Religious expression in Australia – 1945 to the present

Order of religions in popularity

Christian → secular → islam → hinduism→ buddhism

Religious Decline

Religion	Christianity
Trend	Most dominant religion 1st – 43.9% in 2021 no. of Christians dropped by approx. a half since 1947 Catholic is majority, then anglican → no. is declining (e.g. catholic: 22.6% in 2016 to 20% in 2021) Catholicism → Anglicanism → uniting church (Presbyterian, methodists, Congregationalists) Smaller pentacostal denominations are rising + those who are affiliated with the Christian religion but not specific denominations (e.g. Christian NFD 1% in 2016 → 2.7% in 2021)
Explanation	Was colonised by Britain = majority of settlers were Irish Catholics After WW2, immigration from other non-Christian countries increased, causing the percentage of Christians to decrease Denominational switching → people moving from older denominations to newer ones Switching from Lutherans, uniting church, Anglican Catholic switching is low National church life survey showed people were more committed to a congregation rather than a denomination people feel disconnected form their denomination New age religions + secularism have risen in popularity because traditional religions fail to resonate with modern people Alternative spiritualities that aim to foster personal happiness, health and purpose (e.g. feng shui, astrology) increased disillusionment with traditional religious + scepticism towards the supernatural Rise of science disproves lots of the information in sacred texts (e.g. genesis story) Greater focus on materialism over spirituality social media allows stories of religious abuse to be shared (e.g. grooming)

Religious incline

Religions	Mostly outside chrisitanity → rates of immigration reflect the religious population
Trend	Over the past 25 years, non-Christian religion adherents have risen from 3.5% (1996) to 10% (2021) Islam 2nd – 3.2% in 2021 increase in >200,000 adherents from 2016 to 2021 Hinduism 3rd - 2.7% in 2021 increase in >240,000 adherents from 2016 to 2021 due to increased immigration from India and Nepal Sikhism: tripled in the past 10 years from 0.3% to 0.8% in 2021 Non-religion: the highest incline out of all religions +2.8 million people from 2016 to 2021 →38.9% of AUS Mainly from people in the 20s (younger people) Big shift away from religion, where people are expressing spirituality outside traditional religious frameworks or giving up on religion entirely New Age Religions Emerged in 1970s as a part of counter-culture movement (e.g. feng shui, astrology, tarot cards) Australian social research firm McCrindle found in 2012 that nearly a fifth of Australians identify as 'spiritual but not religious', Most common amongst people under the age of 35: 38% of Gen Z Australians identify as spiritual
Explanation	IMMIGRATION 90% of these religious adherents either were born overseas or have a parent who was → when people migrate, they bring their religion with them to their new country After WW2 (1945-1960) Assisted migration from Britain ↑ Christianity +30,000 Jews fleeing from Europe 1970s: Abandoning of white Australia policy (1973) and Vietnam (1975) Plan to increase Asian immigration = introduction of eastern religions 120,000 refugees from Indochina after Viet war (mostly Catholics, Buddhists and protestants) Post 1950: Spike in Muslim population due to wars, conflict, etc… Secularism Rise in scepticism towards the supernatural because of scientific progress Rise of science disproves lots of the information in the bible  we are now aware of the creation of the universe, and that our teachings of heaven is not space Rise of science removes the need for religious interpretation Improved medical technology makes people less reliant on religion for a cure Improved quality of life = reduced suffering = reduced need for religion for hope in times of despair Disillusionment with traditional religious → due to perceived irrelevance in the contemporary world Increased individualism materialism decreases the need for God in people’s life Separation of the church and the state reduces the power of religious traditions Change in societal and power structures make people believe that religion is outdated New Age religions Alternative spiritualities that aim to foster personal happiness, health and purpose Better adapted to today’s society and lifestyle → focus on self Accommodates for the rise in materialism Desire to earn material wealth whilst maintaining spiritual wellbeing Accommodates for changing societal values and power structures They don’t enforce doctrines on people, but rather promote self-discovery of one’s values Less commitment: more accessible and less time demanding than conservative religions → no regular Saturday/Sunday worship required

Limits of census

Some people lie → e.g. they don’t want the government holding information about them, they just want to mess with it for fun

Immigrants may not fill out the form correctly because they can’t speak English

Doesn’t include the homeless

Describe the impact of Christian ecumenical movements in Australia

Ecumenism – movement for dialogue and mutual understanding between Christian churches  uniting about points of similarities

• Having a combined Christian voice allows them to have a bigger impact on relevant social issues and secularisation

  • e.g. by collectively encouraging participation in the Church, and lobbying the government on laws that are against christian values

• Note: large differences in views = seperate activism

QUOTE: “Love your neighbour as yourself” – Mark 12:31

The National Council of Churches

Gathers Christian communities to spread Jesus’ message of harmony

• Established in 1994

• 18 members Churches across AUS (e.g. uniting, catholic, Anglican)

e.g. Australian churches refugee taskforce → promotes christian values like human dignity

• E.g. The Christmas Bowl mission: sends aid assistance to countries in Africa, Asia, middle east and pacific → facilitated by NSW Ecumenical council

• Apply Christian moral voice to suffering of refugees and promote greater humanitarian support

NSW Ecumenical Council

• 1982, 18 members

e.g. Domestic violence project → raise awareness about how to respond to domestic violence and how to support survivors by holding seminars and posting articles on their website

Conculsion: Ecumenism is a positive movement aimed at uniting the voices of Christian denominations… + include stimulus

Evaluate the importance of interfaith dialogue in multifaith Australia

Interfaith Dialogue – the communication between different religious traditions

• expanded due to cultural diversity after immigration

• Promotes understanding and tolerance, and communication to maintain a peaceful multifaith society

• Counters secularism

Australian council of Christians and Jews

• Hold events to better educate Jews and Christians about how to promote peaceful multiculturalism

• e.g. Heads, Hearts & Hands: three-day Gathering of AUS and NZ people who were interested in understanding interfaith dialogue

  • hold a panel of international speakers about the current challenges facing Christian Jewish dialogue and the need for conversation and reflection.

  • Discuss how dialogue involves information (heads), emotional responses (heart), and practical action (hands)

Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim relations

• United by their shared Abrahamic origin

• Aims to Break down stereotyping and negative assumptions around Islam, which became increasingly important after 9/11

• e.g. Hold events where both religions participate in Muslim community celebrations such iftar dinners (during Ramadan

CONCLUSION: Despite the progress of interfaith movements, occasional resistance to other religions is unfortunately still a reality of religiously diverse societies

Examine the relationship between Aboriginal spiritualities and religious traditions in the process of Reconciliation

Reconciliation – process that involves recognising past wrongdoings involved in the destruction of aboriginal spiritualities

• since this is a relevant social issue, religious traditions have found ways to support it →e.g. ABS found that indigenous life span is eight years less than non-indigenous people

Jewish community

• Orthodox Synagogue in Newtown elected an Aboriginal woman as president, Lisa Jackson Pulver

• Reflecting the integration of reconciliation into Jewish communities

• QUOTE: From Jewish News Australia, 2023: “Australia [being an] equitable place for all [is made possible through] commitment to positive change

Uniting church

• Take part in Reconciliation Week, where they seek to unite one fellowship of Aboriginal Christians to promote harmony between Aboriginal Spirituality and Christianity.

• QUOTE: “Bring unity to all things… under Christ.” - Ephesian 1:10

CONCLUSION: Reconciliation is an ongoing process that still faces barriers but requires recognition and help from many groups.