Aboriginal Spirituality
Holiday HW- A) Aboriginal spirituality and the dreaming
Q1- Kinship is a complex system of belonging and responsibility within a clan based on family and totem relations that govern daily Aboriginal life by determining issues. The dreaming has in itself prescribed the peoples kinship ties and permeates throughout the system by:
Assigning responsibilities to transmit knowledge of the dreaming from elders to younger generations
Providing the basis on which aboriginal society is structured on; maintained since the beginning of the Dreaming
Defining spiritual and temporal identity to the aboriginal people
Kinship is also expressed through Totems, which identify one’s kinship line and provide the individual with a direct link to sacred matters …show more content…
Q2- Ceremonial life:
The complex and spiritual core of the Dreaming and Dreaming stories for each group is recognised in ceremonial life, encompassing performance of rituals at sacred sites, the drawing of sacred symbols and corroborees.
Rituals heighten the presence of the Dreaming’s:
Link the present world to the Dreamtime
Art is used to communicate the dreaming:
By providing maps of the land; clans, sacred sites, waterholes etc.
Used to pass on sacred knowledge
Stories describe the Aboriginal law and lifestyle:
Describe how ancestral beings move through land creating nature
Provide foundation for Aboriginal existence by explaining creation and sharing how dreaming shapes daily life
Used as a form of oral history
Totems represent individual, as they existed in the dreaming:
Form of animal, plant or natural phenomena
Links individual and ancestor spirit
Totems carry ceremonial responsibilities (balance rights)
Q3- Land and people:
Land is of great importance because:
Aboriginals believe that people were created from the earth which has existed since the beginning of time and that it is therefore the sacred motherland, ‘My Country’
Dreaming is inextricably connected to the land because:
The land is the context of the Dreaming stories, a constant around which their spiritual world revolved.
Land provides the foundation for Aboriginal beliefs, traditions, rituals and laws
Ancestral beings dwell in the land and therefore:
The people have a responsibility to keep and respect the land
E.g. If travelling, the aboriginal people must be careful not to enter the sacred spaces of other clans. This shows the interconnection that exists between obligation to the land and a people.
E.g. The people of West Arnhem Land, in the NT, believe that the MiMi rock pictures were painted by The MiMi Spirits thousands of years ago. This allows them to understand the relationship they have with the Dreaming, their country and their ancestor spirits. These relationships determine responsibilities between people.
Q4- Separation from the land:
Interfered with rituals and ceremonies which followed Dreaming tracks (paths that follow the Spirit Ancestors as they created the landscape) that provided the people with a physical connection to the Dreaming. Out of context the ritual/ceremony is meaningless and the people become misplaced spiritually and psychologically with no home and no stable base of life.
The land is the context of the Dreaming stories, a constant around which their spiritual world revolved. Removal from this land would then be likely to cause a severe disruption to the normal pattern and processes for handling traditions
Physical presence in the country was important to the people in keeping the lore (stories, songs, dances, art, customs) alive and passing it on. The lore is related land were their shared personal property, perhaps the most important ‘permanent’ and ‘tangible’ constant in their nomadic life.
Q5- Separation from kinship groups:
Kinship groups are vital in the aboriginal culture in that they tie clans and families together, allocating roles and responsibilities within a community.
Separation from kinship groups, working systems, then meant that the aboriginal society lost its point of fixture and every personal affiliation became lamed.
The complex interrelationship of social status, personal identity and health must be borne constantly in mind. When the kinship system is destroyed it members inevitably suffer from psychological distress such as withdrawal and depression where the individual has suffered a loss of identify this extends to the breaking up of communities and a spirit of solidarity. Q6- The Stolen Generation:
Government officials to be placed in missions or reserves such as the Cootamundra Girls’ Home between the 1900 and 1970’s as well as being adopted or fostered into white families if the children were ‘half caste’ forcibly removed aboriginal children from homes.
