religious expression in Australia - 1945 to the present Flashcards
2021 most common religions
- christianity (43.9%)
- no religion (38.9%)
- islam (3.2%)
yezidi
highest growing religion from 2016 to 2021
christianity in australia
- Christianity was the controlling factor in the underlying community ethics, provision of government services and development of laws.
- After 1945, there was a complete transformation in Australia’s immigration policy, but Christian adherents still remained dominant (88%).
1967 immigration (first migration agreement with….)
First migration agreement with a non-European country: Turkey – increased Muslim adherents.
white australia policy
WAP – abandoned in 1973 – new policy of multiculturalism.
vietnam war immigration
(ended in 1975) – tens of thousands of refugees fleeing from Indochina. - Australia accepted about 120,000, many whom arrived by boat. Buddhists, Catholics + Protestants.
2008/9 immigration
Large abundance of refugees from Iraq (Iraq war?). Majority of these refugees can from:
- Middle East/South-west Asia (mainly Muslim/some Christian)
- Africa (Muslim/Christian)
- Asia and the Pacific (Hindu/Buddhist)
reasoning for denominational switching
Accountability to one church has diminished
growing anonymity and individualisation in our lives.
- Right to choose what is best for the individual
who is most likely to switch denominations
- People with active “strong” Christian faith
people under 40
monism
the belief that there is a single force or being which lies behind all creation
new age religions
- Connect with nature, or this life-force, in a spiritual way.
- Belief in the potential of the human being
- Self-improvement + self-fulfilment
- The number of people in the broad category of New Age increased by 70% between 1996 and 2016.
- Difference between new age religions and traditional religions = individual rather than communal pursuit.
- New Age Practices: Meditation, Astrology, Divination, Crystals, Channelling
monotheism
all that exists is derived from a single source of divine energy
pantheism
all that exists is God; God is to be found within the self and the universe
reincarnation
after death we are reborn and live another life as a different human in a cycle of repetition
karma
the good and bad deeds we do throughout our lives accumulate so that we are either rewarded or punished
secularism
Secularism is the belief that religion should be separate from the state.
2016 census : secularism
- 3.7 million (18.7%) answered ‘no religion’,
- 2.2 million (11.2%) did not respond to religion question
reasons for secularism
- Perception of church as boring/unfulfilling / Disagreeing with the church’s beliefs
- Not having a need to go to church / Not having strong beliefs
- No societal obligation to follow a religion / Increased concept of individuality and
personal ideas ‘The Spirit of Generation Y’ (released in 2016, 3 year study) - Found that only 48% of those born 1976 – 1990 believed in the existence of a god
- 20% did not believe and 32% were uncertain.
NCAA (national councils of churches Australia)
1994 – official with the inclusion of the Catholic Church) is an umbrella ecumenical organisation bringing many of Australia’s Christian churches together in dialogue and practical cooperation.
- NCCA consists of 17 member churches, six of them orthodox churches. It is linked to the World Council of Churches as well as the various state ecumenical councils.
- Considerable impact on ecumenism in Australia, and
- provides opportunities for Christian churches to work and share together in a wide range of theological and practical ways to
- express and promote their common faith and to address social and political issues together.
NSW ecumenical council
a fellowship of 17 churches. Its aims are to maintain the ‘unity of spirit’, to share a commitment to the Christian gospel and to proclaim it in unity, and to serve the world in ways implied by the gospel.
- Ecumenism – the aim of promoting unity among Christian churches.
- It aims to further Christian unity by enabling member churches to address causes of division, and to pray and worship together
- It promotes theological resources to explore unity and understanding among churches.
interfaith dialogue definition
the move to greater cooperation and harmony between people of different religious traditions.
purpose of interfaith dialogue
- Interfaith dialogue provides opportunity for people of different faiths to understand each other’s beliefs and cooperate in areas where there is common ground.
- E.g.: Councils of Christians and Jews have been operating in NSW and Victoria since the 1980s
- Interfaith dialogue has enabled religions to work together in times of hardship:
- After the Port Arthur Shooting Tragedy in 1996, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims held services and performed rites as part of the healing process.
- The growing importance of interfaith dialogue is evident from the increasing role that the government is doing in promoting it
purpose of interfaith dialogue
- Interfaith dialogue provides opportunity for people of different faiths to understand each other’s beliefs and cooperate in areas where there is common ground.
- E.g.: Councils of Christians and Jews have been operating in NSW and Victoria since the 1980s
- Interfaith dialogue has enabled religions to work together in times of hardship:
- After the Port Arthur Shooting Tragedy in 1996, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims held services and performed rites as part of the healing process.
- The growing importance of interfaith dialogue is evident from the increasing role that the government is doing in promoting it
reconciliation definition
the restoration of friendly relations and striving to make one view/action compatible with another.
