tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552Sat, 05 Oct 2024 03:26:52 +0000secular statecatholicismfideszeducationfundingkdnpfreedom of religion and consciencejobbikreformedcalvinismchurchescreationism-id-pseudo_sciencepoliticsEUcensuschristianismhomosexualityEPPGermanyUSAbuddhismbuildingscommunismcourt of auditorsfacts_and_figuresfreedom of speechhinduismlinklutheransmediahttp://hunsec.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (SzF)Blogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-8374892478639184600Sat, 11 Jun 2011 23:34:00 +00002011-06-12T01:34:54.411+02:00freedom of religion and consciencesecular state<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 21 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normál táblázat"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2011/06/two-tier-freedom-to-religion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-3098464651616790373Sun, 05 Jun 2011 14:10:00 +00002011-06-05T16:10:47.484+02:00There’s been a wave of state schools being handed over to churches lately, meaning that many pupils (and their parents) will have to decide whether they are willing to abide by the rules of some church or look for a new school. Read the rest of this entry »http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2011/06/less-schools.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-1893930856503789201Sat, 01 Jan 2011 09:49:00 +00002011-01-01T10:54:03.336+01:00On new year's eve, the president of Hungary, Mr Pál Schmitt has signed the new media law, which has already received much criticism also internationally. The main points of criticism are the following: - First of all, it is unclear what exactly defines as a transgression - or rather, about anything can be one: "Media content may not lend itself to openly or implicitly offend the feelings of http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-in-hungary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-4281901899201591282Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:54:00 +00002010-11-25T11:54:00.389+01:00facts_and_figureslutheransThe weekly HVG has published an article on a research conducted among Hungarian Lutherans. The results were presented by Gergely Prőhle, who is not only a supervisor of the Lutheran church, but also the state secretary responsible for EU relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The research has been conducted among 1500 adults randomly selected from the church's registers containing a total http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/11/hungarian-lutherans.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-2560259721977350787Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:50:00 +00002010-11-23T19:50:00.089+01:00jobbikkdnpsecular stateAs in other European countries and even at EU level, Christian churches are lobbying also in Hungary for a ban on working on Sundays. With a twist. While banning Sunday work was put on the agenda by the Christian democrats (KDNP), the far right party Jobbik has picked up the issue and introduced yesterday a proposal to ban employers from requiring their employees to work on Sundays. With http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/11/sunday-fights.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-2195334142784167481Sun, 07 Nov 2010 21:29:00 +00002010-11-07T22:44:54.328+01:00freedom of religion and consciencefreedom of speechsecular stateOver the freedom of speech, or course. The new law regulating the media is waiting for the approvel of the president, who will no doubt sign it without delay. Par. 17.2 goes as follows: "Media content may not lend itself to openly or implicitly offend the feelings of persons, nations, communities, national, ethnic, linguistic and other minorities or any majority, or of churches or religious http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/11/religious-feeling-triumphs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-8056968957800938792Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:34:00 +00002010-10-26T21:34:00.592+02:00EPPEUpoliticsreformedMr László Tőkés, former bishop of the reformed church and present vice president of the European Parliament for the European People's Party, for Romania and of course for the Hungarian minority of Romania, loves his son Máté very dearly (meanwhile his wife filed for divorce among others because of his extramarital affairs). So much that when a couple of weeks ago the city administration of Oradeahttp://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/10/truly-loving-father.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-6657956429656980696Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:15:00 +00002010-11-07T22:43:51.108+01:00fideszsecular stateThe Hungarian State has a tradition of distributing state awards on the occation of national holidays, March 15th and October 23rd to people who have had a big positive impact on society. Of course it comes as no surprise that the present government and the president believe proselytization is worth a decoration: Out of four medals named after the communist (!) prime minister Imre Nagy who becamehttp://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-get-award.