Religious and Belief Systems in Australia Post-1945: FR Brian Vale and FR Patrick Mcinerney

Religious and Belief Systems
in Australia post-1945
Fr Brian Vale and Fr Patrick McInerney

 Introduction
 Studies of Religion HSC Focus
 What is interreligious/interfaith dialogue?
 Attitudes needed for interfaith dialogue
 Why is interreligious dialogue necessary in Australia today?
 The Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations
 Examples of interreligious dialogue:
 Lindt Café Siege, December 2014
 Iftar meals
 Faith Ecology Network (FEN) Multi-faith Prayer Vigil, August 2013
 Abraham Conference, August 2015
 Youth PoWR, September 2015
 ….
 Resources for Interreligious Dialogue
 Conclusion
Fr Patrick McInerney
Contemporary Aboriginal Spiritualities
Religious Expression in Australia 1945 to the present

 The religious landscape from 1945 to present in relation to:
 changing patterns of religious adherence
 the current religious landscape
 Religious dialogue in multi-faith Australia

 Ecumenical movements within Christianity
 Interfaith dialogue
 The relationship between Aboriginal spiritualities and religious
traditions in the process of reconciliation.
2011 Studies of Religion II HSC Exam
Section 1, Question 11
 Debate
 Winners & losers
 Superior/inferior
 Seeking converts
 Win over the other
 Respect freedom
 Comparative studies in religion
 “head trip”
 Encounter between persons
 Ecumenism
 Ecumenism refers to the movement towards
religious unity amongst Christian denominations
e.g. Catholic, Anglican, Uniting, Pentecostal ….
 Interfaith dialogue is a process that seeks to
achieve respect and mutual understanding and
cooperation between people of different religions
e.g. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism,
Baha’i, Sikhism ….
Interreligious dialogue is a meeting of people of differing
religions, in an atmosphere of freedom and openness, in
order to listen to the other, to try to understand that
person’s religion, and hopefully to seek possibilities of
collaboration. It is hoped that the other partner will
reciprocate, because dialogue should be marked by a two-
way and not a one-way movement. Reciprocity is in the
nature of dialogue. There is give and take. Dialogue
implies both receptivity and active communication.
Cardinal Francis Arinze, Meeting Other Believers: The Risks and Rewards of
Interreligious Dialogue (Leominster, Herefordshire: Gracewing – Fowler
Wright Books, 1997), 5.
1. The dialogue of life
2. The dialogue of action
3. The dialogue of theological discourse
4. The dialogue of religious experience

“Our first task in approaching another people, another
culture, another religion, is to take off our shoes, for the
place we are approaching is holy. Else we may find ourselves
treading on another’s dream. More serious still, we may
forget … that God was there before our arrival.”
Max Warren
 “The purpose of dialogue is to come to an understanding
of the other, not to determine whether they are good,
bad, right or wrong.” (Kay Lindahl, Nine Guidelines for
Listening to Others).
 “Before speaking, we must take great care to listen not
only to what people say, but more especially to what they
have it in their hearts to say. Only then will we understand
them and respect them…” (Pope Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam).
 “The fundamental attitudes that need to be found for
dialogue are respect, openness, listening, humility and the
common search for truth.” (Larry Nemer SVD, Prophetic
Dialogue: A New Way of Doing Mission?).
1. When you are listening, suspend assumptions. We often assume that others
have had the same experiences that we have, and that is how we listen to
them. Learn to recognize assumptions by noticing when you get upset or
annoyed by something someone else is saying.
2. When you are speaking, express your personal response – informed by your
tradition, beliefs and practices as you have interpreted them in your life.
Use “I” language. Take ownership of what you say. Notice how often the
phrases “We all”, “of course”, “everyone says”, “you know” come into your
conversation. The only person you can truly speak for is yourself.
3. Listen and speak without judgment – the purpose of dialogue is to come to

an understanding of the other, not to determine whether they are good, bad,
right or wrong.
THE SACRED ART OF LISTENING:

Forty Reflections for Cultivating a Spiritual Practice by Kay Lindahl
4. Suspend status – everyone is an equal partner in the inquiry. There is no
seniority or hierarchy. All are colleagues with a mutual quest for insight and
clarity. You are each an expert in your life. That is what you bring to the dialogue
process.
5. Honour confidentiality – leave the names of participants in the room so if you

share stories or ideas, no one’s identity will be revealed. Create a safe space for
self-expression.
6. Listen for understanding, not to agree with or believe – you do not have to
agree with or believe anything that is said. Your job is to listen for understanding.

