Don't give religions cause to take chunk of your tax, say Atheist Foundation", "Atheists call on like-minded to declare lack of religion in census", "2016 Census data reveals "no religion" is rising fast", Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Atheist_Foundation_of_Australia&oldid=936482902, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The people of this country have been practicing religion in some form for over a thousand years, beginning with the Aboriginal populations. So Australia is very quickly becoming a predominantly atheistic society (our last senses the largest religion was "athiest/no religion" with like 30%) the public, I … Atheism, agnosticism, scepticism, freethought, secular humanism or general irreligion are increasing in Australia. We also provide a sanctuary for those who have escaped various religions. I see this trend continuing, especially in a country where Science is so very well respected by the majority. The job of “atheisting” is easy – “Atheism is the acceptance that there is no credible scientific or factually reliable evidence for the existence of a god, gods or the supernatural“. [4] The AFA hired billboards around the country promoting the campaign. We get together to … Sydney Atheists, are an active atheist resource for the people of Sydney, and an open, friendly and welcoming community for atheists and atheist-friendly people. The Atheist Society of Australia. What do we want to do? Discuss atheism-related beliefs & philosophies with fellow atheists &consider spiritual & religious influence in Australia - in particular Queensland. [7] The AFA ran a similar campaign for the 2016 census; results showed the percentage of people declaring no religion rose to 30.1%, becoming the top response. Correspondence and Essays with Phillip Adams - Covering the nature of atheism and wisdom. The History of the AFA. [3], The foundation ran a campaign encouraging people to mark "No religion" on the 2011 Australian Census. To encourage and to provide a means of expression for informed free-thought on philosophical and social issues. The foundation defines atheism as "the acceptance that there is no credible scientific or factually reliable evidence for the existence of a god, gods, or the supernatural." Post-war Australia has become a highly secularised country. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are in danger of losing their tax exempt status in Australia because they refuse to play their part in addressing allegations of … Some more specific objectives are: - Promote atheism as a positive, moral alternative lifestyle. Regular contributors could be given access to the website to publish their own work, if desired. An Anglican church in Rutherglen, Australia. The current state of the nation’s faith breaks along age lines. Bringing together essays from 33 of the nation’s pre-eminent atheist, rationalist, humanist, and sceptical thinkers, it canvasses a range of opinions on religion and secularism in Australia. the number of the atheists. The Australian Book of Atheism is the first collection to explore atheism from an Australian viewpoint. There is no Central Atheist Doctrine, and it’s not a religion. Where did we come from? What does that say about the state of Atheism in Australia? What do we do? The religious makeup of Australia has changed gradually over the past 50 years. To serve as a focal point for the community of non-religious people. However, the proportion of people reporting no religion, including people with secular and other spiritual beliefs, increased to 30% in 2016 – up from 22% five years ago. In 1966, Christianity (88 per cent) was the main religion. In their earliest incarnation, though under another name, the Australian Atheists Forums were originally hosted at aussieatheist.com (a domain which no longer exists), administered by Sean “The Blogonaut” Wright. It rejects belief in a deity, the supernatural and superstition in general. Australian small business owner David Jeffery is proclaiming the name of God with a renewed boldness after escaping the deadly fires in his hometown. Now she is an atheist. Debate, of course, is a very good thing, so I thought I would share ten reasons I am an atheist to reassure anyone thinking of pointing a finger my way that you have nothing to worry about. The researchers looked at data from 30 countries where surveys, taken at two or more time points between 1991 and 2008, asked residents about their … Then AFA president David Nicholls stated that many people "simply marked down the religion they were born into, despite not now being religious people at all", and that as census results are used to gauge public funding to religious groups, this was giving religion more tax-payers' money than its entitlement. Against God From what the article explains, Australians are more relaxed about religion than Americans, but also less willing to publicly declare themselves atheists. Atheism For Kids tackles these questions head-on, in a fun and beautifully-illustrated book written for children who are exploring religious ideas in an increasingly secular world. Why are we? For administrative ease, and to allow the AFA to concentrate on its core business, we moved to become autonomous in January 2020. Who are we? Media in category "Atheism in Australia" The following 3 files are in this category, out of 3 total. That forum was initially established in 2007. It favours the scientific method, and the discovery of physical laws, as the best way to understand the truth about reality. From 2009, the forums were part of the Atheist Foundation of Australia (AFA). Jason Ball addressing the 2012 Global Atheist Convention.JPG 3,125 × 2,588; 2.67 MB Religion does not play a major role in the lives of much of the population. The Atheist Foundation of Australia (AFA) was established in South Australia in 1970, when The Rationalist Association of South Australia decided upon a name change to better declare its basic philosophy, namely atheism.