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-1627150724240319034Sat, 23 Oct 2010 20:59:00 +00002010-11-07T22:31:50.922+01:00churchesfreedom of religion and consciencefundingsecular stateMeanwhile I've checked the tax office's list on 1% offerings - taypayers can donate 1% of their personal income tax to a charity, and another 1% to a church, or alternatively, to a secular cause offered by the state (for 2009 that was eradication of ambrosia, a highly allergen plant, and a programme to support especially talented kids). This list includes of course taxpayers only (i.e. people whohttp://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/10/who-will-remain.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-3999808533459195685Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:02:00 +00002010-11-07T22:31:28.821+01:00churchesfreedom of religion and consciencesecular stateMr László Szászfalvi, state secretary of the Ministry for Public Adminsitration and Justice has outlined last weeks some plans to tighten the rules for establishing religious communities. Currently we have about 185 of them, and among others they have the right to compete with each other for 1% of the personal income tax. It is rather easy to establish a church in Hungary at present: you need 100http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/10/not-more-churches.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-4087667830100568474Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:02:00 +00002010-10-08T12:02:16.199+02:00secular stateA whole lot of institutions has submitted their claims regarding the new constitutions to the committee preparing the text. Many of them seek to impose their particular views on all citizens, and to narrow down rights. Of course especially regarding people’s private lives. The Lutheran church wants the constitution to protect monogamous marriage and family life. They do not accept same-sex http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/10/hunting-season.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-8046484257395078372Thu, 07 Oct 2010 19:58:00 +00002010-10-07T23:46:27.152+02:00court of auditorssecular stateHave you ever thought about the wide range of fields a state audit office has to be familiar with? In Hungary, this also includes comment on the bases of our constitituion, which the government and the president appointed by the ruling party want to change (allegedly because the present one is the 'communist' constitution of 1949 - while actually, as the saying goes, the only part of it that http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/10/have-you-ever-thought-about-wide-range.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-4300509404997078689Sun, 19 Sep 2010 09:33:00 +00002010-09-19T11:33:06.220+02:00catholicismfideszsecular stateWhile&nbsp;the pope,&nbsp;XVI. Benedict is busy touring Britain this week, the week before he received the Hungarian president, Pál Schmitt, whom elderly non-Hungarians may know from his carreer in fencing a couple of dacades ago. Later, at the beginning of the 1980s, he made a career in sports diplomacy (being the head of the Hungarian Olympic Committee (MOB) also at the time when the committee http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/09/kissing-ring.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-2465650733037375542Sun, 19 Sep 2010 09:31:00 +00002010-09-19T11:31:49.011+02:00catholicismeducationkdnpsecular stateThe highest official for education, secretary of state Rózsa Hoffmann (who became famous for starting her job&nbsp;with cancelling&nbsp;the newly intorduced prescription that kindergarden should not reinforce stereotypes, including gender stereotypes), intends to make a new law on education and higher education. To this aim, she organised a secret experts meeting in August, and the group of http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/09/anomymous-experts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-1736998996354669591Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:32:00 +00002010-09-06T19:32:54.355+02:00fideszlinksecular stateEine ziemlich detaillierte Zusammenfassung der ersten 100 Tage im Amt von Viktor Orbán: A detailed account on Viktor Orbán's first 100 days as prime minister - in German: http://www.jungewelt.de/2010/09-06/004.phphttp://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/09/verstehen-sie-deutsch.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-840258354416015155Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:28:00 +00002010-09-05T16:43:46.415+02:00calvinismeducationjobbikreformedHungary has about 80 universities and colleges. Many of them are of course minor province institutions, including a lot of theological schools caring to the needs of one particular denomination for pastors&nbsp; (needless to say that they receive their funds from the Hungarian state, too). Not so Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church (KRE), which, together with Pázmány Péter Catholic http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/09/morals-at-protestant-university.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-5764483208102656757Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:34:00 +00002010-08-29T17:34:00.623+02:00calvinismcatholicismfideszsecular stateThough the prime minister of Hungary, Mr Viktor Orbán is a calvinist, catholic spectacles seem to meet his taste much more than protestant puritanism (true, in his youth, around the fall of communism in 1989, he had adpoted a more Voltraian approach to the churches, but he, together with his party, switched to their present worldview in the mid 90s). He participates in the yearly procession of http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/08/truly-ecumenic-prime-minister.