Abstract
Religion and spirituality can be central to a person’s identity and lived experiences (Savage & Armstrong, 2010), and yet the concepts themselves are complex and multifaceted. In Australia, three-fifths of the population (61%, or approximately 14 million people) are affiliated with some religion or spiritual belief (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2017a). Eighty-six per cent of this group (approximately 12 million) identify as Christians, comprising Catholic, Anglican and other Christian. The chapter starts with definitions and statistics to contextualise the concept of religious hegemonism within the contemporary Australian environment. The link between religion, spirituality and well-being will be explored, and personal stories of individuals from non-dominant faith backgrounds will describe their experiences. Experiential activities that encourage the reader to understand and challenge societal stereotypes, their own perceptions and gain a greater appreciation of spirituality, religion and religious hegemonism.
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Notes
- 1.
Sectarianism refers to the historical system where social and political sectors were divided between the largely dominant Catholic population and the smaller but more influential, state-supported Anglican population of nineteenth and early twentieth century Australia. The Anglican church in Australia was largely anti-Catholic and reflected the historical divide between these two religious groups in England and Ireland.
- 2.
The Australian Census is held every 4 years and represents a systematic collection of information from the Australian population across multiple categories of which religion is one. The Census question on religion remains the only question where respondents are able to nominate a category of religious practice/belief.
- 3.
Historical Inquiries include – National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families 1997; Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland institutions 1999; The Forgotten Australian Report, 2004; the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the Sexual Abuse of Children in Victorian Institutions, 2013; and the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in Newcastle-Maitland, 2014.
- 4.
A national report from findings into a study undertaken between 2016 and 2019 with school-aged teenagers aged 13–18 and which asked a variety of questions concerning views on sexuality, ethnicity and religion. Generation Z is those who are born post 2000.
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McPhillips, K., Rosenfield, M., Haq, R., Hutton, V., Sisko, S. (2021). Religious Hegemonism. In: Hutton, V., Sisko, S. (eds) Multicultural Responsiveness in Counselling and Psychology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55427-9_10
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