Religion in Australia pre 1945

Question 1

How did Roman Catholics come to Australia

Answer 1

How did Roman Catholics come to Australia
With the First Fleet and its Church of England chaplain Rev. Johnson.
1/3 of the First Fleet were Roman Catholic which were Irish convicts

Question 2

How to Church of England (Anglican) come to Australia

Answer 2

With the First fleet - 2/3 of convicts classified themselves as Church of England

Question 3

How did Judaism come to Australia

Answer 3

Judaism also arrived on the first fleet around 8 at first.

Question 4

How did Buddhism come to Australia

Answer 4

Chinese Buddhists came to Australia, while working on the goldfields of the 1850’s.

Question 5

How did Islam come to Australia

Answer 5

Pakistani, Afghani and Turkish camel drivers were brought to Australia in the second half of the 19th Century to assist in opening the inland of Australia

Question 6

How did Hinduism come to Australia

Answer 6

Hindu Indians came to Australia with British families who had employed them as servants
There were also some Indian convicts sent by the British government in there colony of India, for committing crimes

Question 7

Contribution that Christianity made in the Australian Rural Areas - Bush Church Society

Answer 7

• Assisted in Education and Aid.
• The Bush Church Aid Society contributed greatly in outback Australia to social services, such as child welfare and education.
  Established convent schoolas well as Healthcare services, hostels for young people

Question 8

Contribution that Christianity made in the Australian Rural Areas - Bush Brotherhood

Answer 8

Church of England group which had a romanticised belief that they “preach like Apostles, ride like cowboys, with just food and clothing”
The early Brothers were upper-class, well-educated, celibate Englishmen.

Question 9

Contribution that Christianity made in the Australian Rural Areas - Australian Inland Mission

Answer 9

• Brought religious health, pastoral and other services for Europeans in the Outback
• Use of the new invention the aeroplane and est. The Royal Flying Doctor Service which provides medical assistance for rural communities

Question 10

Contribution that Christianity made in Education

Answer 10

Churches battled with the government for financial support
Late half of the nineteenth century, legislation to provide free, compulsory and secular education for all children in schools operated by the state

Question 11

The Church Act 1836 (Education)

Answer 11

Money was allocated to major denominations according to their numbers.
Small religious denominations in rural area lacked the facility to organise themselves into congregations, and receive little aid.
1866 found that many children were not attending school, as the majority of schools were Church of England and Catholic parents refused to send them to these schools.
In 1911, statistics showed a higher rate of illiteracy among Catholics compared to the rest of the population.

Question 12

NSW Public Instruction Act 1880 (Education)

Answer 12

Amendments made:

• Separate religious instruction by visiting clergy in public schools (scripture lessons)
• Compulsory attendance
• Reduction of fees
• Removal of State aid to denominational schools

Question 13

Contribution that Christianity made in Public Morality

Answer 13

• Christians had a powerful influence on public policy and established a reputation as ‘wowsers’ (Fun spoilers)
• Criminal adultery, liquor licensing and anti-gambling laws, protection of women and children - influence of Christian morality.
• Extensive Sunday retail did not become a feature of Australia urban life until the 1980/90’s.
• The rights of workers to organise a Union and to withdraw their labour in the face of injustice came from Pope Leo XIII’s letter on the conditions of the working classes.

Question 14

Contribution that Christianity made in Social Welfare

Answer 14

• Social Welfare groups have had a major impact
• The level of social welfare services were what the government alone simply did not have to resources to provide
• In the Great Depression 1930’s Church groups would set up Soup Kitchens in order to catering for struggling families and individuals

Question 15

Examples of Social Welfare Groups which assisted in Australia

Answer 15

• Anglicare is an organisation which cares for the homeless children, women in need, the unemployed and the poor, in one form of another
• St Vincent de Paul Society is a Catholic lay organisation, est. in France in 1833. By 1895 there were 26 branches in Sydney. Members of the society visit people in hospital and prisons and offer assistance to the aged, homeless and poor.