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-3648976650736615350Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:33:00 +00002010-09-05T15:35:54.774+02:00educationfideszkdnpsecular stateMrs Rózsa Hoffmann, state secretary (i.e. the highest official specialising in education--her boss, the minister is a specialist in medicine and also responsible for health, sports, social, education and culture issues) for education with a strong catholic background, has already several times emphasised that she intends to improve the situation of faith schools (as well as introduce religious http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/08/expert.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-8213307802519832935Sat, 26 Jun 2010 23:59:00 +00002010-06-27T01:59:00.828+02:00We not only have a new government, we'll also get a new president soon. Though the Hungarian president's function is mostly representational, one of his duties is to ensure that all new laws respect the constitution, i.e. he's supposed to act as one element of the checks and balances. He (there has never been a she yet) is elected for a period of five years by the parliament (while the http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/06/by-grace-of-god.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-1759675825806245577Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:30:00 +00002010-06-19T17:44:19.258+02:00catholicismcreationism-id-pseudo_scienceeducationfideszfundingjobbikkdnpThe Hungarian Teachers' Union wrote a letter to the constitutional court protesting against a new bill (No. LI of 2010) modifíng the law on public education. According to the bill, local authorities may hand over their schools to a church institution on the spot, without delay. According to the union, this step violates teachers' and pupils' religious freedom, as this would mean that anyone may http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-hand-over-state-schools-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-4737289946161821738Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:40:00 +00002010-06-19T17:27:46.230+02:00catholicismThe child abuse scandal of the catholic church has not reached Hungary, and as during the communist era only a handfull of church schools were allowed to operate, the number of children abused in the last couple of decades cannot be as high as in countries where schools and children's homes were often managed by churches. This of course also means that any victim knows s/he is alone and they http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/06/abuse-management-in-hungary.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-2950666428259726050Mon, 24 May 2010 15:38:00 +00002010-06-19T13:40:44.766+02:00fideszpoliticssecular stateAs I mentioned, Hungary held elections in April. While we are still wating for the new government to take over, the parliament is already up and working, and the Society for Freedom Rights is doing their work: as they pointed out, the preambulum of one of last week's bills goes as follows: "We, the members of the parliament of the Republic of Hungary, those who believe that God is the ruler of http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/05/equal-and-more-equal-citizens.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-6239980215360996094Mon, 24 May 2010 15:02:00 +00002010-05-24T17:02:30.117+02:00christianismeducationSchoolkids in Zsámbék (near Budapest) found themselves in font of locked doors, because of a dispute between two congregations. The owners of the building, the Sisters of Charity of the Holy Cross in Linz (Austria) let the building (which they received back from the state with the condition that they use it for social or educational purposes) to the Premonstratensians, for school purposes. The http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/05/locked-school-doors.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-8597610592012296294Wed, 19 May 2010 21:57:00 +00002010-06-19T17:27:25.041+02:00censusfideszkdnpAfter having waited impatiently for four years, in April, the liberal-turned conservative Fidesz have won the elections, carrying on their back the clerical Christian National Democrats (KDNP), who on their own don't even make the 1% limit for getting state funding, not to speak of managing to tackle the 5% threshold for getting into parliament. While the new government has still not yet taken http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-government-new-census.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5903314404462726552.post-4268884721120369400Sun, 09 May 2010 08:56:00 +00002010-06-19T13:42:25.465+02:00catholicismhomosexualityA couple of years ago, a list appeared on the internet with the names and photos of alleged homosexuals in the Catholic clergy in four Hungarian dioceses. Besides homosexuality, some of them were accused also of criminla offenses (as coruption and paedosexual offenses). The list, whose unknown authors stated that&nbsp;it was far from exhaustive,&nbsp;seems to have been&nbsp;modífied to include http://hunsec.blogspot.com/2010/05/blacklisted-priests.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (SzF)