1228638662 2008 studies of religion notes

8/12/2019 1228638662 2008 Studies of Religion Notes

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Australia Post 1945

Aboriginals

KINSHIP-complex system of belonging and responsibility within a clan based on

familial and totem relations that govern daily Aboriginal life by determining clanissues

Significant because: Assigns responsibility to transmit knowledge of the

dreaming from elders to younger generations

OBLIGATIONS TO LAND AND PEOPLE

Land is of great importance because:

- Aboriginals regard land as mother and work to deepen appreciation

and understanding of land

Dreaming is inextricably connected to the land because:- Land is the physical meaning from which dreaming is communicated

- Land provides the foundation for Aboriginal beliefs, traditions, rituals

and laws

Ancestral beings dwell in the land and therefore:

- hese are the identity of the people

- hus, identity of Aboriginal people is connected to the land

CEREMONIAL LIFE

Art- used to communicate the dreaming

- !mportant way of communicating dreaming as it illustrates actions of

ancestral beings in the land

Stories- describe the Aboriginal law and lifestyle

- Describe how ancestral beings move through land creating nature

- "rovide foundation for Aboriginal existence by explaining creation and

sharing how dreaming shapes daily life

- !mportant as a socialisation process as it teaches children right and

wrong

#ituals- found from dreaming, help to relive the actions of ancestor spirits- !mportant as they relieve activities of ancestor spirits

- Ancestors made present through words, movement, people, ob$ects

otems- represent individual as they existed in the dreaming

- %orm of animal, plant or natural phenomena

- Links individual and ancestor spirit

- otems carry ceremonial responsibilities &balance rights'

()g) if your totem was a *angaroo, you have a right to protect

*angaroos and have responsibility over their actions


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SEPARATION FROM KINSHIP GROUPS

+hat happened

hildren taken away from home to assimilate to +hite culture &attitude, habits

ways of life'

.nce /stolen0, didn0t get to live their own traditional Aboriginal culture&rituals, ceremonies, responsibilities never learnt' therefore, Aboriginal culture

died out

+hat is the conse1uence

oday, has led to demoralisation and depression for many Aboriginal people

Stereotyped as la2y, alcoholics, drug users

#esulted in loss of language

Ability to pass on beliefs, rituals, stories in an authentic way was destroyed

#esulted in loss of kinship system

"assing on of dreaming for younger generations was destroyed

STOLEN GENERATION

+hat happened

Aboriginal children removed from homes between 3455-3467 to assimilate

them to be +hite and adapt to +hite culture

half-caste0s generally taken as they were closer to being white, therefore

+hite culture became entrenched much easier'

8uman #ights and (1ual .pportunity ommission &3449' issued the

/ringing them home0 report which told of the horrific conditions Aboriginal

children were forced to face

+hat is the conse1uence

8ad a very destructive effect on Aboriginal identity

Separation from elders prohibited learning traditional languages and

practices therefore, severed ties with dreaming

#emoval from land meant they could no longer fulfil ritual responsibilities

e)g) otems

Protection Policy-&!ssues by +hite Australians'

- #emove Aboriginal children from traditional environments and protect them in safer

hristian missions and reserves

Assiil!tion Policy-&!ssued by +hite Australians'

- reed Aboriginals out of existence by introducing them to +hite culture

L!n" Ri#$ts Mo%eent-!mportant movement in helping Aboriginal people re-

establish spiritual links with land lost as a result of (uropean settlement

Land is the spiritual medium through which dreaming is lived and communication;

therefore, Aboriginal people need it in order to fulfil rituals, ceremonies, and culture)


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NATI&E TITLE-communal or individual rights or interests of Aboriginals in

relation to traditional land and water

Aboriginals claim

Allowed Aboriginal people ownership of traditional land, legally

!n order to claim


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Australia Post 1945

Religious Expression 1945- Present

CHANGING PATTERNS AND CENSUS DATA

hristianity

hurch of (ngland &Anglican' went from B4C of population in 34>6 to 3?C

in 7559

atholicism has risen from 75C in 34>6 to 7C in 7559

hristianity has decreased, yet remains most popular religion in Australia

&9>C hristian'

raditional hurches &"resbyterian, ongregational, ethodist' experienced

downturn losing 3C since 3449


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THE CURRENT RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE

