Religion

So what if there was a hint of scandal about Mary, says Ian Harris. The hope for a messiah was kept alive even through flawed human beings in Jesus' lineage.

Christmas with its inextricable mixture of the sacred and the secular has a universal and eternal appeal, writes Garth George.

It sometimes seems that the only way not to offend someone somewhere is to be bland and keep your head down.

I grew up with a father crazy about megaliths, monoliths and "stupid old rocks put here a trillion years ago so Dad could bore us with them today".

The Vatican newspaper has not been shy in its praise of the long-running animated TV program The Simpsons - and now we may know why.

Balclutha's Catholic parishioners are gearing up to celebrate the legacy of soon-to-be-saint Mary MacKillop, helper of disadvantaged families in rural communities more than 100 years ago.

Jim Wallis lives and works in Washington DC, the political heart of the United States.

• Wellington: Sabbath observance came under the consideration of the Wellington Presbytery today