Curious Christian

Reflections on culture, nature, and spirituality from a Christian perspective

Aussies consider themselves religious … but are they?

Published by

Matt Stone

2008-07-05

From the Sydney Morning Herald today:

The majority of Australians consider themselves religious but say faith does not play a big part in their life, according to a new survey showing few regularly pray or visit church.

The news comes less than two weeks before the world’s Catholic leader, Pope Benedict XVI, heads Down Under for World Youth Day.

The survey of 21,000 people from 21 countries, which names Australia as one of the world’s least religious countries, was conducted by the independent, not-for-profit, German-based Bertelsmann Foundation.

It found 28 per cent of Australian respondents are not religious, 25 per cent are “deeply religious”, and 44 per cent are religious but say faith does not play a central role in their lives.

Of the 21 countries surveyed, Australia was placed 17th for religious adherence, with only Russia, France, Germany and the UK less godly.

You can read the rest here.

This pretty much matches my perception that a vague, low commitment spirituality is more the norm down under. God is not forgotten or rejected – just marginalized and reinvented to suit consumer tastes.

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3 responses to “Aussies consider themselves religious … but are they?”

Linda

2008-07-05

I wonder where U.S. ranked on the survey. Here are some thoughts… Perhaps people in countries like Australia are just more honest.
I sometimes wonder if Americans are as Christian/religious as they claim to be or would like to see themselves as.
I moved to the U.S. when I was young, grew up in the Midwest, had family on the West Coast, lived and worked in New York, and now live in Virginia. I study people very closely in my interaction with them, as I’m very much interested in what motivates them to work, love, and play.
From my experience, I have a feeling that being righteous and proud is more of a motivation for Americans than being religious. Therefore, if being religious is perceived as desirable or “the right thing to do” or “the right way to be”, many will say and even do things that may not be completely genuine.
If my observation of the people that I’ve come in contact with is any indication of the general public, I have to conclude that most Americans are not as religious as they portray themselves to be. Even in the Bible Belt where I now live, the church-goers are mostly just time-card punchers.
To me, the survey is not at all conclusive, because there could be a huge discrepancy between reality and perception. And some cultures are more open and honest than others.
However, this is just one person’s observation and opinion.

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Livingsword

2008-07-05

Hi Mat, nice to meet you….
I’m a devout Jesus follower that attends Church almost every week, sits on a large Church committee, leads a weekly Bible study and have two blogs that center upon Scripture. I would answer the poll by saying I am not at all religious, in my community religion is not a genuine relationship with God, it is following “churchianity” culture-rules…Here the word Christian actually miscommunicates what being a Jesus follower is…However I’m not from down under…

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Matt Stone

2008-07-05

Yeah, I am aware that is not always the best word choice but that’s the language the article uses and so I am running with it rather than getting bogged down in the semantics. Besides, this is a multi-“religious” survey not a Christian one so we can’t expect it to be slanted all our way. Irrespective I think the meaning is clear enough, that there is a significant gap between loose identification and actual commitment … or even just church attendance. So even many claiming Christian affiliation are best thought of as unchurched or dechurched, as not belonging to a Christian community.

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