Welcome to Eureka Street

back to site
Forgot your password?
Subscribe

Keywords: Belief

  • RELIGION

    Can ashes find a voice?

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 13 February 2024
    5 Comments

    In a world grappling with war, inequality, and environmental devastation, can a celebration of sacrifice offer hope? For a secular Australia, the relevance of Lent may lie in bridging the gap between a seemingly dehumanizing act and the profound belief in the preciousness of human life. Can this paradoxical notion inspire action to heal the wounds of our world?

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    Beyond belief

    • Ken Haley
    • 15 December 2023
    1 Comment

    The bandage around my knee drew the practitioner’s eye, and my attempt to talk it away as a minor issue  was no match for her professional perseverance. While I waited, she called in a specialist from orthopaedics, who took a good look at the affected area and warned me that unless I presented myself at outpatients very soon, ‘this could kill you’.

    READ MORE
  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Cults, crimes and coercive control: The Running Grave

    • Juliette Hughes
    • 13 October 2023
    1 Comment

    An intricate tale that delves deep into the realm of cults, deception, and the human psyche, The Running Grave goes beyond a mere detective yarn, with a narrative that confronts society's susceptibility to manipulation and questions the very fabric of our beliefs. 

    READ MORE
  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    Doubt requires belief: The Fickle Pendulum

    • Les Wicks
    • 04 October 2023
    1 Comment

    In The Fickle Pendulum, Paul Scully deftly weaves centuries of human exploration — from the doubt of St Thomas to Galileo's scientific certainties. Journeying through epochs, blending faith with skepticism, Scully makes the arcane comes alive, offering readers a profound immersion into the expanse of human introspection.

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Water, cool clear water

    • Andrew Hamilton
    • 08 June 2023
    1 Comment

    Once viewed as the purest and most dependable, public tap water has faced a crisis of confidence due to the proliferation of bottled water and privatisation of water resources. Yet some maintain trust in public water, finding joy in drinking from public taps. Is this faith naive or a testament to the enduring belief in accessible water for all?

    READ MORE
  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    The book corner: The Jane Austen Remedy

    • Gillian Bouras
    • 10 March 2023
    1 Comment

    It's a truth universally acknowledged that a book can change a life, but can certain books help a reader live more fully at any age? Ruth Wilson, a 90-year-old author, thinks so. Her book, The Jane Austen Remedy, explores the belief that books can cure an ailing soul. 

    READ MORE
  • AUSTRALIA

    Extinction machines and the religious gut

    • Nathan Campbell
    • 07 March 2023
    1 Comment

    The evolution of profit-driven poker machines has sparked a debate over the role of personal beliefs in shaping policies aimed at curbing addiction. As society grapples with the ethical implications of technology designed to maximize addiction, can a policymaker rely on a 'religious gut'? 

    READ MORE
  • INTERNATIONAL

    The empty echo chamber: A conversation with Dr Axel Bruns

    • David Halliday, Axel Bruns
    • 22 September 2022

    Despite our differing social and cultural beliefs, we can mostly agree that we live in highly polarised times. But what divides us? ARC Laureate Fellow Prof. Axel Bruns studies social polarisation, and in this discussion we explore the drivers of polarisation, examining the role that digital and social media and broader social and political contexts play in intensifying social conflicts, threatening economic prosperity, undermining public trust, and ultimately destabilising societies.

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    Praying for convergence?

    • Tracey Edstein
    • 14 September 2022
    6 Comments

    There is no doubt that the institutional Catholic church has lost ground in the last few decades. But unlike the institutional Catholic church, the parallel church is thriving. As people seek to engage with their beliefs and live their lives of faith more deeply, many have come to embrace a spirituality which, framed by authentic Catholic tradition, encompasses an expanded array of practices.

    READ MORE
  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    The book corner: Beyond belief

    • Barry Gittins
    • 12 August 2022

    Journalist and author Elle Hardy spent 15 months researching and writing her 2021 work Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity is Taking Over the World. She notes the estimation that by 2050, one billion people around the world (one in 10 humans) will be a Pentecostal follower of Jesus (and their pastor).

    READ MORE
  • ARTS AND CULTURE

    From the archives: Dad's army

    • Brian Matthews
    • 09 June 2022
    1 Comment

    It was Christmas morning of... many years ago. I was about eight years old but, despite my advanced age, I remained a dogged believer in Father Christmas. This belief was maintained in the face of cynicism and derision from the youthful toughs I consorted with and despite my own unspoken qualms in moments of inconvenient rationality. 

    READ MORE
  • RELIGION

    Losing certainty, keeping faith

    • Barry Gittins
    • 14 April 2022
    10 Comments

    As a kid, all I wanted was answers. As soon as I’d get one, I’d chase the next. Nowadays, I’m happy with holding onto questions. Rephrasing, examining, thinking. The answers I have don’t always add up, and my mania for meaning, for definitive proof, is abating. I am increasingly aware that all of us, regardless of creed, creditworthiness, consciousness or credentials, lack definitive answers to life’s mysteries. 

    READ MORE