Freedom of Religion - Liberty in a Secular Society: Affinity Intercultural Foundation

Affinity Intercultural Foundation invites you to:

Freedom of Religion - Liberty in a Secular Society

Date: Wednesday 2 December 2020     Time: 7pm to 8pm
Location: Online event

Religious Freedom in Australia has long been taken for granted. Recent debates over social issues from Gay Marriage to Education have led to proposals for new legislation. As religious adherence in Australia diversifies and declines, is there need for a deeper conversation? What issues are at stake?

Discussing their recently published books, retired bishop Robert Forsyth and Dr Joel Harrison will be in conversation with John Cleary.

Key Speakers:

Panel Speaker: Robert Forsyth

Robert Forsyth was the Anglican Bishop of South Sydney, a region of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, from 2000 to 2015. Before this he was the rector of St. Barnabas, Broadway and chaplain to the University of Sydney. As well as continuing part time work as an assistant minister he is Senior Fellow with the Centre for Independent Studies. He is the co-editor of Forgotten Freedom No More: Protecting Religious Liberty in Australia (Conner Court 2020)

Panel Speaker: Dr Joel Harrison

Dr Joel Harrison is a Senior Lecturer at Sydney Law School, University of Sydney. He teaches in areas of public and constitutional law and writes on religious liberty, constitutionalism, and law and theology. He is the author of Post-Liberal Religious Liberty: Forming Communities of Charity (Cambridge University Press, 2020). Dr Harrison has taught at the University of Oxford, Columbia University, and Macquarie University. He is a graduate of the University of Auckland and the University of Oxford.

Facilitator: John Cleary

John Cleary is a veteran ABC broadcaster and one of Australia's best-known commentators on religion.

In his 30-year career with the ABC he has worked extensively in both radio and television, but is known principally for his association with Sunday Nights on ABC Local Radio and The Religion Report on ABC Radio National.

His 1992 book on the Salvation Army in Australia was awarded the Christian Book of the Year. In 2008, John was host of the interfaith event held by the Catholic Church in conjunction with World Youth Day and the visit of Pope Benedict XVI.

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