Some see the Australian community beyond the churches as a spiritual marketplace brimming with fresh approaches
to spirituality. Others see it as a barren land laid waste by the forces of secularisation.
Going Deeper
Religious Identification: The 2001 Census shows that many more
Australians identify with religious organisations than attend church.
Spiritual beliefs and practices: Find out what Australians say about
Christian beliefs as well as alternative expressions of spirituality.
Attitudes to the churches: Australians are more indifferent than hostile
to the churches.
Non-Christian religions: Some 5% identify with non-Christian
religions.
On This Page
Fast Facts
- Two-thirds of Australians claim that a spiritual life is important to them and 33% pray or meditate at least
weekly. (ACS)
- Most Australians believe in God or a spirit, higher power or life-force (74%) and around 40% accept conventional
Christian beliefs such as life after death, the resurrection and divinity of Jesus (ACS)
- Most Australians have some contact with the churches (70% in previous 12 months) and see them as having a wider
role, primarily as moral guardians, but also to provide public worship and a range of social services. (ACS)
Defining spirituality
The term 'spirituality' is French Catholic in origin and did not fully develop as a concept until the 18th Century.
Giving an exact definition for the term becomes difficult. Used by the Church at many stages and in varying ways to
attempt to define, explain, and outline the entire relationship between a person and God a precise definition becomes
impossible. Contemporary usage in wider society complicates a definition further with the concept leaving its
Christian roots behind and coming to mean any aspect of humanities connection to something other than itself. This
includes deism (natural revelation), and theism (revealed revelation), yet also expands to include even other human
relationships. Spirituality in its broadest sense is the evidence of, or attempt to explain, human transcendence.
Some have sought to argue that religion refers to an institutional dimension whereas spirituality is to do with more
subjective personal perspectives (Hill and Pargament 2003, 64). Such distinctions are often used to paint religion in
a negative light in contrast with more 'enlightened' contemporary spirituality. Of course, there can be both helpful
and unhelpful religions and spiritualities. Religion can also be intensely personal (eg Wuthnow 1998) just as some
contemporary spiritualities can form part of large international business complexes. Further, in practice, many
experience spirituality in a religious context and do not draw such distinctions (Marler and Hadaway, 2002).
Hill, P.C., & Pargament, K.I., (2003). Advances in the conceptualisation and measurement of religion and
spirituality: Implications for physical and mental health. American Psychologist, 58 (1), 64-74.
Marler, P.L., & Hadaway, C.K., (2002). "Being religious" or "being spiritual" in America: A zero-sum proposition?
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41, 289-300.
Wuthnow, R. (1998). After heaven: Spirituality in America since the 1950s. Berkeley: University of California
Press.
How ‘Christian’ are Australians
How 'Christian' are Australians? How much confidence do they have in the churches and what do they see as the role
of churches in our multi-faith society?
Seven out of ten Australians identify with one of the Christian churches.
Most Australians believe in God or a spirit, higher power or life-force (74%) and around 40% accept conventional
Christian beliefs such as life after death, the resurrection and divinity of Jesus.
Most Australians have some contact with the churches and see them as having a wider role, primarily as moral
guardians, but also to provide public worship and a range of social services. There is no doubt that there have been
changes in the place of Christian churches in the past few decades, yet they remain a significant part of the
Australian landscape.
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