"No Religion" Is Now Australia's Number One Religion

[SecularMotion]

Source: Buzzfeed

Australia remains a fairly religious country, with 60% of people reporting a religious affiliation.

In 1966 only 0.8% of Australians ticked the box for "No religion", which includes atheists, secularists and agnostics.

The proportion of people reporting no religion increased to 30.1% in 2016 – up from 22% five years ago, and nearly double the 16% reported in 2001.

Those aged from 18 to 34 were most likely to report not having a religion (39%) than other age groups. Those aged 65 years and over were more likely to report a religious affiliation.

Read more: https://www.buzzfeed.com/ginarushton/no-religion-is-now-australias-number-one-religion?bffbozpol&utm_term=.eedVdE65B#.kwzmL6l91

[raccoon]

1. Lucky Australia, they got the convicts, USA got the religious whackos.

I'm talking about the days when both countries were British colonies.

[Kolesar]

2. God damn the "The Great Awakening "

USA had religious freedom, and the highly motivated zealots just ran with it. They turned it into selfish capitalistic sociopathy. Ok, I cannot discuss this at length, I just sense it.

[oberliner]

4. The headline is a lie

The survey shows Christianity as the most popular religion in Australia, same as the USA.

The two countries also have about the same percentage of the population identifying as not religious.

[NeoGreen]

6. Whistling past the graveyard?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/123053782

http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/australian-census-religious-affiliation-falls-as-population-changes-rapidly/ar-BBDiWn7

It is about the direction and magnitude of the rate of decline and demographics:

Over that period since 1966, the proportion of the population who self-identify as Christian, combining all Christian denominations, has fallen from 88.2% to 52.1%.

Since 1966, when the proportion of the population who marked “no religion” on their census was just 0.8%, the number that now mark “no religion” has swelled to 29.6%, nearly double the 16% recorded in 2001. That category now accounts for a higher proportion of the population than any single religious denomination for the first time.

Those aged from 18 to 34 were most likely to report not having a religion (39%) than other age groups. Those aged 65 years and over were more likely to report a religious affiliation.

(I associate conservatives/religious as related ilk)

[oberliner]

9. More than half of the population identifies as Christian

Less than a third say no religion - thus, the headline is not true.

[NeoGreen]

11. Score one for semantics...

...but if the total number of christians (total combined denominations) in the US was reported to be only 52%, then I'd be celebrating regardless of headlines.

[smirkymonkey]

18. But "Christian" is an umbrella term that would include Catholics, Anglicans,

Presbyterians, Methodists, etc..

So even if you just broke it down by Catholics and Protestants, each could still be under 33%.

[oberliner]

20. The US has more "no religion" people than any one demonination

As do most counties in the West.

[luvtheGWN]

12. It's a lie because atheism is not a religion

but I think the headline was referring to the sects within various religions, rather than to Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism etc.

Anyhow, atheism (or non-theism as I prefer to call it) is growing in numbers in all western countries. I think that's a good thing, personally.

[oberliner]

21. The census puts atheism, agnostic, secular, etc. into one category

Last edited Tue Jun 27, 2017, 07:16 PM - Edit history (1)

Again, I think this Buzfeed is being presented in a deceptive way - as opposed to the actual census it links to which is more straightforward.

[oberliner]

3. No, it isn't

The number one religion in Australia is Christianity at 52 percent.

It literally says so in the first sentence of the census linked to in this article:

"The results of the latest national Census today reveal we’re a religiously diverse nation, with Christianity remaining the most common religion (52 per cent of the population)."

[yallerdawg]

10. The article:

"For the first time ever, "no religion" has overtaken any single religious denomination, toppling Catholicism as the number one religious affiliation for Australians, the latest national census released on Tuesday revealed."

My only bone of contention with the headline is "No Religion" is NOT a religion! That has to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard!

[oberliner]

19. The article links to the census as its source material

And the census contradicts the article in the first sentence (which I cited).

[yallerdawg]

22. The first "sentence" in the article identifies Catholicism as the #2 "religious affiliation."

The notion that "no religious affiliation" IS a religious affiliation REMAINS the most audaciously ridiculous claim in the article - and the census report!

[oberliner]

27. Good point

Ridiculous indeed.

[uriel1972]

25. Some people say that OFF is a TV channel...

Go figure...

[OnlinePoker]

5. Doesn't mean they don't believe in god

How many are spiritual without professing an actual religion? They really should make the distinction between Spiritualist, Atheist and Agnostic.

[Ligyron]

7. I've never understood what "spiritual" actually is.

Closest I can come is: "I believe in supernatural shit and am irrational at some level, but don't question me too closely about this".

[GoneOffShore]

8. Me neither.

[atreides1]

14. Spiritually

In modern times the emphasis is on subjective experience of a sacred dimension and the "deepest values and meanings by which people live," often in a context separate from organized religious institutions. Modern spirituality typically includes a belief in a supernatural (beyond the known and observable) realm, personal growth, a quest for an ultimate/sacred meaning, religious experience,[ or an encounter with one's own "inner dimension."


What you've defined is religion...

[Scruffy1]

17. I'm with you.

BS is BS, whatever you call it. My first good laugh of the day.

[Moostache]

13. Rephrase the question..."Do you have a sky daddy?" and "no" is still a minority answer...

In the broadest sense though, the more people who say "no" to the sky daddy question, the better off we as a species will be.

[PatrickforO]

15. In his brilliant books, Sapiens and Homo Deus, professor Yuval Noah Harari says,

"Religion is a deal. Spirituality is a journey."

He also says that under the current capitalist system we as a species made the 'deal' to give up personal meaning in order to have power.

Good books.

[jberryhill]

16. Easily explained... they are further away from God

Look at these Christian worshippers in the US:



You see them reaching upwards? That's so they can get closer in touch with God, who is above in Heaven.

Now, if you want to get in touch with God in Australia, you have to do this:



But it is still not as effective, because the entire planet earth gets in the way.

[gilbert sullivan]

23. But wouldn't that be reversed

every 12 hours?

[uriel1972]

24. Only heretics, pagans and atheists...

believe that the Earth is round, orbits the Sun and is more than 6000 years old... doncha know?

[chaplain_M]

26. I think the lower photo is from France...

...where they say, "I fart in your general direction."

[yallerdawg]

28. I would have thought the second picture identified as Catholics!

Come on!

I was an altar boy in my misspent youth!