New religions

+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
20 Jul 2003

Not sure? I'll give you a hint. It also has the greatest number of Witches, Druids, Pagans, Animists, Spiritualists, Unitarians and Theosophists a but not the most Catholics.

The answer, of course, is Melbourne. It is Sydney which is home to the greatest number of Catholics, along with the most Rastafarians, Zoroastrians, Caodaists, Eckankars, Pantheists and Scientologists.

Some people in our community, and perhaps a disproportionate number in the media, like to tell us that religion is a declining force in the modern society. For people who hold this view, a breakdown of the 2001 Census data is bad news. The number of Catholics increased by 202,000.

What the Census data show is that religion is alive and well in Australia, in rich and increasingly exotic profusion, while unbelief is slipping. Those who said they had no religion fell 2.4 per cent from 1996 to 2001.

This category does not include the interesting group of people who list their "religion" as Atheism, Agnosticism, Humanism or Rationalism, all of which recorded gains, sometimes quite significant, from very small bases.

One of the most intriguing developments over the last ten years has been the growth of "nature religions." According to the Christian Research Association, they are the fastest growing group of religions in Australia.

Nature religions include Animists, Druids, Pagans, Witches, Pantheists and other similar groups. Between 1991 and 2001, they attracted an additional 20,000 people. In comparison, Christian Pentecostal churches attracted 45,000 new people.

But between 1996 and 2001, the total number of Pentecostals grew by just under 11.5 per cent, while nature religions grew by 140 per cent. Paganism grew by 144 per cent, and Witches grew by just under 374 per cent.

The numbers involved are still small, 24,156 people or 0.13 per cent of the population believe in nature religions, compared to the 12.75 million people (or 68 per cent) who identify themselves as Christians. But it is still a significant development. What does it mean?

Firstly the growth of new religions shows that if Christian belief and practice declined radically in Australia, most people would not turn to science and reason. They will be superstitious, choosing bits and pieces from a mishmash of the great religious traditions and New Age recipes.

It also shows that the need for faith and meaning is an abiding and ineradicable part of the human condition.

But there is a challenge for Christianity here too. Some people wonder why they should sign onto the Christian package with all its demands, when these new faiths appear to show that there are easier ways. These are dead ends. They cannot deliver what they promise.

Most religions contain some measure of truth and error, although the amounts can vary wildly. But because Jesus is the Son of God, not just another holy man, only Christianity offers the truth in all its fullness a the truth of forgiveness, love, and peace; at a cost.