Religion and Belief Systems in Australia Post 1945

RELIGION AND BELIEF SYSTEMS IN AUSTRALIA POST-1945 Contemporary Aboriginal Spiritualities

 Discuss how Aboriginal spirituality is determined by the dreaming (kinship, ceremonial life, obligations to land and the people)  

The Dreaming is the foundation of Aboriginal spirituality, providing a basis upon which kinship systems, traditions, rituals and ceremonies are built. Aboriginal deities fall into three main categories based on their primary role: o Creation Beings  Involved with the creation of people, the landscape and aspects of the environments o Ancestral Beings  Are regarded as the direct ancestors of the people living today  They taught the first people how to make tools, weapons, how to hunt, the laws and the correct way to conduct ceremonies o Totemic Beings  Represents the original form of an animal, plant or other object (totem) as it was in the Creation period  Each society is split into two groups called moieties  the moieties are further subdivided based on totemic beings

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Kinship: o is a complex system of belonging and responsibility within a clan based on familial and totem relations that govern daily Aboriginal life by determining clan issues. o The dreaming has in itself prescribed the peoples kinship ties and permeates throughout the system by:  assigning responsibilities to transmit knowledge of the dreaming from elders to younger generations  providing the basis on which aboriginal society is structured on; maintained since the beginning of the Dreaming  defining spiritual and temporal identity to the aboriginal people o Kinship is also expressed through Totems which identify one’s kinship line and provide the individual with a direct link to sacred matters.

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Ceremonial life: o The complex and spiritual core of the Dreaming and Dreaming stories for each group is recognised in ceremonial life.. o Rituals heighten the presence of the Dreaming:  Link the present world to the Dreamtime o Art is used to communicate the dreaming:  By providing maps of the land; clans, sacred sites, waterholes etc.  Used to pass on sacred knowledge o Stories describe the Aboriginal law and lifestyle:  Describe how ancestral beings move through land creating nature  Provide foundation for Aboriginal existence by explaining creation and sharing how dreaming shapes daily life  Used as a form of oral history o Totems represent individual as they existed in the dreaming:  Form of animal, plant or natural phenomena  Links individual and ancestor spirit  Totems carry ceremonial responsibilities (balance rights)

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Obligations to land and a people: o Land is of great importance because:  Aboriginals believe that people were created from the earth which has existed since the beginning of time and that it is therefore the sacred motherland o Dreaming is inextricably connected to the land because:  The land is the context of the Dreaming stories, a constant around which their spiritual world revolved.  Land provides the foundation for Aboriginal beliefs, traditions, rituals and laws o Ancestral beings dwell in the land and therefore:  The people have a responsibility to keep and respect the land

Jananee Sundarakumar | Studies of Religion I | Australian Religion Post 1945 |HSC Course

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E.g. If travelling, the aboriginal people must be careful not to enter the sacred spaces of other clans. This shows the interconnection that exists between obligation to the land and a people.

 Discuss the continuing effect of dispossession on Aboriginal spiritualities in relation to: separation from the land, separation from kinship groups and the Stolen Generations 

Separation from the land: o Interfered with rituals and ceremonies which followed Dreaming tracks (paths that follow the Spirit Ancestors as they created the landscape) that provided the people with a physical connection to the Dreaming. o Out of context the ritual/ceremony is meaningless and the people become misplaced spiritually and psychologically with no home and no stable base of life. o The land is the context of the Dreaming stories, a constant around which their spiritual world revolved. Removal from this land would then be likely to cause a severe disruption to the normal pattern and processes for handling traditions o Physical presence in the country was important to the people in keeping the lore alive and passing it on.

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Separation from kinship groups: o Kinship groups are vital in the Aboriginal culture in that they tie clans and families together, allocating roles and responsibilities within a community. o Separation from kinship groups, working systems, then meant that the aboriginal society lost its point of fixture. o When the kinship system is destroyed it members suffer from psychological distress where the individual has suffered a loss of identify this extends to the breaking up of communities and loss of spirituality

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The Stolen Generation: o Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from homes by government officials to be placed in missions or reserves between the 1900 and 1970’s as well as being adopted or fostered into white families. o Separation from elders: no generation to pass knowledge, language and traditions to. This results in a loss of identity and caused Aboriginal culture to deteriorate o The generation who were unable to be a part of the Aboriginal community could not therefore pass on the knowledge to their children. o Kinship ties were broken resulting in a loss of identity where the young indigenous generation is lost inbetween two opposing cultures in a struggle to find balance (see above)

Outline the importance of the following for the Land Rights movement: Native Title, Mabo and Wik 

The Land Rights Movement and the Dreaming: o A series of government decisions in response to land claims which explored the right of Aboriginal peoples who had maintained continual contact with their traditional lands for hundreds of years before settlement o Both a religious and political movement o Aimed to secure the inherent rights of Aboriginal peoples to their land so that their religious and cultural integrity is preserved.

