Rachael Kohn: It’s good to have you back on again. You’ve been researching Australia’s religious profile for more than two decades now with a special focus on Christianity. Where would you put Australia compared to other historically Christian societies in the West?
Philip Hughes: Certainly I think that the Christian significance and Christian part of Australia’s identity has been in decline for the last 40 years. Now approximately half of all Australians identify themselves as being Christian. I think there are certainly a lot of Christian faiths still very much influencing our education, influencing our social welfare, influencing our values, but it’s become less explicit.
Rachael Kohn: Tom Frame has famously said that Australia is not a Christian country. Do you agree with his terminology or is it your observation more that Australians don’t champion a strong national story that is Christian?
Philip Hughes: I certainly think that the national Australian identity is not explicitly Christian. On the other hand, the Christian faith is still a choice being made by large numbers of Australians.
Read or listen to it all.
(The Spirit of Things) The Spiritual and the Secular in Australia
Rachael Kohn: It’s good to have you back on again. You’ve been researching Australia’s religious profile for more than two decades now with a special focus on Christianity. Where would you put Australia compared to other historically Christian societies in the West?
Philip Hughes: Certainly I think that the Christian significance and Christian part of Australia’s identity has been in decline for the last 40 years. Now approximately half of all Australians identify themselves as being Christian. I think there are certainly a lot of Christian faiths still very much influencing our education, influencing our social welfare, influencing our values, but it’s become less explicit.
Rachael Kohn: Tom Frame has famously said that Australia is not a Christian country. Do you agree with his terminology or is it your observation more that Australians don’t champion a strong national story that is Christian?
Philip Hughes: I certainly think that the national Australian identity is not explicitly Christian. On the other hand, the Christian faith is still a choice being made by large numbers of Australians.
Read or listen to it all.