C$risti!nity !s t$e M!(or Reli#ion

Still main religion in Australia &9BC of population' due to historical factors %irst fleet arrival brought ma$ority of Anglican settlers as well as

"resbyterians and ethodists) .nly 35C were atholic

"ost first fleet settlers were predominately Anglican making population

almost exclusively hristian

!mmigration #estriction Act &3453' allowed (uropean immigrants

only, bringing ma$ority of hristian adherents ensuring the

demographic stay the same for at least 5 years

(ffects of igration

After ++3, further migration from (urope encouraged saw more hristianadherents

After ++7, other (uropean nations encouraged to migrate to Australia &i)e)

Freece' brought other hristian denominations to Australia such as (astern

.rthodox &i)e) Freek .rthodox'

+ith the relaxation of the +hite Australia policy in the 3450s and its

abolition in 346B, Australia has seen increasing diversity of faiths, however

most remain ritish and therefore hristian

!nstitutionalisation of hristianity

!nstitutionalisation of hristianity within Australia has made it the

predominant religion in Australia

(arly settlers were hristian and it was these people who enforced law and

government which is based upon hristian ideals

"ublic holidays are based around hristian calendar, (aster and hristmas

hurch schools and universities have increased

hristian haritable foundations such as St @incent de "aul have had

significant impact

+ide range of hristian books, maga2ines, websites further promoting

hristianity throughout Australia

Significant rends

hristianity decreased due to introduction of other mainstream religions due to

migration

Large, traditional hristian churches such as Anglican and Gniting have lost

large members due to ageing population and low birth rate, switching and

movement to /no religion0

Smaller, traditional hristian churches such as "entecost and aptist are

steadily increasing

atholic remains steady due to immigration

(astern .rthodox members are rising due to immigration and it is these

hurches which have a /young0 profile


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Ii#r!tion

"ost-+ar !mmigration B55

8indu0s living in Australia, 3449 there were 3>?555 8indu adherents

Abolition of +hite Australia "olicy saw a rise in multiculturalism within

Australia and a wider acceptance of other religious traditions

!slam in Australia

!slam first introduced to Australia in 3??7 when thousand of camel drivers

from Afghanistan, "akistan and the iddle (ast came to Australia to work on

telegraph lines and railways

!mmigration #estriction Act did not allow them to become citi2ens

%irst ma$or influx of uslims arrived with urkish ypriot uslims fleeing

++7 refugee camps

Significant members started to arrive with Lebanese uslims fleeing civil war

!n 7559, the fastest growing source of refugees was from Sudan

!ra1 war has seen an increase in refugees from Afghanistan and !ra1


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Diverse religion, expanding from 95 different countries of both Sunni and

Shi0a

67C of uslims under the age of B, 7C over the age of 95

uch higher birth rates than general population and over 3EB were born in

Australia so religion is expected to rise

Denoin!tion!l S)itc$in#

Switching from one sector E denominate of a particular hurch to another to

suit lifestyle and feel comfortable and well catered for

ontrasts to historic patterns where families remained with the one

denomination for many generations

Significance of lifetime loyalty to one particular church diminished due to

growing individualism within lives

!ncreased proliferation of finding meaning in life to cater for different tastes

and individualistic lifestyle

hristian hurch Denominational Switching

"ast two decades has seen dramatic swing away from liberal churches to the

more conservative

"entecostal hurch grew by >7C from 34?9-3443

"entecostal hurch grew by 7C from 3449-7559

- .nly a small percentage of those numbers were from people with no

church background

"entecostal hurch has grown in popularity because:

"eople switching here to relive older and more traditional religions

"entecost allows for bored devotees to become excited about religion again

+ho switches and why

"eople under the age of >5 switch as they are less likely to view a lifetime

loyalty to a church as important, whereas people over 95 do

hristians more likely to switch denominations than any other religious faith

as they move to explore and seek stronger hristian faiths, re$ecting light Fod

churches

rends show a sway to more conservative churches throughout the +estern

world due to sense of exclusivity that these churches provide

- Freater demands placed on members and stronger commitmentre1uired e)g) "entecostal church

