The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

Hearings resumed this week at the antisemitism royal commission, with public figures, including MPs, recounting their experience with anti-Jewish prejudice. 
The hearings coincided with new research showing some high school teachers in New South Wales were nervous about teaching the history of the Holocaust because of a backlash from some students.  
Plus 
July the 4th marks 250 years since the founders of the United States ratified the Declaration of Independence. For a nation that was designed explicitly to separate church and state – unlike much of old Europe – the US became remarkably religious. 
Even as the number of non-religious Americans grows, faith still permeates the culture and, especially, the politics. As part of Radio National’s America 250 series, we caught up with historian Matthew Avery Sutton – a longer version is on our webpage. 
 Guests:
Dr BREANN FALLON is chief executive at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, which runs programmes dealing with genocide education.
MATTHEW AVERY SUTTON, author of Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity.

July the 4th marks 250 years since the founders of the United States ratified the Declaration of Independence. 
For a nation that was designed explicitly to separate church and state – unlike much of old Europe – the US became remarkably religious. 
Even as the number of non-religious Americans grows, faith still permeates the culture and, especially, the politics. 
As part of Radio National’s America 250 coverage, we caught up with historian Matthew Avery Sutton.
And a longer version of this interview is on our webpage. 
 Guests:
Dr BREANN FALLON is chief executive at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, which runs programmes dealing with genocide education.
MATTHEW AVERY SUTTON is author of Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity.  
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Hearings resumed this week at the antisemitism royal commission, with public figures, including MPs, recounting their experience with anti-Jewish prejudice. 
The hearings coincided with new research showing some high school teachers in New South Wales were nervous about teaching the history of the Holocaust because of a backlash from some students.  
Guest:
Dr Breann Fallon is chief executive at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum, which runs programmes dealing with genocide education.

If the geopolitics of Israel and Palestine isn’t hot enough, there’s now a controversy over control of the Al-Aqsa mosque complex in the Old City of Jerusalem. 
For decades, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been the official custodian, allowing non-Muslims to visit but not to pray. 
But Israeli hardliners -- backed reputedly by the Trump administration and some Gulf Arab states -- want to transfer control to a so-called multi-faith council. 
GUEST:
WYRE DAVIES is the BBC’s Middle East correspondent. He's been covering this story.

After 180 years in Australia, the Catholic order of Christian Brothers is closing down – bankrupt and shamed by the child sexual abuse scandal. The Christian Brothers have announced a plan to sell off their remaining 36 properties in Australia at an estimated value of $216 million. The proceeds will go to victims and survivors and their lawyers. Those with claims against the brothers won’t receive all they’re seeking but the Brothers have revealed they’ve already paid a staggering $480 million in abuse settlements since 1980. 
If the geopolitics of Israel and Palestine isn’t hot enough, there’s now a controversy over control of the Al-Aqsa mosque complex in the Old City of Jerusalem. For decades, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been the official custodian, allowing non-Muslims to visit but not to pray. But Israeli hardliners -- backed reputedly by the Trump administration and some Gulf Arab states -- want to transfer control to a so-called multi-faith council. 
A litmus test for anyone seeking office as a Democrat in the US is unqualified support for abortion. At the moment, it’s popular. Even in Republican states have passed ballot measures to over-ride abortion bans. But can the Democrats forge a long-term coalition to win the congress and the presidency without some pro-life voters, especially Catholics? A growing number of progressive Democrats say the party needs to be a bigger tent. 
GUESTS
Professor DARRYL HIGGINS is director of the Institute for Child Protection Studies at Australian Catholic University.
WYRE DAVIES is the BBC’s Middle East correspondent.
TIMOTHY KIRCHOFF is a contributing writer to the liberal Catholic magazine, Commonweal.