Religions in Australia Pre-1945 Flashcards
when did Christianity arrive in Australia?
in 1788 with the arrival of the first fleet
How was Christianity divided in the convict’s nationalities?
English convicts/ Church of England and Irish Convicts/Roman Catholic
Which religion was dominant in the NSW penal colony?
Christianity
What were non-conformists and why did they arise?
+example
Formation of unofficial protestant movements as a result of the Christian church’s power was expanding as they now had legal roles in court. They were referred to as non-conformists as they didn’t conform to the church of England. E.g. Baptists
How many convicts were catholic?
1/3
Castle hill rebellion
Riots in Castle hill between Irish Catholics and British soldiers in 1804 (sectarianism e.g.) No catholic churches and were forced to attend the church of England services.
Notable priests and ministers in the early church
Father John Dixon (First Catholic mass) , Bishop Bede Polding (first catholic Bishop) , Jeremiah O’flynn, Father Joseph Therry (First catholic priest) and Samuel Marsden (Flogging pastor)
Notable women in the early church
Caroline Chisholm- advocate for voting rights, devoted to social welfare issues. Married a catholic and converted to Catholicism from Church of England and was devoted to integration women
· Mary Mackillop- Influence of education in Australia, Australia first saint and founded sisters of St Joseph helping establish Catholic teaching in South Australia.
when did hinduism arrive in Australia?
Hinduism arrived in 1830’s, they were hired under indentured labour contracts, sugar plantations and worked with life stock
What difficuilties did the hindus face?
Difficult for Hindus to establish their religion as a result of their contracts
Their basic religious and cultural considerations weren’t met such as they don’t eat meat but were forced to
· For the most part before 1945 it was expressed through worshipping at home altars rather than in community temples
When did judaism arrive in australia?
on the first fleet 1788
How many jews arrived on first fleet?
between 6-13 Jews arrived on the first fleet
when was there an influx of european Jews?
post ww2
who was Phillip cohen?
Phillip Cohen: held a regular synagogue service from home and oversaw the formation of the Sydney Hebrew congregation 1832
When and where was the first synagogue built in Australia?
First synagogue in Sydney 1844
Contrast judaism and hinduism in settling in Aus:
Hinduism was harder to practice (no public place to practice till after 1945) and did it in their homes whereas Judaism was able to practice easier with places of worship established across all states in 1900
Sectarianism definition
Sectarianism refers to the rivalry or division of religious lines.
affects of sectarianism
discrimination, persecution and violence.
Factors that contribute to sectarianism
social and political reasons as well as religious reasons.
Danniel Mannix
Daniel Mannix was a major influencer for sectarianism in Australia. He had strong disapproval for violence and that perpetrated by Catholics. He remained against conscription in WW1. He was a catholic priest.
Catholics and protestants interactions
Catholics and protestants would refuse to interact. This meant social events and other possibilities like mixed marriage were off the table.
Protestant reformation:
Firstly, the Protestant reformation of the 16th century had left a great deal of bitterness between the Catholics and Protestants.
Rivalry and mistrust had continued passionately in the centuries that followed.
By the end of the 18th century there was extreme division between Protestants and Catholics in virtually all walks of life.
english occupation of ireland
Secondly, the occupation of Ireland by the English and the oppression of the Irish people maintained the strength of feeling.
The occupation of Ireland was more a political than religious issue, however, religion featured strongly in the respective identities of the English and Irish.
This ensured that sectarianism would be part of the situation.
With the establishment of the colony in NSW, sectarianism continued to be a major issue.
The colony was set up with the Church of England as the established religion.
The Catholics in the colony were a small minority and felt they were harshly treated.
What caused tensions between catholics and protestants? 2 main reasons
protestant reformation and english occupation of ireland
What was happening at the time of arrival?
At the time of the arrival of the first fleet (1788) there was considerable rivalry and bitterness between the Church of England and Catholics in England and Ireland.
sedition
Sedition: conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch
forced service
It was expected that everybody attended Sunday worship in the form of the Church of England.
Catholics were not allowed to worship their own religion, and for the first 30 years of the colony they were not permitted to have a priest.
The English enforced this due to the fear of a catholic uprising and sedition
bussiness/ employement
Most businesses were owned and run by people of Protestant background and many of these employers held deep feelings of mistrust towards Catholics.
Notices regarding available jobs stated: “Catholics need not apply”.
Public services is where discrimination did not occur, meaning Catholics overrepresented this Job sector
education
Catholics were determined to establish Catholic schools for their children.
Government decisions made it extremely difficult to maintain these schools.
Catholics saw the schools as a kind of symbol of their freedom and went to great lengths to ensure their continuation.