Separation from elders: no generation to pass knowledge, language and traditions to. This results in a loss of identity and self esteem the Aboriginal culture deteriorated
Kinship ties were broken resulting in a loss of identity where the young indigenous generation is lost in-between two opposing cultures in a struggle to find balance
Protection Policy:
Removal of Aboriginal children from their families under the pretense that they were living in an ‘uncivilised’ environment followed by placement into missions and reserves
Assimilation Policy:
1951: Forced integration of Aboriginal peoples into white society through abandonment of their traditional beliefs and practices.
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (1996): Issued the ‘Bringing them home’ report which told of the horrific conditions Aboriginal children were forced to face
Q7- Apologize for past governments and their decisions To “honor the indigenous people of the land” and let them become acknowledged Apologize for the degradation of the Aboriginals and the integrity inflicted on the aboriginal people
Q8- Issues involved with the three Native title legislations include:
1. The land, which has already been inhabited, cannot be reclaimed only land to which others don’t already own eg. Governments
2. The aboriginal people have to prove their ongoing and long forsaken connections with the land
3. Most land is already owned and cannot be over run
4. Insufficient proof is provided according to acts making it significantly troubling to regain and claim land rights given
Q9- Mabo:
This case was initiated by five indigenous plaintiffs, led by Eddie Mabo, from the Murray Islands in the Torres Strait – the Meriam People suing for land claims.
June (1992), High Court of Australia ruled in favour of Eddie Mabo: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders had a continuous link with the land and continued to practice laws and customs associated with the land before British colonization.
Overthrew the legal fiction terra nullius, acknowledging that Aboriginal people occupied Australia in 1788 when British settlement took place.
Claimed ownership of land under the ‘Native Title Act’ which existed since 1788, Mabo raised awareness of its existence and this was a step to the passing of the Native Title Act 1993
Q10- Wik:
The Wik case concerned land that was subject to pastoral leases.
(1996) The High Court of Australia decided that native title rights could co-exist with the rights of pastoralists. But when pastoralists and Aboriginal rights were in conflict, the pastoralists’ rights would prevail.
Q11- 1963 Yirraka Petition 1965 Freedom Riders
Q12- Land is at the heart of the Dreaming and all relationships within Aboriginal communities are determined through relationships with the land.
The declaration of terra nullius made by the white settlers denied foundational principles of the Aboriginal belief systems
Aboriginal spirituality is founded on the people’s inextricable connection to the land. They are part of the land and the land is part of their being
Daily life, Rituals and Ceremonies reflect and revolve around the land and are dependent upon it to be whole, without it these practices cannot be observed
B) Changing patterns in adherence from 1945
Q1-
Christianity:
Church of England (Anglican) decreased from 39% of population in 1947 to 18% in 2006
Catholicism has risen from 20% in 1947 to 25% in 2006
Christianity has decreased, yet remains most popular religion in Australia (64% Christian)
Traditional Churches (Presbyterian, Congregational, Methodist) experienced downturn losing 15% since 1996
Newer Pentecostal Church had 25% increase since 1996 but also the largest numbers of switchers in and out of the faith
Baptist, Catholic, Orthodox Churches had significant increases of up to 8% since 1996
Other Religions:
Other Religions increased from 0.5% of population in 1947 to 5.6% in 2006
Large, rapid growth in other mainstream religions
Buddhism (2.1%)
Hinduism (0.7%)
Islam (1.7%)
Judaism (0.4%)
Hinduism grew fastest, closely followed by Buddhism and Islam and lastly, Judaism
Traditional Aboriginal religion decreased losing 30% of practitioners between 1996 and 2001
No religion:
In 1947, 0.3% of the population identified themselves as having no religion, lasting until 1971 when it rose to 6.7% suddenly
Today, 26% of population identify themselves as having no religion
‘Not stated/ inadequately described’ 11.1% in 1947 stayed nearly the same at 11.7% in 1996, and today, 11.2% despite population doubling since 1945
Q2- Christianity as the Major Religion:
Still main religion in Australia (63% of population) due to historical factors
First fleet arrival brought majority of Anglican settlers as well as Presbyterians and Methodists. Only 10% were Catholic
Post first fleet settlers were predominately Anglican making population almost exclusively Christian
Immigration Restriction Act (1901) allowed European immigrants only, bringing majority of Christian adherents ensuring the demographic stay the same for at least 50 years
Q3- Immigration:
Post-War Immigration:
Number of people fleeing destroyed countries and immigrating to Australia after WW2 changed the Christian face of Australia
Assisted Passage Scheme implemented to encourage British migration to Australia to increase population, and was then spread to other Eastern European countries
Increased Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox
More communities, churches, schools and other social fixtures had to be built for the increase of new religious adherents
AfterWW2, Jewish population began to increase evident that the Jewish population in Australia was very small before WW2, consisting of Jews only from the first fleet
Hungarian revolution, expulsion of Jews from Egypt in the Suez conflict and South African apartheid saw rise in Jewish
