The place of religion in contemporary Australian society? evidence?
or:The place of religion in contemporary Australian society? evidence?or:The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that 1 out of 5 Australians clai
or:The place of religion in contemporary Australian society? evidence?
or:The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that 1 out of 5 Australians claims no affiliation with a religion. Even \u201creligious affiliation is not the same as actively participating in religious activities,\u201d says the report. Only 15\u00a0percent of men and 22\u00a0percent of women with religious affiliations profess that they actively participate in a religious or spiritual group.The most rapid growth of followers is not among the mainline churches or even among the energetic evangelical groups. Rather, the 1986 census revealed accelerating growth in the number who stated positively that they had no religion or who left unanswered the question about religion. The census indicated that nearly 25\u00a0percent of the Australian people are in this category, or nearly double the percentage of 20 years ago. But Dr.\u00a0G. Bailey, a university professor of religion, told The Weekend Australian, a Sydney newspaper, that such people nevertheless do have a \u201csurrogate religion.\u201d He referred to a materialistic world view, \u201cwith its emphasis on greed and enterprise and its implicit goal of salvation through material possessions and material security.\u201dPolls indicate that nearly 50\u00a0percent of the population say they are not religious. Another 10\u00a0percent claim to be \u201cconvinced atheists.\u201d In 2010, a clergyman lamented that \u201cthe last 40 years or so\u201d has seen a \u201cwholesale abandonment of the Christian faithFor more information on this subject and others, please go to www.jw.org \"online Library\" search box. Also for free downloads, publications or read online.
