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. Discuss atheism-related beliefs & philosophies with fellow atheists &consider spiritual & religious influence in Australia - in particular Queensland. Of course, part of the atheist campaign is to try to indoctrinate young people in … To question and critically examine all ideas, testing them in the light of experiment, leads to the discovery of facts. 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. 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? Australia is an ethnically diverse country which lends to its religious composition. What do we do? the number of the atheists. It rejects belief in a deity, the supernatural and superstition in general. The Age has an interesting article about atheism in Australia, where atheism is even more rare than in the US. We get together to … The Atheist Foundation of Australia said it was time to stop pandering to religious minorities and to take religion out of politics. It is not easy to find out the exact number of atheists due to the various … Now she is an atheist. Atheism, agnosticism, scepticism, freethought, secular humanism or general irreligion are increasing in Australia. 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. Ad hoc contributors could submit their work for consideration, to be published by the web editor (at their discretion). In the face of growing religious privilege, we gather. Many atheists think that their atheism is the product of rational thinking. The History of the AFA. What do we want to do? 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 researchers looked at data from 30 countries where surveys, taken at two or more time points between 1991 and 2008, asked residents about their … I see this trend continuing, especially in a country where Science is so very well respected by the majority. - Actively grow this Meetup group. Why are we? The foundation considers religion unnecessary and often harmful. 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. Conversely, an event that keeps on growing, the Hillsong Conference in Sydney, has seen increased attendances over the past three years. The religious makeup of Australia has changed gradually over the past 50 years. The article relates the issues with the new "atheist" books coming out in increasing numbers. 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. There is no Central Atheist Doctrine, and it’s not a religion. That forum was initially established in 2007. 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. Jason Ball addressing the 2012 Global Atheist Convention.JPG 3,125 × 2,588; 2.67 MB 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. Click on … [8], "Not religious? - Provide support for and a forum for Brisbane atheists. Humorous Atheist Quotations. To offer verifiable information in place of superstition and to promote logic and reason. 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). 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." [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. So, we aren’t rusted in place, and we’re ready to evaluate, should evidence show up, meeting those criteria. You might even find out we’re a lot like you. 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). 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. 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. In 1966, Christianity (88 per cent) was the main religion. 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. That’s still a work in progress. Regular contributors could be given access to the website to publish their own work, if desired. Australia is predominantly a religious country but also have about a third (7 million) indicated not to belong to any religion. It favours the scientific method, and the discovery of physical laws, as the best way to understand the truth about reality. An Anglican church in Rutherglen, Australia. In sub-Saharan Africa there is almost no atheism (2). Some more specific objectives are: - Promote atheism as a positive, moral alternative lifestyle. The current state of the nation’s faith breaks along age lines. 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. There has long been a need for a place for free-thinkers to meet and discuss. The number of non-religious has increased by 50 percent from 2011 since the year 2016. 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. We might differ on what sports club we follow, or a political matter, or choice of music. What does that say about the state of Atheism in Australia? [3], The foundation ran a campaign encouraging people to mark "No religion" on the 2011 Australian Census. Atheism is often confused with non-religion or irreligion, which is the absence of, or … Post-war Australia has become a highly secularised country. By 1991, this figure had fallen to 74 per cent, and further to the 2016 figure. The Atheist Foundation of Australia recognises the scientific method as the only rational means toward understanding reality. 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). Where did we come from? The rise of secularism in Australia has prompted religious leaders to change how they speak to young people about religion. Media in category "Atheism in Australia" The following 3 files are in this category, out of 3 total. Religion does not play a major role in the lives of much of the population. We pick the occasional visiting strawman into its component parts, and distribute the straw evenly over the compost-heap. That forum was initially established in 2007. Certainly, Dawkins’ book, The God Delusion sold many copies in Australia as well as overseas. 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 foundation believes that humans are rational and ethical beings, capable of making responsible and creative contributions to society. 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. Australian small business owner David Jeffery is proclaiming the name of God with a renewed boldness after escaping the deadly fires in his hometown. We also provide a sanctuary for those who have escaped various religions. This informed disbelief certainly rolls into some areas of our lives, but there’s so much more to life than just the belief parts. 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. Against God From what the article explains, Australians are more relaxed about religion than Americans, but also less willing to publicly declare themselves atheists. From 2009, the forums were part of the Atheist Foundation of Australia (AFA). 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 … 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 … To serve as a focal point for the community of non-religious people. The Atheist Society of Australia. We’re mostly Australian, though we have some active overseas members too. 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. 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. 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. This page was last edited on 19 January 2020, at 04:10. After Australia abolished the White Australia Policy in 1966, migration grew from non-European countries where religions other than Christianity were common. 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]. First, as to the distribution of atheism in the world, a clear pattern can be discerned. [4] The AFA hired billboards around the country promoting the campaign. Our members cover a wide range of ages, and come from a large diversity of cultures, professions, and walks of life. [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 Australian Book of Atheism is the first collection to explore atheism from an Australian viewpoint. 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“. They belong neither to Agnosticism, Humanism nor Atheism beliefs. From The Atheist Archives. To encourage and to provide a means of expression for informed free-thought on philosophical and social issues. 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. “Australia remains a religious country, with 60% of our population reporting a religious affiliation. To safeguard the rights of all non-religious people. ‘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’. 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