17% of Jewish population arrived after 1980
Changes to Immigration Laws:
Prior to Immigration Restriction Act (1901), there had been a mere 4300 Hindu’s living in Australia, 1996 there were 148000 Hindu adherents
Abolition of White Australia Policy saw a rise in multiculturalism within Australia and a wider acceptance of other religious traditions
Q4- Denominational Switching:
Switching from one sector / denominate of a particular Church to another to suit lifestyle and feel comfortable and well catered for
Contrasts to historic patterns where families remained with the one denomination for many generations
Significance of lifetime loyalty to one particular church diminished due to growing individualism within lives
Increased proliferation of finding meaning in life to cater for different tastes and individualistic lifestyle
Christian Church Denominational Switching:
Past two decades has seen dramatic swing away from liberal churches to the more conservative
Pentecostal Church grew by 42% from 1986-1991
Pentecostal Church grew by 25% from 1996-2006
Only a small percentage of those numbers were from people with no church background
Pentecostal Church has grown in popularity because:
People switching here to relive older and more traditional religions
Pentecost allows for bored devotees to become excited about religion again
People under the age of 40 switch as they are less likely to view a lifetime of loyalty to a church as important, whereas people over 60 do
Christians are more likely to switch denominations than any other religious faith as they move to explore and seek stronger Christian faiths, rejecting light God churches
Trends show a sway to more conservative churches throughout the Western world due to sense of exclusivity that these churches provide greater demands on members and stronger commitment required e.g. Pentecostal church
Switch to conservative churches can also be explained by the fact that God is presented as being closely involved in human life as well as having more dynamic services on offer
Conservative churches aggressively evangelistic with successful conversion methods
Conservative churches have also lost many members out of the Christian faith all together, with Pentecostal churches losing the greatest amount
Q5- New Age Religion:
Differ from traditional churches as they lack any single unifying creed or doctrine
No Holy text, no central organization, no formal leadership
Fastest growing religious faiths in 2001 census, increasing by 140% since 1996
History:
New Age practices became popular from 1960’s to 1970’s as a reaction to the failure of Christianity and Secular Humanism to provide spiritual and ethical guidance for the future
Roots of new Age practices traceable in many religious origins including Hinduism, Wicca, Neopagan tradition
Movement began in England where many of the above religious origins were well established and quickly became
New Age practices:
Meditation, astrology, divination, holistic health (acupuncture, message), crystals, channeling the dead, feng shui
Q6- Secularism:
The stance of stating ‘No religious affiliation’ or people who have ‘inadequately described’ or ‘not stated’ their religious belief
Secularism is to be free from religion or spirituality
Secular systems are based on reason, fact and scientific analysis and therefore differ from religious systems which are based on divine light and spirituality
Secularists believe policies and decisions made by governments should be completely separate from religious influence which they believe has the right to jeopardize the freedom and rights of citizens
Q7- 1. The National Council of Churches (NCCA):
Ecumenical organisation bringing together a number of Australian churches in dialogue and practical cooperation
Began with Australian Committee for the World Council of Churches which developed into Australian Council of Churches and then into NCCA in 1994
Originally, the movement was for Christian unity within Australia between Anglican and Protestant churches only
1960s, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches joined
1994 after opening of Vatican II, Roman Catholic church joined
Today 15 different church variants apart of NCCA
More conservative, evangelical denominations such as Baptists and Pentecostal churches have failed to join NCCA due to:
Reluctance to accept validity of ecumenical dialogue with churches possessing doctrines at variance with their own
Impact of NCCA:
Helped create positive relationships throughout many Eastern and Western churches which continue to last today through dialogue and practical cooperation so there is no conflict or tensions between Christian denominations
NCCA works through a number of commissions, networks and programs including the Christian World Services (CWS) which is responsible for international programs such as Make Poverty History and the National Program on Refugees and Displaced People (NPRDP)
NPRDP helped to resettle and protect hundreds of refugees in horrific conditions from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and East Timor
Assisted asylum seekers by creating ‘Houses of Welcome’, offering English classes and free …show more content…
accommodation
NCCA sponsors National Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC)
Represents Indigenous Australians from Christian faiths
Aims to support indigenous issues, reconciliation and education whilst helping sustain Aboriginal spirituality and theology
2. NSW Ecumenical Council:
Established in 1946 to be the instrument through which its member churches celebrate and manifest their unity to understand each others faith
Affiliated with NCCA
Today possesses 16 member churches, but, like NCCA conservative churches have refused to join
Sponsors a variety of social and charitable initiatives overlapped by the NCCA
E.g.