Christian denominations and rural and outback communities
Christian denominations recognise that rural and outback communities are placed at a distinct disadvantage
·
why were rural and outback communites disadvantaged?
This is due to lack of access to services available in the urban centres e.g. churches, services and priests
Bush brothewrhood
Bush Brotherhoods in 1897. Dawes and his group of preachers travelled around on horseback providing ministry to those living in the rural and remote ahead. They are still actively serving in rural outback Australian communities.
Lutherans:
Due to German churches understanding of the harsh living conditions in rural communities and lack of significant religious relevance, German Lutherans were encouraged to travel to outback places such as Australia. “Hermannsburg” (1866-1874) was central in the growth of Christian activity and community. They focused on education, providing healthcare, shelter and a sense of history in the aboriginal community.
Presbyterian (The Royal Flying Doctor Service):
founded RFDS in the 1920’s by John Flynn. It was the world’s first flying doctor service and aided the medical needs of rural Australians. They offered service and support such as transporting GP’s and nurses. They embody Christian ethos such as service, endurance and finally the strong belief in a dignified life for all people.
education for the needy
Christian groups in Australia have traditionally sought to assist the disadvantaged as this is a central part of the Christian ethos
Mary MAckillop
In 1866 Mary Mackillop and Father Julian Tennyson Woods founded the order of St Joseph to teach the children of the poor. After the introduction of the Public instructions Act in 1880, the Catholic education system survived largely due of the dedication of those in religious orders
Assistance to marginalised
In 1888, Mother Esther established the first Church of England religious order to work for poor women and prostitutes
Assistance to migrants
Migrants to Australia have always been among the most vulnerable and needy members of the community. It was in response to needs in this area that Caroline Chisholm undertook her now famous work.
Caroline Chisholm
It was in response to needs in assistance to migrants that Caroline Chisholm undertook her now famous work. Arriving in Australia in 1838
® Particularly young girls who were literally dumped on the docks with no means of supporting themselves
® Chisholm was able to find secure employment as well as shelter and protection for hundreds of female migrants
® She returned to England in 1846 and assisted families migrating to Australia
Great depression:
Whilst Christian groups have traditionally sought to provide and relief for the needy the events of the Great depression in 1930’s alerted church groups to the structural changes were required in the way the state provided social welfare
® This revealed that poverty aid was insufficient
® Introduces unemployment benefits
education
A critical issue for all religious groups who felt disadvantaged in the colony due to sectarianism
Keen to set up an education system which allowed them to maintain their Christian values
development of school example (woman)
Mary Mackillop (established sisters of St Joseph) = taught disadvantaged children – by 1870 there were 20 schools, orphanages and children refuges run by the sisters of St Joseph
development of school example (man)
Father John Therry established two catholic schools: Parramatta in 1821 and Sydney in 1822
He worked to gain the rights for catholic institutions and challenged the government for paying money to support the church of England schools and churches
education leguslation
Government didn’t provide education in colonies became role of the churches
Churches battled with the government for financial support
Legislation provided free, compulsory, secular education for all children
Acts names (education)
Schools Estate Cooperation Charter (1825)
The Church Act (1836)
1880 Public Instruction Act
what year was the public instruction act
1880
Public Instruction Act
1880 provided scripture lesson, compulsory attendance and reduction of fees
What year was the church act
1836
what year was the schools estate cooperation charter
1825
Schools Estate Cooperation Charter
(1825) gave one seventh of all land in the colony to the Church of England and its schools
The Church Act
(1836) provided pound for pound funding for the four Christian churches in NSW to support clergy and education Catholics gained money for educational uses
public morality definition
refers to moral and ethical standards enforced in a society. Enforced by either law enforcement or social pressures
sexual morality
Christians were against divorce breaking vows and eternal bond
Opposition towards homosexuality
Laws were inflicted on convicts
If they weren’t followed you would be publicly humiliated
types of morality
sexual morality, temperance movement, sabbantarianism and gambling
Temperance Movement
reduce alcohol consumption
Movement called upon men to abstain from alcohol
Women were used to convince male figures to take the pledge as they were most frequently victims of alcohol related problems
Despite the movement, legislation to prohibit the selling of liquor in Australia was not achieved
Morality attempts resulted in….
These attempts at social control ultimately led to gradual lessening of religious influence on society resulted in more secular society.
Sabbatarianism
advocating observance of Sabbath
Everyone was required to attend church services
Intention was to improve the behaviour and morality of convicts
Created uproar between denominations as they were forced to worship a religion that was not theirs
Enhanced sectarianism in society
Gambling
Christianity was influential in the banning of gambling in early Australian society because profit by methods other than honest labour was denounced by most Christian denominations
Catholic Church didn’t hold any moral objections, providing it was not excessive
