This fascinating book challenges the idea that religious and spiritual life in Australia is in decline. Australian Soul not only describes and analyses religious and spiritual life in detail, it also provides a series of case studies that give voice to the range of practices and beliefs in Australia today. Tables and figures xi Preface xiii Acknowledgements xvii 1 Introduction 1 A shy hope in the heart 2 The setting Australian society 2 Postmodern 3 Secular 5 Diverse 6 Defining religion and spirituality 7 Spirituality, religion, persons and society 16 Spirituality, religion and hope 18 Producing religion and spirituality 19 Spirituality and the sacred 25 A communal and social hope in the heart 27 A methodological reflection 28 Conclusion 30 2 Qualities of Australian religion and spirituality 31 Religious institutions 33 Origins of Australian spiritual and religious life 38 Comparing religious institutions 43 Pre-1947 Australian religion and spirituality 45 Organised religion in Australia 47 Conclusion 48 3 Quantities of Australian religion and spirituality 49 Religious identity 50 Increased diversity 52 Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus 55 'Other religious groups' 58 Other world religions in Australia 60 New religious movements 60 Nature religions 61 The rise of spirituality 61 Multiple religious identities 63 Decline of British protestantism 65 Catholic growth 67 Other demographic dimensions 68 Age and gender 68 Education 69 Income and occupation 70 Family 70 Demographic implications for the future 72 National comparisons 74 Religion and spirituality in social surveys 77 Declines in participation 78 Who attends church? 79 Retention rates 80 Normal levels of religious practice 83 Impact of belief and attendance 84 Conclusion 85 4 Spirituality and cultural change 86 The cultural shift from rationality to experience 86 Implications of cultural change 96 Impact on the churches 96 Impact on clergy 99 Implications for theology 101 Post-secular times 101 Post-book times 103 Conclusion 105 5 The changing social location of religion and spirituality 106 Further disentangling church and state 107 Post-empire times 107 Post-colonial times 109 Post-national times 111 A consumerist society 114 Australia has become a multifaith society 116 Having to share 117 Post-ecumenical times 119 Critical changes in the social structure of Australia 122 Post-family times 122 Post-patriarchal times 126 New forms of social capital and cohesion 127 Conclusion 127 6 The mainstream: From Christendom to comfortable on the margins 129 The move to the margins 130 The comforts of marginalisation 137 Two patterns of marginalisation 139 The marginalisation of monopoly religions 139 The marginalisation of denominational and sectarian groups 140 Conclusion 142 7 Religion and spirituality respond to change 143 Religious revitalisation in Australia 144 Examples of revitalisation in civic rites 148 Mega-churches 149 The rise of high-demand religious groups 154 Fundamentalisation 156 Fundamentalism and withdrawal from society 158 Spiritual innovation 162 Theological innovation in postmodernity 166 God in twenty-first-century Australia 169 Conclusion 171 8 Religion, spirituality and Australian social policy 172 How religion returned to the social policy agenda 173 Religion and the social policy discourse 175 How religion relates to social policy 176 Religion as a subject of social policy 176 The promotion of moderate Islam 178 Social policy as protection from religious excesses 179 Religion and education 181 Religion in the census and social policy 183 Religion as a source of social policy 185 Food, health and religion 186 Employment, law and religion 187 Religion as a shaper and implementer of social policy 190 Regulating religions in postmodern secularity 192 Managing religious diversity 193 Social institutions of religious diversity management 193 Managing religious diversity around the world today 195 Social policy and the religious Right's transition from quietism to activism 196 Internal diversity 197 Religious competition 198 Living with and utilising diversity 201 Conclusion 202 9 Signs of hope in the twenty-first century 204 Core drivers 205 Signs of hope 208 Youth spirituality 208 Grass-roots interfaith activities 210 Interspirituality and bricolage 211 Religion and politics 212 Further reading 213 References 219 Index 228