Friday News round-up

Every day there are many items that could be reported on.... time and work constraints mean we don't comment on every relevant matter...

But here are a few important items from the past few days...

Street crime and 'spiritual anorexics'

Secular psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg has said that young people engaging in street crime are 'spiritual anorexics' - he said their behaviour can be changed through structured and regular activities.He was speaking at a forum on street crime with the Police Commissioner and the Anglican Archbishop.

He said activities like Scouting should be encouraged - and funded!
Dr Carr-Gregg also commented on the spiritual void in young people!
"With respect to religion, it's not popular to say this, but as a secular psychologist, I'd like to say that … the research is overwhelmingly clear that many of the young people who engage in [criminal] behaviour are literally spiritual anorexics,'' he said.''They have a hole in their soul. They believe in nothing.''
Read article at The Age.

Partial Good news - Wesley case set aside on Appeal

Wesley Mission (Sydney) has won the first stage of their application to have a finding of 'discrimination' against them dismissed.
A Wesley unit which places children in foster care had refused to give a foster care child to two homosexual men.
The men took Wesley Mission to the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal and won their case.
Wesley appealed.
The Appeals Panel of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal has set aside the Tribunal decision!
They found the wrong definition of religion was used and a non-standard dictionary!
However the case has been sent back to the Tribunal - to decide the case again - this time to decide if heterosexual marriage is a doctrine of 'Wesleyanism'!
Read the decision.

Police Commissioner to march in Victoria's homosexual 'pride march'

Victoria's Police Commissioner, Simon Overland, has announced that he will march in next year's Midsumma pride march in Melbourne.
His predecessor Chrisine Nixon marched in the parade twice.
He also said that police could march and be paid for it - but have to get permission from their superiors.
See article at the Herald Sun.

It is a very sad day indeed when police actively march in support of homosexual 'pride'.

Harry Potter author snubbed

Media reports said that J K Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, didn't get a Presidential Medal from former US President George Bush because her books gave approval to witchcraft.
Just a few observations here. . .
- So what's wrong with Mr Bush deciding who to give a medal to - for whatever reasons he chooses?
- And why should he give a medal to a British author anyway?

It seems like he made a wise decision!
See our page on 'Harry Potter' for articles and information about the witchcraft connections in the books. 

New tool in tracking child porn offenders

An amazing new software program is being used by Victoria Police to track people who have downloaded child porn images onto their computers. The program includes digitalised versions of known images and compares and tracks material transferred or downloaded on pier-to-pier computer networks.
Already Queensland has successfully used the program to identify and arrest people in the past six months. The software was developed in the USA some time ago.
Read more in the article at The Age (1/10/2009)

Hate Crimes laws

Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls has proposed 'hate crime laws' which tell judges to take the characteristics of the victim into account when sentencing.
Read our campaign page on this issue.

South Australia and IVF

Openly homosexual MP Ian Hunter recently proposed an amendment to a bill that was being debated in the SA Parliament.
Thankfully, the amendment, which would have allowed lesbians to have access to IVF clinics in South Australia, was defeated by ONE vote.
Is he planning to give up?
No - he told homosexual newspaper MCV "I won’t give up. The next time this legislation is opened up, I intend to move my amendments again and hopefully improve the result by one vote more." [MCV, 29/9/2009]

South Australia - Euthanasia Bill

Another bill to legalise euthanasia is before the SA Legislative Council, sponsored by Greens MP Mark Parnell.  Mr Parnell says he will put it to the vote on 28 October – in just a few weeks.
If you live in South Australia, please contact your MPs (one in House of Assembly, ALL the Legislative Council Members).
Click herefor the contact details for your SA MPs.

On removing religious exceptions from Victoria's Equal Opportunity Act...

Read our report on the announcement by Attorney General Rob Hulls to restrict the exceptions given to churches and religious bodies.
Read our report on the article written by Anglican bishop John McIntyre.
Read Bill Muehlenberg's article on the exceptions and his response to McIntyre.
Read Peter's letter to the editor.