Australian culture refers to customs and values of the Australian citizens. This country’s multicultural society is filled with a diverse amalgam of cultures, ethnicities, and, of course, religions. Religion, by definition, means a belief in a divine power. However, in order for beliefs to be validated as a religion, it must have theologies, rituals, symbols, religious codes, sacred texts, and "myths". Religion also influences music, art, architecture, literature, environmental programs, care facilities/programs and social justice within Australia. An example of which is St. Vincent de Paul and Caritas Australia, which exhibit the positive contributions of religion to Australian culture.
According to the 2016 census, 52.1% of the population declared to be a variety of Christianity. This large population allows the religion to forge a vast community that is able to contribute to society. One of that contributions is through charities like St Vincent de Paul. It is addressed the charity’s mission statement, that they are determined to serve Jesus and live by
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Catholic schools aim to fulfill the Church’s mission to spread the Good News of Jesus and to assist students to find a way to incorporate and develop their faith in aspects of their daily life. They contribute to the Australian society, an educational foundation for those to who wish for their children to learn about their faith in addition to basic education. According to the National Catholic Education Commission, 1 in 5 students in Australia attend a Catholic school, that’s a total of 756.3 thousand students, 30% of which are actually non-catholic. In addition to this, statistics also show that Catholic Schools provide jobs for around 70, 800 people in Australia. Thus, Catholic schools are essential in providing education to students of varied religions and jobs to countless citizens of this
Out of the desolation of World War II sprang the Australian Committee for the World Council of Churches. This developed into the Australian Council of Churches which, in 1994, grew to be the National Council of Churches in Australia. The NCCA is 15 Christian churches, gathered from across Australia, who have embarked on a pilgrimage together . Each brings a widely diverse record of place, experience, and theology, but all share a mutual faith and confession in the Jesus Christ as God and Savior. All share a common future as they are confident that the future of Christians in Australia lies together, not in division. The aim of the NCCA is to deepen the relationship of member churches so as to communicate more visibly the unity willed by Christ and to rally towards the achievement of their mission of common witness, proclamation and service .
In the 2011 Religious Affiliation in Australia census data, ‘Catholic’ recorded the highest percentage of adherents, at 25.3%.
...sts discovered when they tried to cater to the individual needs of immigrants, to emphasize one objective is to sacrifice the other. The plight of blacks and women in the first part of the 20th century suggests that even the noblest of philosophies are not guaranteed to serve individuals in practice. Further, federal intervention into education, such as with the No Child Left Behind Act, should give educators pause to question what educational oversights would cause the federal government to intervene in its historical role as protector of the overlooked and unnoticed. Finally, the success of Catholic schools in the 1950’s and 1960’s is suggestive of the value of a standard, academic curriculum, but one must remember that Catholic schools enjoy the luxury of choosing the students they educate.
Per Regnerus et al, professors who hold reputable positions at accredited teaching institutions, studies “display strong evidence that public schools now lag behind Catholic schools in the average educational achievement of their students, most poignantly in cities and low-income neighborhoods” (16). Although this study pertained mostly to a specific type of school- Catholic school- similar results can be achieved by requiring a child to take at least one religion-specific class. Similarly, another study expressed the impact of religion on academic achievement: “Individuals with no religious affiliation reported the fewest years of education and were also likely to have the least religious socialization. Not being affiliated with a church resulted in a detrimental impact on educational achievement” (Brown & Gary 422). Without some form of religious impact on an individual’s life, one experienced low academic achievement. Religion should being an integral of public education and should be a requirement of all students; however, an array of different religious courses should be offered so that one is not forced to learn something they have no interest
A religion is generally regarded as a set of values and beliefs by which people live their lives both practically and morally; through acknowledgement of some form of higher being or divine power. At the time of European settlement, the Aboriginal people (Australia’s first inhabitants) followed their own religious beliefs in spirits behind the forces of nature. During the 1800’s, European settlers brought their traditional religious values and churches to Australian shores. These included the Church of England (now Anglican), Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Congregations, Lutheran and Baptist churches. Further migration influences contributed to the re-shaping of Australia’s religious affiliations over subsequent decades. The aftermath of World War II brought upon a significant increase in numbers of the Orthodox churches, the establishment of Reformed bodies, growth in the number of Catholics and the creation of ethnic parishes among many other denominations. But more recently, immigration from South-East Asia and the Middle East has enabled the growth of Buddhist and Muslim communities; also increasing the ethnic diversity of Christian denominations. In order to get an idea of different views 26 Australian’s were selected and surveyed; 10 males and 16 females, each placed in age brackets. The inequality in sexes may skew the data slightly, but the effect would be so minor that it is almost unrecognisable.
1.) Intro: I decided to focus my Religious Ethnography on a friend whom I recently have become close with. Adhita Sahai is my friend’s name, which she later told me her first name meant “scholar.” I choose to observe and interview Adhita, after she invited me to her home after hearing about my assignment. I was very humbled that she was open to this, because not only was it a great opportunity for this paper, but it also helped me get to know Adhita better. I took a rather general approach to the religious questions that I proposed to the Sahai family because I didn’t want to push to deep, I could tell Hinduism is extremely important to this family. Because this family does not attend a religious site where they worship, I instead listened to how they do this at home as a family instead.