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Native Title: o Native Title is the communal or individual rights or interests of Aboriginals in relation to traditional land and water o (1993): The Native Title Act validated the existence of non-Indigenous interest in land such as freehold leases and other grants and licenses. It accepted that Indigenous peoples who had continuing interest in the land had rights to the land. Where both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people had interest in the land, the Act provided an appropriate forum for dealing with this. o In order to claim Native Title, must meet 2 prerequisites  Land must not be owned by anyone else  This included governments and individuals  Aboriginal people must show a traditional and ongoing connection with the land since 1788  This was very hard to prove without legal papers and contracts o Very small portion and percentage of Australian land is owned by Aboriginal people through Native Title because:  Most land is already owned by other people or institutions


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 Insufficient proof could be provided Mabo: o This case was initiated by five indigenous plaintiffs, led by Eddie Mabo, from the Murray Islands in the Torres Strait – the Meriam People suing for land claims. o June (1992), High Court of Australia ruled in favour of Eddie Mabo: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders had a continuous link with the land and continued to practice laws and customs associated with the land before British colonization. o Overthrew the legal fiction terra nullius, acknowledging that Australia was occupied by Aboriginal people in 1788 when British settlement took place. o Claimed ownership of land under the ‘Native Title Act’ which existed since 1788, Mabo raised awareness of its existence and this was a step to the passing of the Native Title Act 1993 Wik: o o

The Wik case concerned land that was subject to pastoral leases. (1996) The High Court of Australia decided that native title rights could co-exist with the rights of pastoralists. But when pastoralists and Aboriginal rights were in conflict, the pastoralists’ rights would prevail.

 Analyse the importance of the Dreaming for the Land Rights movement  

Land is at the heart of the Dreaming and all relationships within Aboriginal communities are determined through relationships with the land. The declaration of terra nullius made by the white settlers denied foundational principles of the Aboriginal belief systems o Aboriginal spirituality is founded on the people’s inextricable connection to the land. They are part of the land and the land is part of their being o Daily life, Rituals and Ceremonies reflect and revolve around the land and are dependent upon it to be whole, without it these practices cannot be observed Religious Expression in Australia- 1945 to the present

 Outline the changing patterns of religious adherence from 1945 to the present using census data 

Christianity: o Church of England (Anglican) decreased from 39% of population in 1947 to 18% in 2006 o Catholicism has risen from 20% in 1947 to 25% in 2006 o Christianity has decreased, yet remains most popular religion in Australia (64% Christian) o Traditional Churches (Presbyterian, Congregational, Methodist) experienced downturn losing 15% since 1996 o Newer Pentecostal Church had 25% increase since 1996 but also the largest numbers of switchers in and out of the faith o Baptist, Catholic, Orthodox Churches had significant increases of up to 8% since 1996

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Other Religions: o Other Religions increased from 0.5% of population in 1947 to 5.6% in 2006 o Large, rapid growth in other mainstream religions  Buddhism (2.1%)  Hinduism (0.7%)  Islam (1.7%)  Judaism (0.4%) o Hinduism grew fastest, closely followed by Buddhism and Islam and lastly, Judaism o Traditional Aboriginal religion decreased losing 30% of practitioners between 1996 and 2001

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No religion: o In 1947, 0.3% of the population identified themselves as having no religion, lasting until 1971 when it rose to 6.7% suddenly o Today, 26% of population identify themselves as having no religion o ‘Not stated/ inadequately described’ 11.1% in 1947 stayed nearly the same at 11.7% in 1996, and today, 11.2% despite population doubling since 1947


 Account for the present religious landscape in Australia in relation to: Christianity as the major religious tradition, immigration, denominational switching, rise of new age religions and secularism (use assignment task 1) 

Immigration o Post-War Immigration:  Number of people fleeing destroyed countries and immigrating to Australia after WW2 changed the Christian face of Australia  Assisted Passage Scheme implemented to encourage British migration to Australia to increase population, and was then spread to other Eastern European countries  Increased Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox  More communities, churches, schools and other social fixtures had to be built for the increase of new religious adherents  After WW2, Jewish population began to increase o 1970s and Vietnam War:  Prior to the 1970s, the main religious adherents were Christian  Abolition of White Australia policy in 1973 saw Australia become a multicultural society who accepted many different religious adherents  Vietnam War displaced more than 2 million Indo-Chinese people, 120000 came to Australia for refuge  Large increase in Buddhism and Hinduism (Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand)  Increase in Roman Catholics

