An investigation into the Toowoomba cult called The Saints
In February this year 14 members of Toowoomba-based religious sect the Saints were sentenced to prison in the Queensland supreme court.They group, including her parents, were found guilty of manslaughter over the death of 8 year old Elizabeth Struh's 2022 death by diabetic ketoacidosis.In a confronting documentary for ABC TV's Compass, award-winning journalist Suzanne Smith enters the world of the religious cult the Saints and talks to their families and former cult members.Suzanne brings The Religion and Ethics Report exclusive access to audio of police interviews and conversations with some of the young girl's relatives.The program "The Cult of the Saints" will air on ABC TV and be available here on ABC iView
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The CCP targeting religious communities in Australia
Federal police have charged a Chinese national under the foreign interference laws, after she allegedly tried to infiltrate a Buddhist congregation in Canberra. Religious communities of Chinese Australians have become particularly targets for Chinese intelligence, according to Australian researcher CLIVE HAMILTON. His book, Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia, detailed cases of exactly this type of infiltration. GUEST: Clive Hamilton is Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University
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Are Gaza food drops enough to relieve famine conditions?
Israel has allowed a partial lifting of the blockade of Gaza to permit some food drops to take place. But are drops from the air enough to alleviate conditions on the ground – conditions the United Nations has described as famine-like? Israel denies that it is deliberately engineering a famine.But the UN says the next few days as “make or break” for humanitarian agencies trying to reach more than two million Gazans.GUEST:Amra Lee is a researcher in the Department of International Relations at the Australian National University and a former adviser to the UN on humanitarian relief and conflict resolution.
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Does Queensland have a religious cult problem?
Israel has allowed a partial lifting of the blockade of Gaza to permit some food drops to take place. But are drops from the air enough to alleviate conditions on the ground – conditions the United Nations has described as famine-like? Israel denies that it is deliberately engineering a famine. AMRA LEE is a researcher in the Department of International Relations at the Australian National University and a former adviser to the UN on humanitarian relief and conflict resolution.Federal police have charged a Chinese national under the foreign interference laws, after she allegedly tried to infiltrate a Buddhist congregation in Canberra. Religious communities of Chinese Australians have become particularly targets for Chinese intelligence, according to Australian researcher CLIVE HAMILTON. His book, Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia, detailed cases of exactly this type of infiltration.In February, the Queensland Supreme Court jailed 14 members of Toowoomba-based religious sect called “The Saints”. They were convicted of manslaughter over the death in 2022 of 8-year-old Elizabeth Struh, who died of a diabetic condition. In this joint investigation with ABC TV's Compass, award-winning journalist SUZANNE SMITH goes into the world of this extreme Pentecostal cult and meets some of the Christian leaders fighting back against the cult’s influence. “The Cult of The Saints” will air on ABC TV and be available here on ABC iView. GUESTS:Amra Lee is a researcher at the Department of International Relations at the ANU Clive Hamilton is Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University Suzanne Smith is a Walkley winning journalist and reporter with the ABC This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, and the Ngunnawal, Ngambri, and Ngarigo Peoples
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Catholic influencers meet in Rome, and could artificial intelligence become Godly?
The Catholic Church is going digital in a big way, a legacy of Pope Francis, who knew the power of social media. This week, the Vatican’s been hosting more than one thousand online influencers and digital natives from all over the world at its Jubilee for Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers. One of them is Father ROB GALEA, a priest from Victoria, a singer with eight albums, and an influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers.As the Vatican seeks to harness social media to spread its message, others are warning that artificial intelligence poses a huge challenge to all religion. Could AI even be a rival to faith, projecting itself as a source of wisdom that’s neither human nor divine? Professor BETH SINGLER of the University of Zurich is the author of the new book, Religion and Artificial Intelligence.GUESTS:Fr Rob Galea is an ordained Catholic Priest and is currently serving in Sandhurst Diocese, VictoriaProfessor Beth Singler - Assistant Professor in Digital Religions at the University of ZurichFather Patrick Ryan, the rogue IRA spy priest died this week aged 94. Andrew West spoke to BBC journalist Jennifer O'Leary in 2023 - you can find that episode hereThis program was recorded and produced on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation
Australia