the promotion of the Christmas bowl throughout NSW which helps to support thousands of people in needing countries such as the Middle East, Africa and Asia at Christmas time
Q8- Interfaith Dialogue in Multi-faith Australia:
Australia is a multicultural society and whilst this is positive, it can lead to many misunderstandings and clashes in belief, particularly throughout religious faiths
Australian Christians believe Jesus Christ is God and the Messiah, Australian Jews believe Jesus Christ was a prophet and that calling him God is blasphemous whilst Australian Muslims believe Jesus Christ was a minor prophet
Clashes in belief have been the result of much blood shed, war and violence throughout history
The role of Interfaith Dialogue:
It is when representatives from different religious traditions meet together peacefully to talk and exchange information about their respective faiths and clear up misunderstandings
One example was the Australian National Dialogue of Christians, Muslims and Jews in 2003 by the
NCCA
Purpose was to provide opportunities for faiths to build understandings and harmony whilst clarifying issues
Q1- Kinship is a complex system of belonging and responsibility within a clan based on family and totem relations that govern daily Aboriginal life by determining issues. The dreaming has in itself prescribed the peoples kinship ties and permeates throughout the system by:
Assigning responsibilities to transmit knowledge of the dreaming from elders to younger generations
Providing the basis on which aboriginal society is structured on; maintained since the beginning of the Dreaming
Defining spiritual and temporal identity to the aboriginal people
Kinship is also expressed through Totems, which identify one’s kinship line and provide the individual with a direct link to sacred matters …show more content…
Q2- Ceremonial life:
The complex and spiritual core of the Dreaming and Dreaming stories for each group is recognised in ceremonial life, encompassing performance of rituals at sacred sites, the drawing of sacred symbols and corroborees.
Rituals heighten the presence of the Dreaming’s:
Link the present world to the Dreamtime
Art is used to communicate the dreaming:
By providing maps of the land; clans, sacred sites, waterholes etc.
Used to pass on sacred knowledge
Stories describe the Aboriginal law and lifestyle:
Describe how ancestral beings move through land creating nature
Provide foundation for Aboriginal existence by explaining creation and sharing how dreaming shapes daily life
Used as a form of oral history
Totems represent individual, as they existed in the dreaming:
Form of animal, plant or natural phenomena
Links individual and ancestor spirit
Totems carry ceremonial responsibilities (balance rights)
Q3- Land and people:
Land is of great importance because:
Aboriginals believe that people were created from the earth which has existed since the beginning of time and that it is therefore the sacred motherland, ‘My Country’
Dreaming is inextricably connected to the land because:
The land is the context of the Dreaming stories, a constant around which their spiritual world revolved.
Land provides the foundation for Aboriginal beliefs, traditions, rituals and laws
Ancestral beings dwell in the land and therefore:
The people have a responsibility to keep and respect the land
E.g. If travelling, the aboriginal people must be careful not to enter the sacred spaces of other clans. This shows the interconnection that exists between obligation to the land and a people.