Religions play a crucial role in impacting how adherents live their lives and their understanding of humanities enduring questions of life. Religion is an active system of faith. Christianity is a religion centred on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the bible. A living tradition is one that is active amongst followers in present society. Whereas a dynamic tradition is capable of adapting and amending in order to meet the needs of society. Christianity is formed as a living and dynamic tradition, which is defined by its distinct characteristics. Characteristics include, sacred texts and writings, rituals and ceremonies, beliefs and believers and ethics. Ultimately, Christianity is shaped as a living and dynamic tradition through the characteristics of religion’s impacts on adherents.
With the arrival of immigrants from places like India and other parts of Asia since the 1970s there has been an increase in the number of followers of non-Christian religions. Hinduism has grown as a religion due to the increased immigration of people from places like India. Buddhism has also grown. It is now the biggest non-Christian religion in Australia. Of the other religions, Islam continues to grow while the number of people following Judaism has been pretty constant. So ethnic background continues to effect how people view religion in Australia today. However, ( Andrew West and Professor Des Cahill, 2012 ) argue that Australia is becoming more religious but religious in different ways, particularly through non-religious choices. More people chose the "No Religion" option in the 2011 census than in past censuses.
Islam and the Islamic world have played and continue to play a major role in our society. 100 years after the death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Islam spread widely and muslims created empires that extended from North Africa to South Asia. Now, more than 22% of the world’s population are Muslims, and it is expected that the Muslim population will grow at the rate of 73% in 35 years. The first muslim migrants came to Australia in 1860, they were usually known in Australia as ‘Afghans’ and they brought with them the first formal establishment of Islam. Today, in Australia, around 500,000 people describe themselves as Muslims, the numbers continue to grow. The Islamic faith has made major contributions to our Australian society. Islam has influenced Australia with their culture and Muslims have impacted Australian politics, however, there are disacceptance and discrimination towards the Islamic faith.
Australia is a place that is extremely important to me. It is the place in which I call home and will continue to. It has taught me so much about life and how to understand and respect others and appreciating the fortunate circumstances we have to be living in such a safe, healthy and fantastic environment. Being Australian means being inclusive to all cultures no matter where they are from and understanding their origins. Australians appreciate sport with great joy and has become a enormous and significant part of our culture. The Australian outback and its animals has become a prominent part of our identity to other countries as well.
Religion and values are very closely related. My religion determines my values in most cases. The world’s most well-known religions follow the same structure. Being kind to others is example of what they have in common. Cultural values are closely related to what people believe in. It is not uncommon for religion to be found in culture regardless of where someone is from or where they currently live. In America, it is easy to identify where Christian values and traditions collide with culture. A lot of stories on the news surround the class of the values and religion because even through telling news stories values and religion are present.
I took the International Cultural Quiz on Australia. I have always wanted to visit Australia, but it’s always been the sites, that have made me want to visit. Just like many others, I want to see the Great Barrier Reef, go to the Outback, and maybe see a show at the Sydney Opera House. When taking the quiz, I did horrendous; I sometimes rush a little and should think a little more about the questions before I answered. For example, when asked when tea time is in Australia, you think of tea as a lunch thing, thus I said Two P.M. to Four P.M., beings that was the earliest choice to choose from, however, I learned that their tea time is in the early evening from Six P.M. to Eight P.M... I should have known better than to think that their
As the practical influence was the more important of the two, the Catholic Church developed an extremely large practical role in the social services before it evolved. Today this order is being reversed. The church’s role as a service provider was deteriorating mainly because falling vocations left the church without suitable persons to sustain their roles. The reputation of the Catholic Church has also been stained by the found information of the shocking abuses committed by members of the Catholic Clergy on vulnerable people, particularly children, whom had been placed in their care. Despite the effects of these scandals, the new means of influencing social policy debate has a substantial effectiveness and may well offer a means by which the church can play an important role in the development of social policy in the future (Socialjustice.com. 2014).
Some of you will ask what the difference is between a public school and a Catholic school. What is it that separates the public school system from us? The answer is simple: Catholic school in addition to academic knowledge also teaches us about what it means to be Catholic. Taking in mind St. Catherine of Sienna's quote, "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire," students need to not take this special education for granted. Our Catholic education means a whole lot to students.
A School with true Catholic goals is a true catholic school. The goals must not only be to provide a Catholic education where they are educated in the Catholic church 's doctrine and teachings, but to create an environment by which young Catholic students grow in virtue and show others in their example what it means to be Catholic. The school should endeavor for a strong Catholic identity of each student so that as a unit the school itself benefits not only the students, but of all that the those students meet. As Christ taught his disciples so that they might evangelize the world, Catholic schools must teach their student how to become saints and live within their Church and community as a living example of God 's word.