the establishment of of christianity in australia

© 2005 Preliminary Course: Religion in Australia pre-1945. This sheet may be photocopied for non-commercial classroom use only.

The The EstablishmentEstablishment

of of Christianity in Christianity in

AustraliaAustralia

1788 - 18391788 - 1839


European settlement introduced Christianity to Australia.

A small number of Jews and other non-Christians were present.

Early immigration increased Christianity’s influence and was accompanied by denominational divisions.


1788 - 18391788 - 1839

The first Chaplain, Richard Johnson saw his main mission as converting European and native inhabitants of the colony to a personal Christianity.

He belonged to the Evangelical Anglicism and this was in conflict with the duties bestowed on him by the government.

It was a chaplaincy to a convict settlement.Chaplains were:

under military authority civil magistrates regarded as members of the

administrative staff of the colony.

All convicts were expected to attend compulsory Anglican worship.


1788 - 18391788 - 1839

Two parties of Anglicans represented the Church of England in the Australian Colony:

Evangelical AnglicansEvangelical Anglicans Stressed:

personal conversion salvation by individual faith

Emphasised

supreme authority of the Bibleimportance of preaching

High ChurchHigh Church more in common with the Catholic tradition.


1788 - 18391788 - 1839

Religion was linked to public order among convicts and marines.

Rev. Samuel Marsden became chaplain after Johnson.

He took on the role of moral policeman.


1788 - 18391788 - 1839

Archbishop John Bede Polding, the first Australian Catholic Bishop, had a very deep understanding of the Aboriginal culture. He tried very hard to establish missions.

These were, however, doomed to fail because:

most Catholics did not appreciate the complexities of Aboriginal culture and spirituality, and neglected to take into account the Aborigines’ nomadic lifestyle.

most Catholics agreed with other white Australians in seeing Aborigines as a primitive inferior race that should be allowed to die.


1788 - 18391788 - 1839


1788 - 18391788 - 1839

Christianity was largely rejected by convicts and other working class Australians, except among the Irish minority.

The Church of England and the State were linked together to impose moral order.

The major State financial support for Christianity was in the form of Education (Church of England) which caused hostility from other denominations especially Catholics and Presbyterians.

Church attendance was low, however there was an overall belief in God as a supreme being (White community)

Aborigines held on strongly to their spirituality.

Most Catholics were Irish convicts together with a few marines.

One tenth of all convicts transported to Australia were Catholics and half were born in Ireland.

The early Catholic Church was seen as an Irish Australian Church.


1788 - 18391788 - 1839

1840 - 19141840 - 1914


1840 - 19141840 - 1914

State supported Anglican dominance came under increasing pressure.

The major challenge occurred in the Education field - Catholics established their own school system, most Protestants had supported a secular state system with little religious instruction.

Catholics needed Protestant support in Politics which limited the degree of influence of sectarian politics in Victoria and NSW.

Aborigines had strongly resisted Protestant cultural imperialism.




Protestants regarded Catholics as uncivilised and disloyal to the government while its priests were seen as bigoted perverters of the gospel of Christ.

Catholics considered Protestants to have left the true religion.

1840 - 19141840 - 1914


1840 - 19141840 - 1914

The Public Instruction Act of 1880 produced different reactions from the various denominations and was the origin of the state aid issue.

e.g. Ministry in the Outback (Flynn)Bush Brothers

The Act was introduced by Henry Parkes and transferred the management of Education from the Church (i.e. Church of England) to the state which allowed public education to be free of sectarianism or class distinction. This became the turning point for Catholic Education as it brought about the establishment of Catholic schools. The religious orders carried the schools through this time with little or no money to operate, such as:

The Good Samaritan Sisters (founded by Polding in 1857),

Sisters of St Joseph

(founded by Fr Julian Tenison Woods and Mary MacKillop)

Christian Brothers.



1840 - 19141840 - 1914

Protestants demonstrated their conservative influence on Australian life - identified with non-Labor political parties. Main Protestant emphasis was on moral, especially temperance, reform.

Catholics identified with the Labor Party - where they had an anti-socialist influence.

There was a drive to maintain a Christian nation in which the allegedly declining Aboriginal race had no future place.

Religious Community profiles Religion in Australia -40The Australian Church Story, page 103 -26

Federation, 1st January 1901, brought together the separate Colonies into one nation.

Many church leaders were keen to form a ‘Christian’ nation.



1840 - 19141840 - 1914

1914 - 19451914 - 1945


World War II1939-1945

World War I1914-1918

With the first World War, Protestants had a drop in church attendance, although widespread public acknowledgement of Christianity still occurred.

Churches demonstrated their continued conservative influence in Australia.

Increase in Catholic influence in the Labor Party contributed to the declining influence of anti-capitalist socialism.

Missions continued their paternalistic approaches to Aborigines. There was a general church neglect of the economic exploitation of Aborigines.

1914 - 19451914 - 1945


1914 - 19451914 - 1945


Initially the churches encouraged thousands of its members to enlist in the armed services. It was widely believed that the Australian War effort was divinely sanctioned.


1914 - 19451914 - 1945

The issue over conscription during World

War I became another source of Sectarian

hostility between Protestants and Catholics.


1914 - 19451914 - 1945

The various Christian denominations responded to the wider community.

e.g. divorce and Sabbath debates.

The Churches were active during wars,

e.g. role of the Catholic Church in the Labor movement - Mannix.


1914 - 19451914 - 1945

It wasn’t until the 1930’s that Catholics were

granted civil liberties such as being allowed

to hold Public Office.

the establishment of of christianity in australia

Documents

australia pre

noncommercial classroom

personal christianity

church attendance

establishment of christianity

australian colony

evangelical anglicans

moral order