[1]. Jeffery was among the thousands of people who sought refuge by the beach in the Australian town of Mallacoota as a massive fire threatened to engulf the entire town. So, we aren’t rusted in place, and we’re ready to evaluate, should evidence show up, meeting those criteria. Many atheists think that their atheism is the product of rational thinking. Our members cover a wide range of ages, and come from a large diversity of cultures, professions, and walks of life. As well as hosting the forums, we’d also like to provide another space for Australian atheists to express themselves, via posting on a shared blog, or publishing articles and/or podcasts. The Australian Book of Atheism is the first collection to explore atheism from an Australian viewpoint. From 2009, the forums were part of the Atheist Foundation of Australia (AFA). The Atheist Foundation of Australia said it was time to stop pandering to religious minorities and to take religion out of politics. That forum was initially established in 2007. This informed disbelief certainly rolls into some areas of our lives, but there’s so much more to life than just the belief parts. By 1991, this figure had fallen to 74 per cent, and further to the 2016 figure. The foundation organised the 2010 Global Atheist Convention in conjunction with Atheist Alliance International,[2] and also helped organise the second Global Atheist Convention in 2012. The number of non-religious has increased by 50 percent from 2011 since the year 2016. There has also been an attempt by the Atheist Foundation of Australia to encourage teens and children to be counted as “no religion,” 2 claiming that only adults can validly claim a religion. The ‘New Atheists’ was a term coined in 2006 to describe three atheists who were writing popular books promoting atheism: Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett (Blackford 2012). There has long been a need for a place for free-thinkers to meet and discuss. Australia is an ethnically diverse country which lends to its religious composition. This page was last edited on 19 January 2020, at 04:10. Atheism is often confused with non-religion or irreligion, which is the absence of, or … Bringing together essays from 33 of the nation’s pre-eminent atheist, rationalist, humanist, and sceptical thinkers, it canvasses a range of opinions on religion and secularism in Australia. A Global Atheism Convention to be held here in 2018 with a who’s who of guest speakers, has been cancelled due to a lack of interest. The foundation believes that humans are rational and ethical beings, capable of making responsible and creative contributions to society. To safeguard the rights of all non-religious people. It is not easy to find out the exact number of atheists due to the various … We’re mostly Australian, though we have some active overseas members too. The results show Australia remains a predominantly religious country, with 60 per cent of people reporting a religious affiliation but the trend towards “no religion” has some calling for changes. In sub-Saharan Africa there is almost no atheism (2). The proportion of people reporting to be affiliated with a religion other than Christianity had increased to 2.6% in 1991 but increased more rapidly in the last 25 years to 8.2% in 2016. In the face of growing religious privilege, we gather. The Age has an interesting article about atheism in Australia, where atheism is even more rare than in the US. Ad hoc contributors could submit their work for consideration, to be published by the web editor (at their discretion). [4][5][6] The 2011 census results showed that the percentage of people declaring no religion had risen from 18.7% in 2006 to 22.3%, becoming the second largest response. The rise of secularism in Australia has prompted religious leaders to change how they speak to young people about religion. After Australia abolished the White Australia Policy in 1966, migration grew from non-European countries where religions other than Christianity were common. - Provide support for and a forum for Brisbane atheists. Click on … The Atheist Foundation of Australia (AFA) was established in South Australia in 1970, when The Rationalist Association of South Australia decided upon a name change to better declare its basic philosophy, namely atheism. - Actively grow this Meetup group. To question and critically examine all ideas, testing them in the light of experiment, leads to the discovery of facts. They belong neither to Agnosticism, Humanism nor Atheism beliefs. The foundation considers religion unnecessary and often harmful. Conversely, an event that keeps on growing, the Hillsong Conference in Sydney, has seen increased attendances over the past three years. Atheist means someone who does not believe in god or any supernatural being whatsoever, whereas non-religious is defined as a person who does not have religion playing a major role in their life and does not frequently visit religious events or places. ‘No Religion’ has become the highest belief system in Australia in terms of population, with over 29% of people in the 2016 census stating that they are either ‘atheist’ or ‘agnostic’. We might differ on what sports club we follow, or a political matter, or choice of music. Humorous Atheist Quotations. Of course, part of the atheist campaign is to try to indoctrinate young people in … “Australia remains a religious country, with 60% of our population reporting a religious affiliation. Certainly, Dawkins’ book, The God Delusion sold many copies in Australia as well as overseas. The article relates the issues with the new "atheist" books coming out in increasing numbers. That’s still a work in progress. The literal definition of “atheist” is “a person who does not believe in the existence of a god or any … To offer verifiable information in place of superstition and to promote logic and reason. Belief in God declines in more developed countries and atheism is concentrated in Europe in countries such as Sweden (64 percent nonbelievers), Denmark (48 percent), France (44 percent) and Germany (42 percent). First, as to the distribution of atheism in the world, a clear pattern can be discerned. The Atheist Foundation of Australia recognises the scientific method as the only rational means toward understanding reality. We pick the occasional visiting strawman into its component parts, and distribute the straw evenly over the compost-heap. [8], "Not religious? The Atheist Foundation of Australia Inc began in South Australia in 1970 when the members of the Rationalist Association of SA decided that a name change would proclaim their basic philosophy, which began in Greece 2500 years ago. 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