E.g. The people of West Arnhem Land, in the NT, believe that the MiMi rock pictures were painted by The MiMi Spirits thousands of years ago. This allows them to understand the relationship they have with the Dreaming, their country and their ancestor spirits. These relationships determine responsibilities between people.
Q4- Separation from the land:
Interfered with rituals and ceremonies which followed Dreaming tracks (paths that follow the Spirit Ancestors as they created the landscape) that provided the people with a physical connection to the Dreaming. Out of context the ritual/ceremony is meaningless and the people become misplaced spiritually and psychologically with no home and no stable base of life.
The land is the context of the Dreaming stories, a constant around which their spiritual world revolved. Removal from this land would then be likely to cause a severe disruption to the normal pattern and processes for handling traditions
Physical presence in the country was important to the people in keeping the lore (stories, songs, dances, art, customs) alive and passing it on. The lore is related land were their shared personal property, perhaps the most important ‘permanent’ and ‘tangible’ constant in their nomadic life.
Q5- Separation from kinship groups:
Kinship groups are vital in the aboriginal culture in that they tie clans and families together, allocating roles and responsibilities within a community.
Separation from kinship groups, working systems, then meant that the aboriginal society lost its point of fixture and every personal affiliation became lamed.
The complex interrelationship of social status, personal identity and health must be borne constantly in mind. When the kinship system is destroyed it members inevitably suffer from psychological distress such as withdrawal and depression where the individual has suffered a loss of identify this extends to the breaking up of communities and a spirit of solidarity. Q6- The Stolen Generation:
Government officials to be placed in missions or reserves such as the Cootamundra Girls’ Home between the 1900 and 1970’s as well as being adopted or fostered into white families if the children were ‘half caste’ forcibly removed aboriginal children from homes.
Separation from elders: no generation to pass knowledge, language and traditions to. This results in a loss of identity and self esteem the Aboriginal culture deteriorated
Kinship ties were broken resulting in a loss of identity where the young indigenous generation is lost in-between two opposing cultures in a struggle to find balance
Protection Policy:
Removal of Aboriginal children from their families under the pretense that they were living in an ‘uncivilised’ environment followed by placement into missions and reserves
Assimilation Policy:
1951: Forced integration of Aboriginal peoples into white society through abandonment of their traditional beliefs and practices.
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (1996): Issued the ‘Bringing them home’ report which told of the horrific conditions Aboriginal children were forced to face
Q7- Apologize for past governments and their decisions To “honor the indigenous people of the land” and let them become acknowledged Apologize for the degradation of the Aboriginals and the integrity inflicted on the aboriginal people
Q8- Issues involved with the three Native title legislations include:
1. The land, which has already been inhabited, cannot be reclaimed only land to which others don’t already own eg. Governments
2. The aboriginal people have to prove their ongoing and long forsaken connections with the land
3. Most land is already owned and cannot be over run
4. Insufficient proof is provided according to acts making it significantly troubling to regain and claim land rights given
Q9- Mabo:
This case was initiated by five indigenous plaintiffs, led by Eddie Mabo, from the Murray Islands in the Torres Strait – the Meriam People suing for land claims.
June (1992), High Court of Australia ruled in favour of Eddie Mabo: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders had a continuous link with the land and continued to practice laws and customs associated with the land before British colonization.
Overthrew the legal fiction terra nullius, acknowledging that Aboriginal people occupied Australia in 1788 when British settlement took place.
Claimed ownership of land under the ‘Native Title Act’ which existed since 1788, Mabo raised awareness of its existence and this was a step to the passing of the Native Title Act 1993
Q10- Wik:
The Wik case concerned land that was subject to pastoral leases.
(1996) The High Court of Australia decided that native title rights could co-exist with the rights of pastoralists. But when pastoralists and Aboriginal rights were in conflict, the pastoralists’ rights would prevail.
Q11- 1963 Yirraka Petition 1965 Freedom Riders
Q12- Land is at the heart of the Dreaming and all relationships within Aboriginal communities are determined through relationships with the land.
