The Australian Government’s religious discrimination bills were in the news again this week:

• Religious bill rights under question
• Attorney general defends religious schools’ right to sack teachers for views on sexuality

Concerns were raised when the third version was released:

• Third time lucky? What has changed in the latest draft of the religious discrimination bill?
• Religious discrimination bill: Does the blessing of the law give us the right to discriminate?

Uniting Church minister Elenie Poulos submitted:

Religious freedom and freedom of speech should be protected in Australian Commonwealth law under a comprehensive human rights charter that would give effect to Australia’s obligations to protect people’s human rights. In the absence of any political will to enact such a charter, religious freedom and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of religion, should be protected in terms consistent with current anti-discrimination laws. This Bill should not be passed in its current form.

She also wrote:

• New religious discrimination bill will cause damage to Australian society that will be difficult to heal

Other commentary:

• ACT government criticises federal religious discrimination bills, warns laws would 'erode' local protections
• Coalition’s religious discrimination bill will erode rights of people with disability, advocates say

Attorney-General’s Department:

• Religious Discrimination Bills 2021

RNA board member and treasurer Ken Chitwood, new editor of Religion Link, presents seven religion stories to cover (including resources and potential sources) in 2022.

• Democracy, autocracy and … aliens
• Major SCOTUS decisions
• Endemic religion
• Religious communities and climate change
• The continuing rise of “spirit tech”
• Religious economies
• International sporting events and human rights

Meanwhile, the Religion Media Centre’s Ruth Peacock reports that census, conflict, confusion, Covid, crisis, change and closure are the predicted themes of stories about religion that will hit the headlines in 2022.

(Image credit: wagdi.co.uk CCLicense2.0)

The virus has made godly institutions take stock of their commercial as well as spiritual assets, says The Economist.