Describe the impact of Christian ecumenical movements in Australia (The National Council of Churches, NSW Ecumenical Council) 

The National Council of Churches (NCCA): o Ecumenical organisation bringing together a number of Australian churches in dialogue and practical cooperation o Originally, the movement was for Christian unity within Australia between Anglican and Protestant churches only o Today 15 different church variants apart of NCCA o More conservative denominations such as Baptists and Pentecostal churches have failed to join NCCA due to reluctance to accept validity of ecumenical dialogue with churches possessing doctrines at different with their own

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Impact of NCCA: o Helped create positive relationships throughout many Eastern and Western churches so there is no conflict or tensions between Christian denominations o NCCA works on many charity project to help bring various denominations together for a cause o NCCA sponsors National Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC)  Represents Indigenous Australians from Christian faiths  Aims to support indigenous issues, reconciliation and education whilst helping sustain Aboriginal spirituality and theology o Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV)- developing interfaith relationships for faiths to live in harmony together  NCCA is a founding member partner in Australian national dialogue between Christians, Muslims and the Jewish

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NSW Ecumenical Council: o Established in 1946 to be the instrument through which its member churches celebrate and manifest their unity to understand each other’s faith o Affiliated with NCCA o Today possesses 16 member churches, but, like NCCA conservative churches have refused to join o Sponsors a variety of social and charitable initiatives overlapped by the NCCA o Social Justice Program:  Through its social justice program, the NSW Ecumenical Council also seeks to address issues of justice and equity for all people.


Evaluate the importance of interfaith dialogue in multifaith Australia 

Australia is a multicultural, multifaith society which can lead to many misunderstandings belief, particularly throughout religious faiths

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The role of Interfaith Dialogue: o It is when representatives from different religious traditions meet together peacefully to talk and exchange information about their respective faiths and clear up misunderstandings o Not about debate or attempts to convert o One example was the Australian National Dialogue of Christians, Muslims and Jews in 2003 by the NCCA

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International Dialogue: o In December 2004, 14 countries with ten interfaith delegates met in Indonesia for the purpose of friendly dialogue. o Was initiated by Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer who stated that religion may well be the key to ‘cracking the global tensions problem’

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Opinions from Religious leaders: o Dr Ameer Ali (President of Australian Federation of Islamic Councils) stated that interfaith dialogue was essential to ‘understand each other’ o Archbishop George Pell 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

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Limitations of Interfaith Dialogue: o Belief that there is a point where important differences cannot be overlooked o Controversy that some people are trying to ‘water-down’ and distort their religious beliefs in a desperate attempt to reconcile between other religions o Many choose not to make an attempt at peace between faiths

 Examine the relationship between Aboriginal spiritualities and religious traditions in the process of Reconciliation 

What is Reconciliation? o Reconciliation is the term given to the (long) process whereby ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) people and non-ATSI people can move into the future with a new relationship based on mutual recognition, understanding and respect o Mistakes of the past such as dispossession of land and the stolen generation must be acknowledged and dealt with for harmony to exist o Reconciliation therefore included issues such as Land Rights, Native Title as well as initiatives designed to help psychological trauma of ATSI people thereby healing ATSI spirituality o Began with the 1967 referendum allowing ATSI people the right to vote

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Catholic Church and Reconciliation: o Since Pope John Paul II visited Alice Springs in 1986, the Catholic Church has made many positive moves toward Reconciliation  Catholic Bishops Conference Australia established a commission concerned with relations between the church and Aboriginal Communities  National Reconciliation Week sees a week of Catholic Initiatives promoting reconciliation particularly regarding Aboriginal health o Pope Benedict’s recent address to Australia, encouraging ongoing help for ATSI people

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Anglican Church/ Uniting Church and Reconciliation: o Anglican church provides funding to National Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC) o Anglicare Australia and the Anglican Board of Missionaries formed the Anglican Reconciliation Working Group which provides accommodation, health care, family support for ATSI communities o Uniting Church National Assembly made formal apology to ATSI people to policies of the past and made a pledge for a better future

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The NCCA and Reconciliation:


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NCCA acknowledged that many of its member churches played a part in the stolen generations Issued a public statement on the ‘Bringing Them Home’ report making recommendations in support of Reconciliation

The Week of Prayer for Reconciliation: o Week of Prayer for Reconciliation began in 1993 with the express goal of providing interfaith week of prayer, thought and reflection with the common goal of reconciliation o Includes all faiths, including Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism o Is done to ‘devote time to prayer, thought and reflection on the soul of a nation and the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians’


Religion and Belief Systems in Australia Post 1945

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