Religious Freedom in a Multicultural World

Thursday, 1 October 2015

On Friday September 25, 2015 Freedom for Faith and the Newcastle Law School jointly hosted the Conference – Religious Freedom in a Multicultural World.

The discussion covered the controversial issues, conflicts and contradictions that surround religious freedom in the eyes of the law, and in society more generally.

Freedom For Faith Kite

The speakers addressed a variety of religious freedom issues including; what freedom is according to the Bible, religious choice and the implementation of International Standards, religious school regulations and their vulnerability to Anti-Discrimination Legislation, same sex marriage from the view of religious marriage celebrants, the current debates in regards to the Muslim faith and the limitations of their religious freedom in Australia.

Participants were encouraged to question the speakers directly during the panel discussions, which led to in depth understanding and effective communication of concerns and restrictions of the current laws and standards.

The success of the conference was demonstrated by the diversity of religious groups which were represented and exemplified the great potential of multiculturalism and the power of a common goal.

In his keynote speech, Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson said that if we seek to advance religious freedom in our society, then we must first foster mutual respect between all faiths and cultures.

The conference challenged participants to consider whether they could get together to promote and defend the goodness and beauty of religious freedom in a pluralistic and multicultural society.

For more reviews of the conference please visit the following webpages:

Christian press: http://www.biblesociety.org.au/news/religious-freedom-one-of-many-contested-political-values-human-rights-commissioner#.VgZyS5LQnTo.facebook

Blog comment by one of the participants: http://akosbalogh.com/2015/09/29/9-things-you-should-know-about-religious-freedom-in-australia/

Contact

  • Associate Professor Neil Foster
  • Phone: 4921 5052

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