7. Ask clarifying or open-ended questions to assist your understanding and
to explore assumptions.
8. Honour silence and time for reflection – notice what wants to be said
rather than what you want to say.
9. One person speaks at a time – pay attention to the flow of the

conversation. Notice what patterns emerge from the group. Make sure that
each person has an opportunity to speak, while knowing that no one is
required to speak.

1911 – 96% of Australians 2011 – 61% of Australians
reported an affiliation with reported an affiliation with
Christianity. Christianity.
Religious Affiliation 68.3%
No Religion 22.3%
No Answer 9.4%
Christian 61.1%
Buddhist 2.5%
Muslim 2.2%
Hindu 1.3%
Other Religions 1.2%
2013 Census, Australian Bureau of Statistics
Wars, terrorist attacks and
religious conflicts contribute to
fear and hatred towards members
of certain religions. Australia’s
Muslim community, for example,
was subject to suspicion and
persecution in the years following
the September 11 terrorist attacks.
During these years, incorrect
statements about Islam were
disseminated through the media
and offensive stereotypes were
perpetuated.
Interfaith dialogue provides a
forum for these stereotypes to
be broken down.
Interfaith dialogue is a necessary step towards
peace within our communities as it fosters
respect and mutual understanding.
We promote better relations between Christians and Muslims
through a number of activities:
 Organizing conferences and seminars to enable Christians and
Muslims to meet each other and learn from one another.
 Attending Muslim events e.g. iftar, ‘Eid, conferences
 Attending and hosting Christian-Muslim and other
interfaith/multi-faith events e.g. Abraham Conference
 Publishing Bridges – a quarterly newsletter with news and feature
articles on interfaith dialogue.
 Providing speakers and conducting workshops on interfaith
dialogue.
 Providing resources on Islam and interfaith dialogue.
 Publishing The Golden Rule Poster
 Teaching courses on Islam and Interreligious Dialogue
In groups of three or four, devise a hypothetical interfaith
event that brings together members of two or more
religions.
 What would your interfaith event involve? A mini-bus tour
of sacred religious sites? Time spent volunteering in a soup
kitchen? A high tea?
 What would you hope to achieve through this event?
 What message would you want your guests to leave with?
 It is not until we meet a follower of another religion and take the time to listen to
their views that we realize that all religions are fundamentally good.
 The Qur’an, the Bible and the Torah, for example, all teach the importance of The
Golden Rule, that is, treating others as you would like to be treated.
 When our knowledge of other religions is based only on what we see in the
media, this is a sure path to fear and conflict within our own communities.
 Ethic of reciprocity
 In the sacred texts of
thirteen (13) different
religions/spiritualities
 Shared/common value
 Authoritative
https://goo.gl/0ZSOza
 What is Interreligious Dialogue?
 News from the world
 Columban stories
 Teaching documents
 Social Issues
 Justice
 Peace
 Integrity of Creation
 How
 Resources
 World Religions
 Buddhism
 Hinduism
 Islam
 Judaism
 Australian Catholic
Bishops Conference
 Introduction
 History
 Summary
 Definition
 Implementation
 Teaching Documents
 Our Responsibility
 What we do
 What you can do
 Conclusion
goo.gl/dBWW0T
 Editorial
 News from the Centre
 News from the world
 Feature articles
 Coming events
https://goo.gl/cRdaCi
 Dupuche, J. (2013). ‘Silence and Dialogue’ in The Journal of
The Council of Christians and Jews, vol. 4 no. 4, pp. 52-54.
 Pope Paul VI. Ecclesiam Suam: Paths of the Church. 6
August 1964.
 Lindahl, K. (2004). The Sacred Art of Listening: Forty
Reflections for Cultivating a Spiritual Practice. Woodstock,
VT: Skylight Paths Publishing.
 Nemer, Lawrence (2007). ‘Prophetic Dialogue: A New Way
of Doing Mission?’ in South Pacific Journal of Mission
Studies, 36. pp. 30-36.

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Religious and Belief Systems

Fr Brian Vale and Fr Patrick McInerney

 Resources for Interreligious Dialogue

Religious Expression in Australia 1945 to the present

 Religious dialogue in multi-faith Australia

2. The dialogue of action

3. The dialogue of theological discourse

4. The dialogue of religious experience

3. Listen and speak without judgment – the purpose of dialogue is to come to

THE SACRED ART OF LISTENING:

5. Honour confidentiality – leave the names of participants in the room so if you

THE SACRED ART OF LISTENING:

9. One person speaks at a time – pay attention to the flow of the

THE SACRED ART OF LISTENING:

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