The declaration of terra nullius made by the white settlers denied foundational principles of the Aboriginal belief systems
Aboriginal spirituality is founded on the people’s inextricable connection to the land. They are part of the land and the land is part of their being
Daily life, Rituals and Ceremonies reflect and revolve around the land and are dependent upon it to be whole, without it these practices cannot be observed
B) Changing patterns in adherence from 1945
Q1-
Christianity:
Church of England (Anglican) decreased from 39% of population in 1947 to 18% in 2006
Catholicism has risen from 20% in 1947 to 25% in 2006
Christianity has decreased, yet remains most popular religion in Australia (64% Christian)
Traditional Churches (Presbyterian, Congregational, Methodist) experienced downturn losing 15% since 1996
Newer Pentecostal Church had 25% increase since 1996 but also the largest numbers of switchers in and out of the faith
Baptist, Catholic, Orthodox Churches had significant increases of up to 8% since 1996
Other Religions:
Other Religions increased from 0.5% of population in 1947 to 5.6% in 2006
Large, rapid growth in other mainstream religions
Buddhism (2.1%)
Hinduism (0.7%)
Islam (1.7%)
Judaism (0.4%)
Hinduism grew fastest, closely followed by Buddhism and Islam and lastly, Judaism
Traditional Aboriginal religion decreased losing 30% of practitioners between 1996 and 2001
No religion:
In 1947, 0.3% of the population identified themselves as having no religion, lasting until 1971 when it rose to 6.7% suddenly
Today, 26% of population identify themselves as having no religion
‘Not stated/ inadequately described’ 11.1% in 1947 stayed nearly the same at 11.7% in 1996, and today, 11.2% despite population doubling since 1945
Q2- Christianity as the Major Religion:
Still main religion in Australia (63% of population) due to historical factors
First fleet arrival brought majority of Anglican settlers as well as Presbyterians and Methodists. Only 10% were Catholic
Post first fleet settlers were predominately Anglican making population almost exclusively Christian
Immigration Restriction Act (1901) allowed European immigrants only, bringing majority of Christian adherents ensuring the demographic stay the same for at least 50 years
Q3- Immigration:
Post-War Immigration:
Number of people fleeing destroyed countries and immigrating to Australia after WW2 changed the Christian face of Australia
Assisted Passage Scheme implemented to encourage British migration to Australia to increase population, and was then spread to other Eastern European countries
Increased Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox
More communities, churches, schools and other social fixtures had to be built for the increase of new religious adherents
AfterWW2, Jewish population began to increase evident that the Jewish population in Australia was very small before WW2, consisting of Jews only from the first fleet
Hungarian revolution, expulsion of Jews from Egypt in the Suez conflict and South African apartheid saw rise in Jewish
17% of Jewish population arrived after 1980
Changes to Immigration Laws:
Prior to Immigration Restriction Act (1901), there had been a mere 4300 Hindu’s living in Australia, 1996 there were 148000 Hindu adherents
Abolition of White Australia Policy saw a rise in multiculturalism within Australia and a wider acceptance of other religious traditions
Q4- Denominational Switching:
Switching from one sector / denominate of a particular Church to another to suit lifestyle and feel comfortable and well catered for
Contrasts to historic patterns where families remained with the one denomination for many generations
Significance of lifetime loyalty to one particular church diminished due to growing individualism within lives
Increased proliferation of finding meaning in life to cater for different tastes and individualistic lifestyle
Christian Church Denominational Switching:
Past two decades has seen dramatic swing away from liberal churches to the more conservative
Pentecostal Church grew by 42% from 1986-1991
Pentecostal Church grew by 25% from 1996-2006
Only a small percentage of those numbers were from people with no church background
Pentecostal Church has grown in popularity because:
People switching here to relive older and more traditional religions
Pentecost allows for bored devotees to become excited about religion again
People under the age of 40 switch as they are less likely to view a lifetime of loyalty to a church as important, whereas people over 60 do
Christians are more likely to switch denominations than any other religious faith as they move to explore and seek stronger Christian faiths, rejecting light God churches
Trends show a sway to more conservative churches throughout the Western world due to sense of exclusivity that these churches provide greater demands on members and stronger commitment required e.g. Pentecostal church
