Religion losing its allure

Nimitz · Guest Local time: 6:50 PM

http://www.news.com.aul

ACCORDING to the census, religion in Australia is on the decline.

By Roger Coombs

July 03, 2007 12:00

Since 2001, the number of people saying they have no religious conviction has risen from 2.9 million, or 15.5 per cent of the population to 3.7 million, or 19 per cent.

So, over a period during which the total population has grown by just under a million, the number of non-believers has risen by 800,000. Which means the percentage increase of non-believers is close to 30 per cent.

Conversely, the percentage affirming commitment to some form of Christianity has hardly fallen – from 54 per cent to 53.2.

In numerical terms, the overall number of Christians has declined from 10,768,000 to 10,577,000 – hardly cause for the bishops to sweat.

However, when the population is increasing, it's difficult to deny the emergence of a trend towards decline – and if the trend were to continue, as it has over the past three census periods, Christians will a minority very soon.

Those who fear that as Christianity declines, other religions will gain new adherents need not do so.

In the past five years, the percentage of Australians claiming belief in "other" religions – Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and so on – has also slipped – from 30.5 per cent to 28.1 per cent.

So, however you cut it, there are fewer of us, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, who believe in some form of religion than there were in 2001.

There may be some who will question the reliability of the ABS information, but whether we like the data or not, the bureau is the most reliable and statistically trustworthy guide to social trends we have.

So it seems beyond dispute that, rather than cleaving to "new" religions offering new alleged truths and insights and rather than falling back on the age-old shibboleths of "traditional" Abrahamic religions, increasing numbers of Australians are rejecting religion altogether.

And in Australia, that's our legitimate entitlement.

We're allowed not to believe – just as we are allowed to believe in God, in reincarnation, or in the Great Rainbow Serpent if we so desire.

What we are not allowed to do in a pluralist and officially tolerant society such as ours is to force our beliefs or convictions upon others.

Without being specific, there are some sects of some religions which go to great lengths to force people into compliance with restrictive codes and edicts – and there are followers of such sects in this country.

Let's hope the trend away from destructive belief systems is gathering strength.

If that trend were to be accompanied by a rise in the rational philosophy of scientific reason and a swing away from the idea of religion in general as a source of truth and understanding, some would argue such a trend would be a move in the world's best interests.
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Check out the comments to this article on the webpage.

Tormentor · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 2:33 am Post subject:

Let's just hope that there is not an incline in ignorant atheists either. You know the ones I'm talking about too. These I R ATHEIST CUZ I NO U AINT GOT GOD LOL.

I'd wait a few decades and see what the west does as a whole before i made any conclusions though.

Terrordar · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 4:27 am Post subject:

I'm hoping the west doesn't trade one retarded system of thought (Christianity) for another (Islam)

Though these numbers are encouraging for Aussie land.
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Forces of Chaos... BOW to me...

Paranoia21 · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 12:40 pm Post subject:

Gerard's in Australia, eh? Lucky son-of-a-bitch...
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VERITAS OMNIA VINCIT
Keep YOUR religion in YOUR churches and YOUR homes and out of OUR government.

Sal1981 · Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 6:55 pm Post subject:

Scandinavian countries average 15% atheistic in Denmark and 43% in Denmark don't believe in a god (2003). 10% in Norway and 48% don't believe in a god (2003). In Sweden 8% are atheistic (1947).

Apart from Sweden (too old), I think these numbers are skewered, I think that a bit less than half of the population in each Scandinavian country is atheistic in practice, even though they don't call themselves that.

All numbers from http://www.adherents.com
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"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool" --- Richard P. Feynman

"Why not just make your null hypothesis be that..." - Philosophos

Acorn · Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2007 5:53 pm Post subject:

Doesn't Australia have that religion where people actually belive in stuff from Star Wars, like the force and whatnot?

I did once take a nice trip down there and I can't recall it being very religious. Odd.
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"If God doesn't like the way I live, let him tell me, not you."-Anonymous

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Nimitz · Guest Local time: 6:50 PM

The force. The force. You speak of the force!

"Jedi" is the answer you're looking for. And there by hangs a tale. Laughing

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