Australian Soul By Gary Bouma

In Australian Soul, Gary Bouma, (2006) delves into the complexities of Australia’s religious and spiritual character, in an effort to interpret changes, forecast the consequences, and predict it’s future direction deep into the 21st Century. Bouma highlights that Australian religion and spirituality are influenced by factors other than simply the Gospel, or teachings and expectations of any religious organisation. He defines the strength of what he calls “Religious Social Institution”, which are the norms or expectations by way of societal acceptance, which regulate the way a society goes about it’s religious social life.

Attitudes can be mapped back to Australia’s historical roots, and significant religious events over the course of it’s

People have not made an educated decision to stop believing, it is due to a lack of information. “ Belief found among Australians is theologically deficient and philosophically unsophisticated.” (Frame, 209, p.295). It has been reported that “a majority of public school students were religiously illiterate and that the level of knowledge of Australia’s faith adherents about other faiths was “questionable and often negative” (Cahill, Bouma, Delal, & Leahy, 2004, p.100).

Together with a new found freedom of no longer being bound by family tradition, a holistic approach (where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts) is shaping peoples interest, generating a “Spiritual Revolution”. Whilst Australians are rejecting religious institutions, they are not rejecting spirituality. They are open to a spirituality that welcomes, cares deeply, shares their concerns, and is a companion on their journey through life. For millions there is an new dawn of soul awareness, yet no setting in which these matters can safely be