Aug 28, 2023

By David Robinson Copy When it comes to the Bible, a higher percentage of Gen Y and Gen Z are reading it than Boomers. Picture from Shutterstock Are Australians becoming less religious? It is common enough to read of the demise of belief in Australia and other Western nations. For example, in 2021, the Census recorded 38.9 per cent of Australians as identifying as having no religion, a significant jump from the 30.1 per cent of Australians who had ticked that box in 2016. READ ALSO: However, does this equate to a rise in people ditching the idea of God? 2021 also saw a survey conducted by McCrindle Research that suggests the picture is more complicated than the news headlines would often have us believe. Like the Census, this research was carried out during some of the hardest times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike the Census, it sought a more detailed picture of people's attitudes toward faith. The picture it paints is of a nation that is increasingly spiritually curious. For example, 33 per cent of those asked reported thinking more about God during the pandemic than previously. Likewise, 28 per cent prayed more often, 47 per cent were more contemplative of the meaning of life, and a whopping two-thirds of people indicated that they would likely accept a personal invitation to attend a church service. However, what might be most striking is that this research suggests that the younger you are, the more likely you are to ask big questions about God. So while 20 per cent of the so-called Builder and Boomer generations reported praying more often, that number jumps to 35 per cent amongst Gen Y and 39 per cent amongst Gen Z. Likewise, nine per cent of Builders and Boomers reported reading the Bible more, that number jumps to 26 per cent for Gen Y and 32 per cent for Gen Z. These figures suggest that people are as innately spiritually curious as ever. The real shift has been in how we express that. After all, Australians have never been the most religiously minded bunch. Even in the early days of white settlement, when almost everyone would have said they were a Christian, that level of affiliation did not necessarily translate into everyone sitting in Church each week. Younger generations are more likely to reach out to God. Picture from Shutterstock Consider that the first fleet carried only one Bible belonging to the colony's sole chaplain, Richard Johnson. Nor did Johnson have a dedicated place to hold worship services until he built one out of his own pocket. Even that building was quickly burnt down. This hardly suggests that people back then were as devout as a Census may have suggested! Likewise, it may point to the distrust we often see toward institutions generally. On one level, I can understand why people might feel that way. After all, I'm sure we've all been angry at the illegal activity uncovered in PricewaterhouseCoopers in recent weeks. When religious institutions have often failed to live up to the standards they preach, it is little wonder that some might feel that the answers to their spiritual questions lay outside of those organisations. However, what is clear is that even in Australia, God is far from dead. People continue to search for answers to the big questions of life. Human nature has not changed in the space of a few generations, and people still long to understand their place in the bigger narrative of the universe. As a Christian minister, I have the daily joy of seeing people alongside one another, wrestling with these big questions. I see them find answers together. I see them encourage, help and love one another as they strive to know God better. Perhaps you are among the many people who have found themselves thinking more about God in recent years. This research tells you that you are far from alone. You may even be amongst the two in three Australians who would consider accepting an invitation to Church. Now seems as good a time as any to find a community of people who will be there alongside you. Consider the invitation extended! David Robinson is the Anglican Minister in Glen Innes Share