Religion Post-1945

When did the Stolen Generation occur?

1910 - 1970

Mabo court case

• June 1992

• Ruled that terra nullius was false

• Native Title (1993) established in Australian law, claim it with language

• Mer people wanted private ownership over the Murray Islands

Wik court case

• 1996

• Leasehold title does not extinguish Native Title

• wanted ownership of their land but were stopped by pastoral leases

The Native Title Legislation Amendment Act

• 2021

• Extinguishing Native Title in favour of Freehold Title

Reconciliation actions

• Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation established in 1991

• 1997 “Bringing them home” report - called the Stolen Generation a “genocide”

• 1999 “Statement of regret”

• 2008 “Sorry statement” from the Rudd Government

Examples of religious traditions supporting reconciliation

• Caritas - Catholic organisation working with Indigenous Australians to deal with ongoing trauma

• Anglican Reconciliation Working group provides accomodation and family support in rural areas

• 2006 Executive Council of Australian Jewry implemented “Reconciliation Action Plan”

• Catholics celebrate national Reconciliation week at the end of May

• NATSIEC - national aboriginal torres strait islander ecumenical council - works for acknowledgement from Christian churches of their role in dispossession and promotes indigenous rights

General decline of Christianity

• most evident in Anglican, Presbyterian, and the Uniting Church

• 2016 52% to 2021 44%

Christian denominations

Roman Catholics have overtaken Anglicans as the largest denomination. Catholics 20% compared to Anglican 10% in 2021

Increasing number of no religion or religion not stated

30% in 2016 compared to 39% in 2021

Figure for religions other than Christianity steadily increasing

Islam and Hinduism steady growth

• Islam: 2.6% 2016 to 3.2% in 2021

• Hinduism: 1.9% 2016 to 2.7% in 2021

Judaism is steady

0.4%

White Australia

Replaced by a policy of multiculturalism in 1973

Aboriginal spirituality quote

“The completeness of the oneness” - Bob Randall

The Dreaming

A metatemporal (past, present, future) concept that links Aboriginal people to the land, spirituality, and each other, containing knowledge and identity.

Ancestral spirits

Inhabit the land, plants and animals through totems, guiding relationships through oral tradition.

Kinship

A system of moiety that dictates relationships, roles, and responsibilities. Kinships established the connection of the Aboriginal people to the land of their ancestors.

Totems

Totems are animals that are believed to have a spiritual connection with individuals or clans. They are considered sacred, with a responsibility to protect, and are associated with ancestral beings or creation stories. Totems serve as a source of guidance, protection, and identity for individuals and their communities.

Ceremonial life

Rituals relate Aboriginal people to the dreaming and contain: SSC - Symbols, Songs, and Chants. Ceremonial life connects Indigenous people to their ancestor spirits

Rituals + Beliefs about death

A person dies and their spirit returns either to the ancestor spirits or is reincarnated. For this process to happen, ceremony has to take place. At a funeral, Aboriginal people don’t say the person’s name, use smokescreen to stop bad spirits following them and singing and chanting is used to put the person’s spirit to rest.

Obligations to the land and people

Land is the physical link between people and the Dreaming, and is where ancestor spirits dwell. Aboriginal people see themselves as the custodians of the land.

Protectionism: 1838s - 1910 definition

Aboriginals forced to abandon culture and live on reserves, taken from parents and trained as servants, put into missionaries, imposed Christian values and teachings.

Assimilation: 1901-1970 definition

Forced integration of Aboriginal people into white society

Impact of the stolen generation

Loss of self, insecurity, depression, drug abuse, trouble of raising their children, aboriginal life expectancy is now 20 years below average

Effect of separation from land on spirituality

Loss of spiritual identity because the sacred sites and totems are within their land, and loss of purpose because of a loss of greater connection with the land, loss of language, lack of understanding of belonging

What are the 4 most Christian countries

USA, Brazil, Mexico, China

What are the 4 most Muslim countries

Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh

What are the 4 most Hindu countries

India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka

What are the 4 most Jewish countries

USA, Israel, France, Canada

Geographical distribution of Islam

62% Asia-pacific

20% Middle east + North Africa

16% Sub-Saharan Africa

Geographical distribution of Christianity

26% Europe

24% Middle East/North Africa

16% Sub-Saharan Africa

Geographical distribution of Judaism

44% North America

41% Middle East/North Africa

Rational humanism

1. Human reason is the highest authority in the universe

2. Humans can instinctually tell wrong from right without external moral authority (e.g. sacred texts)

3. This life is all you have, live a full/happy life and help others to too

Scientific humanism beliefs

1. Same - human reason is the highest authority

2. Science and problem solving are the key to solving world problems (observation, logic, deduction)

Most common religion in 2021 + Percentage

Christianity - 43.9%

2nd Most Common Religion + Percentage

No religion - 38.9%

Islam

3.2%

Hinduism

2.7%

Buddhism

2.4%

Christianity

43.9%

No religion

38.9%

Christianity is ________; no religious affiliation is ________.

Decreasing, increasing

Why is the number of Christians increasing but the percentage decreasing?

Because the population is increasing

Highest growing religion from 2016 to 2021

Yezidi → an ancient religious minority, who are mostly from Northern Iraq