Born Artist Angel Exhibition excluded from Pirongia's annual Arts and Craft Day exhibition for being too spiritual. More >>
A selection of this week's news from www.newswire.co.nz - the Whitireia Journalism School Website: More >>
A Kerikeri site selected for a new Christian school has links to the missionary history of the nation. More >>
The Charities Commission is urging anyone thinking of volunteering or making a donation to a charity, to start by checking the information available on the Charities Register at www.charities.govt.nz More >>
WHILE shells exploded nearby, TEAR Fund’s Ian McInnes kept his cool, helping victims evacuated from Sri Lanka’s war zone, to reach medical attention. TEAR Fund is proud of the contributions its partners and the individuals who work for them make around ... More >>
In his attempt to improve relations with the Muslim world, President Obama has done what no other American president has ever done before. Starting with his inauguration speech in which he stressed on the importance of relaxing the defensive posture so ... More >>
Another member of the Ahmediyya community, Rana Ata-ul Karim (36) was killed on 6 August 2009 in Multan, Pakistan. He was murdered simply for being an Ahmedi, a minority sect of Islam. More >>
Government should take concrete action to amend or abolish the blasphemy laws within a year. As Pakistan marks Minorities Day, Amnesty International calls on the government to take meaningful action to protect religious minorities which have increasingly ... More >>
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