Historically religions have been defined by their isolations from each other. This has changed, however, with the new post-modern push towards incorporation and universal acceptance. Leading this push is Brian McLaren, the emerging church leader who is encouraging Christians to participate in the celebrations of Ramadan. An article written by Joel Richardson expounds this contemporary thrust in more detail.

What role should Christians play as Ramadan draws to a close? What does it mean to be a Muslim's neighbour? Have your say on the forum.

The Age, Thornton McCamish, April 15, 2007

The swelling of atheist literature is a reaction to a worldwide rise in fundamentalist religion. ON PALM SUNDAY, Dr John Perkins drove out to the Careforce Church in Mount Evelyn to tell its congregation that everything it believed and held dear about God was, sad to say, mistaken and even dangerous.

Higher Distinctions: Discernment - Is it necessary that we voluntarily restrict ourselves in the movies and tv shows that we watch?

Kerrie Ternes, 1 June 2009

I believe that the biblical injunction to purity of mind as well as actions suggests strongly that we do just that, particularly when we sit down of an evening in front of the “box” to “go blob” for a little while, to reduce the stress levels after a busy day.

Is it OK to watch anything and everything that is on offer on television? I am of the older generation and fail to see the attraction of shows like Friends, How I Met Your Mother and others of similar ilk, which some of my (adult) children enjoy watching. I have on occasion sat with one of them to work out the attraction of a show that, however amusing the dialogue and situations are, the underlying messages are of promiscuity without consequences, marriage without due respect and easy and painless divorce, after which the two individuals involved are the best of friends.

Is This the End of Christianity in England?

Bill Muehlenberg, 21 May 2009

One way or another, the lights seem to be going out for Christianity in England. If the secularists do not destroy the church there, the Islamists are happy to have a go at it. Just last week it was announced that the BBC has appointed a Muslim to be “the Head of Religion and Ethics”. This is simply the latest in a long list of Islamist initiatives which may well turn England into a Muslim nation.

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Consider the latest indication of this, as detailed in the Telegraph: “Churches will be banned from turning down gay job applicants on the grounds of their sexuality under new anti-discrimination laws, a Government minister said. Religious groups are to be forced to accept homosexual youth workers, secretaries and other staff, even if their faith holds same-sex relationships to be sinful. Christian organisations fear that the tightened legislation, which is due to come into force next year, will undermine the integrity of churches and dilute their moral message.”

We must be prepared to answer these frequent questions, as asked by Michael Coulter. Do Christians want "to throw away science", and "kill in the name of life" (probably referring to capital punishment)? Is it all just superstition? Religion: "its words..so rarely match its actions"? Is there nothing good from Christianity, but "demonstrable benefits of secular thought"? Don't miss Michael's confession at the end as to where his faith stands.

God delusions cloud a world of wonders

Michael Coulter, The Age, May 3, 2009

What I see is a world slowly tearing itself apart for the sake of one faith or another. A world where an extreme faction of Islam wishes to put me and mine to the sword for my unbelief, and to shackle half the world for the crime of being born female. A world where an extreme faction of Christianity wants to throw away science for the sake of millenniums-old superstitions, and is prepared to kill in the name of life. A world where an extreme faction of Hinduism wishes to religiously purify India. A world where people are unashamedly trying to fulfil the biblical conditions for Armageddon.

Read full article at The Age