50% of urban Australians identify as Christian If you have ever heard politicians saying the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of Parliament, you could be forgiven for thinking that Australia is a Christian nation. However, there are a number of problems with this notion. While 50% of Australians in the 2016 census identified as Christian: […]
50% of urban Australians identify as Christian If you have ever heard politicians saying the Lord’s Prayer at the beginning of Parliament, you could be forgiven for thinking that Australia is a Christian nation. However, there are a number of problems with this notion. While 50% of Australians in the 2016 census identified as Christian: This percentage has declined by 7% since 2011 and continues to decline Some 30% of Australians identify as having no religion (an increase of 48% since 2011) The average age of people attending Catholic or Anglican church is 60 Only 8% of so-called Christians attend church monthly or more These numbers suggest that: To call Australia a Christian nation is an exaggeration Christianity is for the ageing Even those who identify as Christian do not practise actively I would argue that this demonstrates the maturity of a society, as it gradually sheds the stories of…