The Diffusion of New Age Practices and Beliefs among Australian Church Attenders
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/fiel2007v2i1.9Keywords:
church attendanceAbstract
Analysing the results of a 2001 survey of a random sample of churchgoers in Australia, this article discovers that if all churchgoers are analysed as one single category, Australian churchgoers do not have much affinity with the New Age, a result which fits with the current literature. However, when looking more closely at the sample, it is discovered that Catholics do have the highest affinity with the New Age among all Christian groups, and evangelical groups have the least affinity. It is also found that churchgoers in their teens are more inclined to these alternative ideas.
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References
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Johnson, P., 2004, ‘Discipling New Age and Do-It-Yourself Seekers through Booth Ministries’. In I. Hexam et al. (eds), Encountering New Religious Movements: A Holistic Evangelical Approach. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2004: 229-42.
Johnson, P., and S. Payne, 2004, ‘Evangelical Countercult Apologists versus Astrology: An Unresolved Conundrum’. The Australian Religions Studies Review 17(2): 73-97.
Kaldor, P., R. Dixon and R. Powell, 1999, Taking Stock: A Profile of Australian Church Attenders. Adelaide: Openbook Publishers.
Kemp, D., 2001, ‘Christaquarianism: A New Socio-Religious Movement of Postmodern Society?’ Implicit Religion 4(1): 27-40.
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Possamai, A., 2005a. Religion and Popular Culture: A Hyper-Real Testament. Brussels: P.I.E.-Peter Lang.
—2005b, In Search of New Age Spirituality. UK: Ashgate.
—2005c, Perles Noires. Oulon, France: Nuit d’Avril.
Saliba, J., 2004, ‘A Christian Response to the New Age Movement’. In L. Lewis (ed.), The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of New Age Religion. New York: Prometheus Books, 2004: 307-17.
Sutcliffe, S., 2003, Children of the New Age: A History of Spiritual Practices. London: Routledge.
Bellamy, J., A. Black, K. Castle, P. Hughes and P. Kaldor, 2002, Why People Don’t Go to Church. Adelaide: Openbook Publishers.
Bouma, G., 2006, Australia Religion and Spirituality: A Shy Hope in the Heart. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.
Bruce, S., 1996, Religion in the Modern World: From Cathedrals to Cults. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
—2002, God is Dead: Secularization in the West. Oxford, Blackwell.
Charlesworth, M., 1997, ‘The Diversity of Revelations’. In M. Charlesworth, Religious Inventions: Four Essays. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 1997: 23-50.
Clifford, R., and P. Johnson, 2001, Jesus and the Gods of the New Age: Communicating Christ in Today’s Spiritual Supermarket. Oxford: Lion Publishing.
Croucher, P., 1989, Buddhism in Australia 1848–1988. Kensington: NSW University Press.
Cush, D., 1996, ‘British Buddhism and the New Age’. Journal of Contemporary Religion 11(2): 195208.
Dinges, W., 2004, ‘The New (Old) Age Movement: Assessing a Vatican Assessment’. Journal of Contemporary Religion 19 (3): 273-88.
Donahue, M., 1993, ‘Prevalence and Correlates of New Age Beliefs in Six Protestant Denominations’. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 32(2): 177-84. doi:10.2307/1386797
Drane, J., R. Clifford and P. Johnson, 2001, Beyond Prediction: The Tarot and your Spirituality. Oxford: Lion Publishing.
Heelas, P., 1996, The New Age Movement. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Heelas, P., and L. Woodhead, with B. Seel, B. Szerszynski and K. Tusting, 2005, The Spiritual Revolution: Why Religion Is Giving Way to Spirituality. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Houtman, D., and P. Mascini, 2002, ‘Why Do Churches Become Empty, While New Age Grows? Secularization and Religious Change in the Netherlands’. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 41(3): 455-73. doi:10.1111/1468-5906.00130
Hughes, P., 2000, Australia’s Religious Communities: A Multimedia Exploration (Professional Edition). Melbourne: The Christian Research Association.
—2002, ‘Traditional and Post-Traditional Societies: The Implications for Religious Education’. Journal of Religious Education 50(2): 30-36.
Johnson, P., 2004, ‘Discipling New Age and Do-It-Yourself Seekers through Booth Ministries’. In I. Hexam et al. (eds), Encountering New Religious Movements: A Holistic Evangelical Approach. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2004: 229-42.
Johnson, P., and S. Payne, 2004, ‘Evangelical Countercult Apologists versus Astrology: An Unresolved Conundrum’. The Australian Religions Studies Review 17(2): 73-97.
Kaldor, P., R. Dixon and R. Powell, 1999, Taking Stock: A Profile of Australian Church Attenders. Adelaide: Openbook Publishers.
Kemp, D., 2001, ‘Christaquarianism: A New Socio-Religious Movement of Postmodern Society?’ Implicit Religion 4(1): 27-40.
—2004, New Age: A Guide. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Possamai, A., 2005a. Religion and Popular Culture: A Hyper-Real Testament. Brussels: P.I.E.-Peter Lang.
—2005b, In Search of New Age Spirituality. UK: Ashgate.
—2005c, Perles Noires. Oulon, France: Nuit d’Avril.
Saliba, J., 2004, ‘A Christian Response to the New Age Movement’. In L. Lewis (ed.), The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of New Age Religion. New York: Prometheus Books, 2004: 307-17.
Sutcliffe, S., 2003, Children of the New Age: A History of Spiritual Practices. London: Routledge.
Published
2007-09-20
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Possamai, A., Bellamy, J., & Castle, K. (2007). The Diffusion of New Age Practices and Beliefs among Australian Church Attenders. Fieldwork in Religion, 2(1), 9-26. https://doi.org/10.1558/fiel2007v2i1.9
