Influence On Religion In Australia

Ecumenism, in the sense of Australian Christianity, is the religious initiative towards unity within the Christian church. It is the promotion of co-operation and improved understanding between distinct religious groups or denominations within Christianity and other religions.

The religious education system in Australian Catholic Schools has endured many significant changes since the Second Vatican Council.

Australia’s three most common non-Christian religious affiliations were Buddhism (2.1% of the population), Islam (1.7%) and Hinduism (0.7%). Of these groups, Hinduism experienced the fastest

The first Catholics to come along to Australia, were amongst the first convicts to step foot on the shores of Port Jackson in Sydney. These Catholics were Irish in origin, and brought Catholicism to Australia, although Anglican Ministers were trying to stop the spread of Catholicism in Great Britain and her colonies. Most of the Irish who came here came here because of the British persecution of Irish Nationalists.

Christianity is the major religious tradition today and has been since around 1945. Many of the British who first came to Australia, either as convicts or free settlers were Christians. They formed the huge base for Christianity to rise to the top religion in Australia before they began to let more immigrants enter. In the 1947 census, 88% of the population (not including Aboriginals because they were not considered in the census) stated they were Christian. The remaining 12% was mostly people who didn’t respond to the question. Today not much has changed the percentage of Christians has slightly decreased because of a rise in new religions. In the census of 2011 it is seen that out of 21.5 million people just under half, 42% classed themselves as Christian and around 8% said they were of a different religion. The number of people who said they had no religion was hugely increased at around 25%per cent. Today, even with the growing amount of Islam Buddhism and Hinduism, Christianity still remains the major religious tradition.

The practises, beliefs and values of Christianity and Islam have an impact on Australia society; however, the media exploits the perceived tension between the two groups which has led to discrimination and violence. Over many years the way of which an individual lives their life has been shown to be affected by the religion of which they follow. This affects the way of life throughout the community surrounding these people, as well as having an impact on the social issues throughout this particular community. Christianity has a huge impact throughout Australia, this includes through schools, dress codes, the way of which people live in their day to day lives. Christianity has always been a highly popular religion throughout Australia as

Presented with the task of assessing someone’s faith development required the answers to three essential questions. How has social learning played a part in the individual’s religious development? How has attachment played a part in the individual’s religious development? Upon answering these questions we must then evaluate the stages of faith development in which the individual is in according to James Fowler and David Elkind. After thorough evaluation has occurred the question pertaining to the role of doubt can then be answered. With these questions in mind, the theory that religious beliefs and adherence to spiritual faith are ultimately tested and proved during adolescence was the driving thought throughout the process of interviewing

Catholic remains steady due to immigration, however Eastern orthodox members are rising due to immigration and it is these churches that have a young profile. Immigration has changed Australia into a multi-faith society; it is the most significant reason for the increase in diversity of the religious character in

Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia (2013). Living the Vision 2013 – 2016. Retrieved from

Donahue, M. J. & Benson, P. L. (1995). “Religion and the Well-being of Adolescents” in

Religion and spirituality reach into the depths of the human psyche and strongly influence a nation’s way of life.

Educators need to understand the impact of religion on the lives of their students. According to Gallup poll data, nearly 95% of teens believe in God and 86% believe that Jesus Christ is either God or the Son of God (Gallup & Lindsay, 1999 as cited in Ream, 2003). These and other similar statistics demonstrate the importance of considering religion when dealing with young people. Ream

Trends are extremely predominant in today’s society; they engulf almost every aspect of our daily lives. Whether we notice it or not, trends affect the majority of our choices from the clothing we wear, the food we eat, the music we listen to and even the way we speak. Trends among teenagers in today’s society are part of a never-ending spinning cycle. Trends come, they rein for a usually short period of time and then they fade away; being replaced by the next rising fad. One aspect of our lives that trends have not yet affected however is our choice of religion. Although the choice of preferred religion differs from person to person, religion is not something that typically changes among one person. A person’s religion is generally their

Religion, as defined by the High Court of Australia, is ‘a complex of beliefs and practices which point to a set of values and an understanding of the meaning of existence’ (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005) and can be studied either substantively or functionally (Berger 1974:126). Substantive studies of religion fall predominantly in the realm of theology and are more concerned with defining religious beliefs; their historical accuracy; and the existence of supernatural entities (Holmes, Hughes & Julian 2007:425). Sociology however, concerns itself primarily with the relationship between religion and society, examining religion as a social construction (Van Krieken et al. 2010:350-1) and concerned only with the substance of

The sociology of the religion has been seen to be undergoing a period of change, or a paradigm shift. Are the American kids growing up to have a different religious inclination than the kids a generation or two ago? Religious inclination can include acknowledgement of belonging to a certain religion, performing religious practices, attending the religious ceremonies and services, spirituality, religious donations and charities, and approving of religious organizations (Pargament, 1997). Although the religious affiliation for all is an important factor to be considered, the affiliation among the adolescents particularly takes away a significant share of importance. Religious affiliation among kids is believed to bring about a number of positive outcomes including better physical health, less drug abuse, better social conditioning and functioning, and fewer risk related behaviors. The kids who are more religiously inclined are also believed to have less signs of anxiety and depression and display a strong character (Markstorm, 1999). However, if not handled properly, religion can also drive in the feelings