Switch to conservative churches can also be explained by the fact that Fod

is presented as being closely involved in human life as well as having more

dynamic services on offer

onservative churches aggressively evangelistic with successful

conversion methods

onservative churches have also lost many members out of the hristian faith

all together, with "entecostal churches losing the greatest amount

%amily breakdown and Denominational switching

hildren of divorced parents 9>C more likely to cease identifying with familyfaith than those with non-divorced parents


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%ollowing patterns found:

atholics 7 times more likely to switch to a moderate "rotestant

denomination, 7) times more likely to switch to a conservative "rotestant

denomination

"rotestants twice as likely to switch to atholicism

- .verall, due to the seeking of a stronger religious community

Ne) A#e Reli#ion

Differ from traditional churches as they lack any single unifying creed or

doctrine

5C since

3449

8istory


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Frowing emphasis of autonomy and individualistic lifestyle throughout

society with more obligation on fulfilling and satisfying the needs of self

rather than the community

"eople currently seeking spiritual insight as a reaction to the unsettled and

turbulent nature of the times we live in


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8umanist societies

ilestone for secularism in Australia was the introduction of the Australian

8umanist Society in the 3495s followed by the formation of many 8umanist

groups throughout Australia

ade great impact on secularism in Australiaright to be married by civil celebrant rather than a church clergy became

official in 346B- today 5C of people married by civil celebrant

steady decline in church attendance and clergy recruitment figures

ECUMENICAL MO&EMENT 'ITHIN CHRISTIANIT+

T$e N!tion!l Co*ncil o, C$*rc$es NCCA.

(cumenical organisation bringing together a number of Australian churches in

dialogue and practical cooperation

egan with Australian ommittee for the +orld ouncil of hurches which

developed into Australian ouncil of hurches and then into

.riginally, the movement was for hristian unity within Australia betweenAnglican and "rotestant churches only

3495s, (astern and .riental .rthodox churches $oined

344> after opening of @atican !!, #oman atholic church $oined

oday 3 different church variants apart of


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eca!e to "vercome #iolence $"#%- developing interfaith relationships for

faiths to live in harmony together


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INERFAITH DIAGLOGUE

Inter,!it$ Di!lo#*e in M*lti-,!it$ A*str!li!

Australia is a multicultural society and whilst this is positive, it can lead to

many misunderstandings and clashes in belief, particularly throughout

religious faiths

Australian hristians believe =esus hrist is Fod and the essiah,

Australian =ews believe =esus hrist was a prophet and that calling him Fod is

blasphemous whilst Australian uslims believe =esus hrist was a minor

prophet

lashes in belief have been the result of much blood shed, war and violence

throughout history

he role of !nterfaith Dialogue

!t is when representatives from different religious traditions meet together

peacefully to talk and exchange information about their respective faiths and

clear up misunderstandings


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#eligious leaders

Dr Ameer Ali &"resident of Australian %ederation of !slamic ouncils' stated

that interfaith dialogue was essential to /understand each other0

Archbishop Feorge "ell made a point that interfaith dialogue is something that

needs to be done now while peaceful relationships are still possible before

there is a clash

Limitations of !nterfaith Dialogue

elief that there is a point where important differences cannot be overlooked

ontroversy that some people are trying to /water-down0 and distort their

religious beliefs in a desperate attempt to reconcile between other religions

any believe that a Fod cannot be revitalised to be right for all

ABORIGINAL SPIRITUALITIES AND RECONCILIATION

A/ori#in!l s0irit*!lities1 reli#io*s tr!"itions !n" Reconcili!tion

+hat is #econciliation

#econciliation is the term given to the process whereby AS! people and non-AS! people can move into the future with a new relationship based on mutual

recognition, understanding and respect

istakes of the past such as dispossession of land and the stolen generation

must be acknowledged and dealt with for harmony to exist

#econciliation therefore encompasses issues such as Land #ights,


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Anglican hurch and #econciliation

Anglican hurch expressed its support for #econciliation at the 344? Feneral

Synod and encouraged a number of enterprises designed to facilitate the

process

"rovides funding to


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1228638662 2008 studies of religion notes

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