Switch to conservative churches can also be explained by the fact that God is presented as being closely involved in human life as well as having more dynamic services on offer
Conservative churches aggressively evangelistic with successful conversion methods
Conservative churches have also lost many members out of the Christian faith all together, with Pentecostal churches losing the greatest amount
Q5- New Age Religion:
Differ from traditional churches as they lack any single unifying creed or doctrine
No Holy text, no central organization, no formal leadership
Fastest growing religious faiths in 2001 census, increasing by 140% since 1996
History:
New Age practices became popular from 1960’s to 1970’s as a reaction to the failure of Christianity and Secular Humanism to provide spiritual and ethical guidance for the future
Roots of new Age practices traceable in many religious origins including Hinduism, Wicca, Neopagan tradition
Movement began in England where many of the above religious origins were well established and quickly became
New Age practices:
Meditation, astrology, divination, holistic health (acupuncture, message), crystals, channeling the dead, feng shui
Q6- Secularism:
The stance of stating ‘No religious affiliation’ or people who have ‘inadequately described’ or ‘not stated’ their religious belief
Secularism is to be free from religion or spirituality
Secular systems are based on reason, fact and scientific analysis and therefore differ from religious systems which are based on divine light and spirituality
Secularists believe policies and decisions made by governments should be completely separate from religious influence which they believe has the right to jeopardize the freedom and rights of citizens
Q7- 1. The National Council of Churches (NCCA):
Ecumenical organisation bringing together a number of Australian churches in dialogue and practical cooperation
Began with Australian Committee for the World Council of Churches which developed into Australian Council of Churches and then into NCCA in 1994
Originally, the movement was for Christian unity within Australia between Anglican and Protestant churches only
1960s, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches joined
1994 after opening of Vatican II, Roman Catholic church joined
Today 15 different church variants apart of NCCA
More conservative, evangelical denominations such as Baptists and Pentecostal churches have failed to join NCCA due to:
Reluctance to accept validity of ecumenical dialogue with churches possessing doctrines at variance with their own
Impact of NCCA:
Helped create positive relationships throughout many Eastern and Western churches which continue to last today through dialogue and practical cooperation so there is no conflict or tensions between Christian denominations
NCCA works through a number of commissions, networks and programs including the Christian World Services (CWS) which is responsible for international programs such as Make Poverty History and the National Program on Refugees and Displaced People (NPRDP)
NPRDP helped to resettle and protect hundreds of refugees in horrific conditions from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and East Timor
Assisted asylum seekers by creating ‘Houses of Welcome’, offering English classes and free …show more content…
accommodation
NCCA sponsors National Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC)
Represents Indigenous Australians from Christian faiths
Aims to support indigenous issues, reconciliation and education whilst helping sustain Aboriginal spirituality and theology
2. NSW Ecumenical Council:
Established in 1946 to be the instrument through which its member churches celebrate and manifest their unity to understand each others faith
Affiliated with NCCA
Today possesses 16 member churches, but, like NCCA conservative churches have refused to join
Sponsors a variety of social and charitable initiatives overlapped by the NCCA
E.g.
the promotion of the Christmas bowl throughout NSW which helps to support thousands of people in needing countries such as the Middle East, Africa and Asia at Christmas time
Q8- Interfaith Dialogue in Multi-faith Australia:
Australia is a multicultural society and whilst this is positive, it can lead to many misunderstandings and clashes in belief, particularly throughout religious faiths
Australian Christians believe Jesus Christ is God and the Messiah, Australian Jews believe Jesus Christ was a prophet and that calling him God is blasphemous whilst Australian Muslims believe Jesus Christ was a minor prophet
Clashes in belief have been the result of much blood shed, war and violence throughout history
The role of Interfaith Dialogue:
It is when representatives from different religious traditions meet together peacefully to talk and exchange information about their respective faiths and clear up misunderstandings
One example was the Australian National Dialogue of Christians, Muslims and Jews in 2003 by the
NCCA
Purpose was to provide opportunities for faiths to build understandings and harmony whilst clarifying issues