Latest results from Australian Census published today

Debate Room
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Which is a big shock to the theist community, especially the fast diminishing Christian chorus.

  • Top 5 religious affiliations were No religion (38.9 per cent), Catholic (20 per cent), Anglican (9.8 per cent), Islam (3.2 per cent) and Hinduism (2.7 per cent).

For the first time “No religion” is the out and out majority, the catholic segment has shrunk by 30% in 10 years. The last census showed 61% as “believers” and now they are a minority.

Goodonya Aussie!!!

Religious affiliation, Count of persons for 1996, 2016 and 2021(a)
1996 2016 2021
Christian 12,582,764 12,201,600 11,148,814
Other religions(b) 652,218 1,920,835 2,538,587
No Religion(c) 2,948,888 7,040,717 9,886,957
Total 17,752,829 23,401,892 25,422,788
(a) Based on place of usual residence. Excludes overseas visitors.

(b) Other religions includes Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and other religions.

(c) No religion includes Secular Beliefs (e.g. Atheism) and Other Spiritual Beliefs (e.g. New Age). In 2016 the order of the response categories changed on the Census form, no religion was moved to the first response. This may result in higher responses reported for the ‘No religion’ category.

(a) Based on place of usual residence. Excludes overseas visitors.

(b) Other religions includes Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and other religions.

(c) No religion includes Secular Beliefs (e.g. Atheism) and Other Spiritual Beliefs (e.g. New Age). In 2016 the order of the response categories changed on the Census form, no religion was moved to the first response. This may result in higher responses reported for the ‘No religion’ category.

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In this increasingly secular world I believe there will be consequences to religion for managing to force its antiquated superstitions on the rest of us. They gleefully think they’ve won, but what they’ve done is starkly remind people that their beliefs aren’t something to be viewed as harmless.

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Progress is being made. Up here in Canada that trend is also evident. Although we have not reached the 50% mark, recent polls indicate that the majority of Canadians now believe religion does harm.

The predatory priests have tarnished the Roman Catholic Church, and the recent discoveries of mass graves in “Residential” schools have shone a light on the evils the church. Residential schools (same happened in Australia) are institutions that stripped indigenous children from their families and attempted to “civilize” them.