Yesterday, my son sat happily at the breakfast table, having a seasonal treat: toasted hot cross buns. Once again, I explained to him and his sister what the crosses mean to Christians.
For the faithful the Easter story is chiefly one of love and hope, but the 'good news' of the gospel is not always so sweet.
The cross that liberates - with a little help from cognitive dissonance - can also paralyse.
Believing in love
The significance of the Resurrection is not to perpetuate an irrational fairytale, but to affirm that human life is about love. More
Bunnies, bitchin' and the blessed
It's important to recognise that Easter is not all about chocolate and meaningless whining. It is also about sacrifice. More
Easter reflections
The ABC's Religion and Ethics portal is hosting a series of articles looking at the various aspects of the Easter celebration. More
Belittling the present
Marius Benson
The political past always looks tidier than the present, because we know how it turned out and we know we all survived.
Business v economics
Alan Kohler
There's an air of growing panic among Australia's business people. Meanwhile the RBA and Treasury are insouciant.
The nanny wars
Annabel Crabb
Labor MPs campaign against Abbott's parental leave scheme even though - in another life - they could have supported it.
Carbon tax hindsight
Barrie Cassidy
Labor must regularly ask how different it might be had Gillard handled differently one key interview on the carbon tax.
Republican race
Michael Brissenden
The fight for the Republican nomination is a fight to define its values.
Urban myths
Michael Janda
The bulk of property commentary comes from people with direct interest in seeing property prices remain high.
Stynes remembered
Gerard Whateley
He redefined the code, opening its mind and removing its borders. And he saved his club for his children's children.
Unedifying
Peter Ryan
There are plenty of lessons to be learned from this week's ugly stoush over the appointment of the Future Fund's next chairman.
OPINION
Capitalism needs your loveAdvertising is a form of courtship and capitalism needs you to love it. When you reciprocate: lovely, writes Tim Dunlop.
Business v economicsThere's an air of growing panic among Australia's business people. Meanwhile the RBA and Treasury are insouciant, writes Alan Kohler.
OPINION
Surplus challengeTalk of the budget has gone from the usual individual measures to be included or cut, to the actual size of the budget itself, writes Greg Jericho.
OPINION
Labor's 'reform' agendaWhen is reform not reform? When it is devised by Labor and has no clear objective for improved economic performance, writes Peter Reith.
OPINION
Does size matter?When it comes to talking about the size of our government it turns out it's not how big it is, it's what you do with it that matters, writes Peter Lewis and Jackie Woods.
OPINION
Budget surplusThe shrill and empty-headed political debate over budget surplus is a prime example of how politics completely overshadows sensible economics, writes Graham White.
I like this article because it transcends religion and delivers the simple truth: Love is the answer. If we take God and Jesus completely out of the equation all we are left with is the choice of death or love as the defining force in our existence.
Cathy on Easter's essential role, via comment
There is no evidence that dangerous global warming is occurring or that human CO2 emissions will cause such warming in the future. Recent Australian climate-related events do not fall outside normal climate variability. There is no evidence that reducing CO2 emissions will have any discernible impact on future climate.
Lank states the obvious on climate change, via comment
It's a big part of it but so is finding better ways of working, ie. through innovative solutions. We need to work smart and do it in a happy environment.
Gaby Sermeno on Bill Shorten calling on businesses to focus on the happiness of their staff, via Facebook
The FacebookWhat if Facebook was invented in the '90s? [YouTube]
Deeply worriedWhy James Hansen must speak out about climate change. [TED]
A war of words over piracyA war of words is raging between Fairfax Media and News Corporation about Pay TV piracy. [Media Watch]
Mick Fanning competes at Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, Victoria, on April 6, 2012. Fanning had his second win at Bells on Good Friday, beating 11-time world champion Kelly Slater.
Voters will reward whichever party speaks the lines they want to hear – but these are just as likely to be myth as truth, writes Rob Burgess. [Business Spectator]
"Labor should govern boldly to the end as Drysdale suggests – but if that results in the total electoral wipeout that Orgill fears, it's journalists who'll carry a lot of the blame."
You have to love your entrepreneur. Really, you have to – it's a rule, writes Don Watson. [The Monthly]
"Blessed are the wealth-makers: blessed for their lively minds and optimistic spirit, their resolute and persevering character, their example to the rest of us."
Ross Douthat on how Sheldon Adelson and Foster Friess made the Republican primary campaign more democratic. [New York Times]
"...big-dollar donations to underfunded candidates look like a case where more money in politics might be just what the democratic process needs."
Rafael Behr explains why voters will make a monkey out of Cameron’s midterm elections. [New Statesman]
"British elections are organised as if everyone belongs in one of two camps – Blue and Red – when the evidence shows that they don’t."
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