Should the ABC Religion and Ethics website be closed?

[THWOTH]

I read the op-ed in the link with interest, and mounting pity: those poor religious broadcasters, so
convinced of the virtues of communicating the wonders of faith, forlornly confronted by fact of their increasing irrelevance. Many must be asking themselves, "Why do I even bother?"

The tone of the piece seemed to imply that religion and, therefore, religious broadcasting was necessary. As one of the comments below the rambling blurb said: "Why? How?" For such a straightforward comment to accrue a considerable number of up-votes suggests (to me anyway) that many people are dumbfounded by religion in secular soceties that have shaken off many of the religious imperatives that were taken for granted only a generation ago. Why do we (society) need religious broadcasting? How is religious broadcasting necessary? What even is the point of religion? That these kinds of questions are being openly asked is a very positive sign imo.

[DanDare]

I would argue strongly for it to be replaced with an ethics and philosophy department. This seems to be one of those cases where religion attempts to appropriate all ethics and thought to itself, as if that's the only way to do it all.

[Darwinsbulldog]

It is all part of a greater disease that assumes "normal" people will automatically want to watch sport, so TV, radio, newspapers have plenty of sport, often to saturation level. I suppose we should be grateful that there is more diversity in sport broadcasting, including the brand new idea that women actually play sport!

I don't fucking CARE if a sporting hero has haemorrhoids, nor do I wish to know the latest on the magical sky fairy. Or fans of either.

And while we are on the subject, footy stadiums and cathedrals are not fucking infrastructure. Roads, rail, ports, hospitals energy supply and schools are fucking infrastructure. And the business of government. Mosques and tennis courts are NOT infrastructure, or at least, not infrastructure that should be funded by government.

Jesus fucking Haploid Christ in footy boots, when will these morons learn a bit of manners and get the fuck out of our faces!

[David_Frisken]

Is this a recent sub site, a year or so? I have seen the banner once before while surfing, but didn't realise the scope. Where is the page for the rest of the countries ethics?

Why tie Ethics to Religion. Religion is absolute, they are unrelated.

It should be an easy one to get altered or pulled down. Is someone working on this?

How many religious staff do they have? Do they pay for the stories?

This should be dealt with.


I was onto them a few months ago after being offended by Tim Costello promoting child abuse. I asked why I wasn't given a warning like they give other groups?

I asked about the warning that authorises the belief, of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders. "Where is that from, which Aboriginal group?". I then stated that I was unaware of any Aboriginals who had cameras in history. That I had asked many Aboriginal friends, and they had no clue what this was about.

The Aboriginal liaison(or whatever title) then want on to explain that it is a certain group, but they can't remember who.

What is all of that crap about?

[gpfloor]

Anyone know how long the site has been up?

Just curious as to who had the keys to the lodge at the time. Certain regimes have been more prone to the religious lobby than others.

Whatever, the ABC should be like schools - a religious-free zone except insofar as news and history goes.

[Loki]

ABC Charter (1)(a)(i)

(i) broadcasting programs that contribute to a sense of national identity and inform and entertain, and reflect the cultural diversity of, the Australian community;

Are religions not part of Australian cultural diversity?

ABC Charter (1)(a)(ii)

(ii) broadcasting programs of an educational nature

Ethics is not educational? Whether one could argue that their cover has little actual ethics is kinda irrelevant here.

ABC Charter (2)(a)(iii)

(iii) the responsibility of the Corporation as the provider of an independent national broadcasting service to provide a balance between broadcasting programs of wide appeal and specialized broadcasting programs;

Are religion and ethics not specialized broadcasting programs?

The legislative framework the ABC operates under can be found here.

[The Irreverent Mr Black]

Anyone know how long the site has been up?

Just curious as to who had the keys to the lodge at the time. Certain regimes have been more prone to the religious lobby than others.

Whatever, the ABC should be like schools - a religious-free zone except insofar as news and history goes.

12 July 2010

[bruce1937]

So Julia was PM but it would have been under Kevin's watch that it took shape.
Pity I cannot blame the conservative parties, but then from my perspective the Labor party is a conservative party as well.

[gpfloor]

So Julia was PM but it would have been under Kevin's watch that it took shape.
Pity I cannot blame the conservative parties, but then from my perspective the Labor party is a conservative party as well.

Big Kev, I think was a God-Fearer. Or claimed to be. Even if only the latter, it shows he was scared of the religious right and the influence they have.

But yeah, it does surprise me that it was not under Howard or Abbott. Even the Plymouth Brethren had Howard's ear while they pulled every trick in the book to swings votes for the Libs as they themselves were exempted (by Howard) from the law requiring the rest of us to register.

[The Irreverent Mr Black]

So Julia was PM but it would have been under Kevin's watch that it took shape.
Pity I cannot blame the conservative parties, but then from my perspective the Labor party is a conservative party as well.

Big Kev, I think was a God-Fearer. Or claimed to be. Even if only the latter, it shows he was scared of the religious right and the influence they have.

But yeah, it does surprise me that it was not under Howard or Abbott. Even the Plymouth Brethren had Howard's ear while they pulled every trick in the book to swings votes for the Libs as they themselves were exempted (by Howard) from the law requiring the rest of us to register.

Mark Scott - then ABC head. Howard appointee.

Christian

Linky -

Significantly, during his rise to prominence, Scott has not hidden his Christian commitment from anyone—neither colleagues nor the public. He sees no need to “compartmentalise” the different facets of his life. His faith, he says, is “who I am”.

of a certain type.

Linky -

ON the face of it, Mark Scott could easily be seen as the ABC's worst nightmare. He is an American-born, Harvard-educated, evangelical Christian who has worshipped at the Christian City mega-church in Sydney's north, with a 5000-strong congregation.