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Is 'no religion' a new religion?

By Spencer Gear - posted Tuesday, 19 July 2016


In addition, the Christian religion was brought to Australia when the first fleet arrived in 1788 with the Anglican evangelical chaplain, Richard Johnson, on board. Our Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II – represented by the Governor-General – affirmed the Christian faith at her coronation on 2 June 1953.

Our foundations for law and order and parliamentary democracy are based on the Christian faith and the Westminster parliamentary system. Christianity should not be impaired because the religion of secularism wants its own way. Where would Australia's welfare system be without the backbone contribution of Christian communities that have worked with governments for the common good of Australians?

Even British scientist and God-slayer, Richard Dawkins, who now calls himself an agnostic (not being 100% sure God does not exist), has made this controversial statement:

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(image courtesy Thomas D Williams Ph.D., 12 Jan 2016, Breitbart Connect)

What's the person's religion?

So, is the option at the top of Q. 19 of the 2016 Census important: 'What's the person's religion?' To make the number 1 selection, 'No religion', is profoundly misleading, in my view, for these reasons:

As indicated by associate professor of theology and philosophy, James Anderson, a worldview (or religion as defined above) is an overview of the world, not physically, but philosophically. It views all reality and has a profound impact on everything we say and do. Its beliefs deal with these big questions:

  • Is there a God/god and what is he like?
  • Does it matter if there is no God?
  • Is there truth and how can we know it?
  • What are the origins of the universe?
  • Is there meaning and purpose to life?
  • How do I find the good life and live it with the best I have?
  • Is there life after death?
  • To live in this world, we need a satisfactory worldview, like a set of glasses that is as indispensable as breathing.
  • It's essential for our living in the world, but most often it sits in the background. Through it, we interpret our world of thought and experiences (Anderson 2014:12-14).

Perhaps we should settle with Paul Griffiths' understanding of religion since the time of the Protestant Reformation: it is 'a type of which there are many tokens'. While dollars, pounds and yen are tokens of currency, it is more difficult to define tokens of religion that might include Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, secularism and rationalism.

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Conclusion

For Australia's Census, my evaluation is that the Australian Bureau of Statistics should abandon its 'no religion' category because it is undefined and leads to the false impression that worldviews such as secularism and rationalism are not religions – when they are.

The ABS's 'no religion' category on the Census is parallel to labelling a fruit cake as a no-cake for public display and use. It's a misleading category that tries to divert attention away from the obvious religious nature of secularism and rationalism.

Therefore, instead of checking the 'no religion' category, I recommend that those who support secularism, rationalism, capitalism, socialism and environmentalism write these words in the 'Other (please specify)' option as the last choice in Q 19 of the Census.

Spencer Gear PhD is a retired counselling manager, independent researcher, Christian minister and freelance writer living in Brisbane Qld.

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About the Author

Spencer Gear PhD (University of Pretoria, South Africa) is a retired counselling manager, independent researcher, retired minister of the The Christian & Missionary Alliance of Australia, and freelance writer living in Brisbane Qld, Australia.

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