Sectarianism: excessive attachment to a particular sect or party, especially in religion.

Protestantism: adherence to the forms of Christian doctrine which are generally regarded as Protestant rather than Catholic or Eastern Orthodox.

Evangelical Protestantism: maintains the belief that the essence of the Gospel consists of the doctrine of salvation by grace alone, solely through faith in Jesus's atonement.

• What does religion look like in Australia?

• How is religion viewed in Australian society?

• What place does religion have in Australian society, past and present?

The place of religion in society

• Religion plays a role in Australian society in many different ways
• Four useful categories for classifying the roles religion plays are:
• Supporting religious faith
• Providing Social Services
• Promoting values or defending the rights of people in the political sphere
• Contributing to the Cultural dimension of society

Religion in historical contexts

• European settlement of Australia beginning in 1788  brought Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant.
• The Catholic contingent were almost entirely Irish convicts who were discriminated against for political, cultural and religious reasons
• The Catholic Church in Australia expanded but was subject to sectarianism and prejudice.
• Catholicism is now the largest Christian denomination with around 23% of the population claiming affiliation. It is also multi-cultural
•  The Catholic bishops developed their own system of schools staffed by members of a number of religious orders 
• In the 1960s the government voted to fund religious schools. Since then the Catholic Education System has continued to grow and now serves about 20% of Australian school students. Almost all staff are lay.