In the lead-up to Easter, The Express asked Armidale’s spiritual leaders and theologians for their perspective on that question.

More than 3500 Armidale residents marked ‘No Religion’ on their Census forms in 2006, forming the third-highest affiliation grouping after Catholics and Anglicans.

Although the data from the 2011 Census will not be released until June, a prominent campaign encouraging atheists, agnostics and lapsed believers not to affiliate themselves with any faith on their form last year is likely to see the percentage of non-religious Australians increase on 2006 figures.

Religious figures have also courted controversy in recent years, with six Victorian Catholic bishops encouraging their parishioners to make submissions to a Senate inquiry into same-sex marriage late last week, raising questions about the role of religion in secular politics.

Catholic Bishop of Armidale, Michael Kennedy, defended the role of the church in Australia, claiming that a secular society does not operate to the exclusion of all

religions.

“We live in a secular society, but the notion that a lot of people have in their heads is that secular means without God, without faith, without religion,” he said.

“A secular society is not a godless society, but one in which people of different faiths and religions can flourish.

“All the different groups have got that right to make their views known, to make their contribution to the public discourse and the public debate, and to do their part to try and shape policy.”

While he conceded people were turning away from organised religion, Bishop Kennedy said individual spirituality was still important.

“I think that’s a bit of a wider reflection of society, in which we’re seeing a greater individualism and a greater fragmentation of community life and societal life,” he said.

It’s a sentiment shared by Presbyterian Minister, Reverend David Seaman, who claimed younger people wanted more flexibility in today’s society.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of people being less religious; I think it’s a matter of being less committal,” he said. “They want to be able to be flexible, they want to be able to choose where they go and what they do, they don’t want to be tied down to one place or another.”

The National Church Life Survey found the average age of church attendees in Australia was rising, with people aged over 60 making up 42 per cent of church attendees in 2006, compared to 34 per cent in 1996.

Uniting Church Minister, Reverend Dr Anita Monro, said younger people were gradually becoming more interested in exploring traditional paths to spirituality due to a lack of prior exposure from their parents.

“Gen Y haven’t necessarily had any kind of traditional religious upbringing, so that when they came to do their spiritual searching, they actually wanted to explore the traditions,” she said.

Reverend Monro said the fragmentation of society had made religion more important than ever for many people.

“There are other stories as well; the Islamic story, the Buddhist story and even the atheist story, but those stories that help us know who we are as people in this place are actually quite crucial,” she said.

For Anglican Church Dean, Reverend Stephen Williams, it is the Christian story, not religious practice, that remains vital to society.

“If Jesus really did rise from the dead, Christianity’s not just of some relevance, it’s of the utmost importance,” he said. “If that didn’t happen, if that wasn’t true, then Christianity’s of no relevance whatsoever. The only thing Christianity can’t be, is of moderate importance or moderate relevance.”

Armidale District Baptist Church pastor, Reverend Andrew Coburn, said Christianity’s relevance extended beyond religious faith, due to its influence on Australia’s secular institutions.

“A lot of the hospital system was started by Christians, a lot of the education, a lot of the governmental framework, our laws, our court system were all based on Christian principles,” he said.

While most Christian leaders reported relatively static attendance figures over the past decade, a boost in Middle Eastern student enrolments at the University of New England has seen Armidale’s Islamic community grow at a considerable rate since 2005.

Consequently, the managers of the UNE Mosque have found it difficult to accommodate the additional worshippers at their facility.

“We have around 350 Muslim students from various countries - 400 if you include their families - so on many days we now have to go to other locations,” mosque president Dr Fakhral Islam said.

Islamic leaders have found additional challenges when encouraging people to adopt or remain faithful in Australia.

However, Dr Islam said his children were happy to identify as Muslim in a multicultural society.

“My daughter, who we never told to wear a headscarf, saw one in Lakemba and said she would like to buy it in the school colour so it matched the uniform,” he said. “Now she’s the only girl in the school wearing a scarf and it just became habit.”

Former mosque president, Dr Zifirdaus Adnan, said it was important to remind people of their spiritual obligations.

“These days you can see how smart people are, but when they face unsolvable problems, where do they go?” he said. “Sometimes they go to alcohol, sometimes they go to drugs and, in the most extreme form, they commit suicide.

“Within these chaotic things in the world and all the chaotic information that you get, you need spiritual guidance as well.”

Dr Islam said the negative perception of Islam over the last decade had also made it difficult for practising Muslims.

“There’s a lot of bad things happening in the name of religion, and everyone believes these people speak for an entire religion,” he said.

Although he reported an increase in numbers at his congregation, Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesman Greg Gosson said a lot of Australians turned away from other faiths due to a disillusionment with all

religion.

“Many have probably been turned away from religion because they see religion as being at the core of many of the problems in the world,” he said.

“But we believe the Bible has the answer to many of those problems and sadly, many view the Bible as being out of date and old-fashioned, which only compounds the problem.”

Another Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesman, Stephen Nelville, said the congregation attracted younger worshippers by addressing the life problems experienced by teenagers and young adults.

“We’re not oblivious to young people’s thinking these days; we have publications and books to assist teenagers and young 20-year-olds who might have various problems that come up with dating or boyfriends or arguments with parents,” he said.

“We don’t find that our faith is being abandoned by our young people, in fact our congregations are quite vibrant.”

UNE religious studies lecturer Dr Lesley McLean said disillusionment with religion or with certain stances taken by an institution will not necessarily lead to an outright rejection of spirituality.

“It might mean people will aim for a more reformist perspective, they might shift churches and look for a different community, but it won’t necessarily lead to an outright rejection of their faith,” she said. “Some may have fallen out of faith, but others will find a spiritual connection elsewhere.”

Dr McLean said people might be attracted to religions that align with their other interests or values.

“They might try to find an alternative that fits in with their other interests; someone may be concerned about the environment and so will go to nature religions, such as paganism or Wicca,” she said.

“Some have taken up popular forms of spirituality which combine Eastern practices and traditions with Western practices and traditions.”

Dr McLean said many Australians who had grown up without a religious background were likely to abandon religion altogether or apply it to other aspects of their life.

“There are some people who go back to or discover Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism, while others will find institutional religion holds no meaning to them; it’s just a matter of where people find spiritual meaning and what they hold sacred,” she said.

“Some people find it in religion, while others find it somewhere else and reject any affiliation.”

For many people, that spiritual connection has been found in Buddhism.

Armidale Buddhist Community Centre member Beverley Lea said many people found spiritual solace in Buddhist teachings.

“When they come to Buddhist teachings, they find that there are some particular ways of behaving and being that make you feel much better,” she said.

Fellow member Maxine Ross was attracted to Buddhism because of its meditation practice, but said the teachings extended into all aspects of a person’s life.

“You put it into any moment of your life and every interaction, or we try to,” she said.

“I came from a Jewish background so I was attracted to Buddhism because of the meditation technique, but the whole thing is about applying it into your life, having an awareness of it and wanting to treat others with kindness.”