Australian Religion Studies Review

Front matter

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Intellectuals of the Other in Religion: Fear and Fascination

Adam Possamai

The analysis of the role of intellectuals in social life has been widely studied and theorized. However, little application has been made on the involvement of the intellectual in the study of religions. This paper analyses the different types of intellectuals, e.g. Bauman's legislators and interpreters, and the role they take in researching and/or speaking for and/or against the other in religion.

Religion, Gender and the Postcolonial Crisis of the Present: Reflections on and from India

Kalpana Ram

The paper explores the crisis in modernity's incapacity to address the Other in various overlapping domains, those of 'religion', 'woman', 'tradition' and 'non-western societies'. It argues that this incapacity, intrinsic to the very construction of modernity, has seriously weakened secular modern emancipatory projects not only in the west, but within countries like India. In India, projects strong among Indian intellectuals, such as feminism, secularism and socialism, face a crisis in their capacity to oppose the rise of Hindu religious nationalism. The paper explores the weaknesses in these projects particularly in their understanding of human agency, through a detailed examination of the way religion has been constructed in modern understandings of belief, ritual, choice and tradition.

Catholic Church Engagement in Australian Society: A Symbiotic Relationship between "The Religious" and "The Secular"?

Joan Daw

The Catholic Church is a major provider of social welfare services in Australian society. Attitudes and practices relating to charitable/welfare activity are, therefore, important indicators of the Church 's engagement in pluralist society. In this paper, data from the 1996 Australian Catholic Church Life Survey, the 2001 National Church Life Survey (Catholic Component), and the 1998 Australian Community Survey are used to examine such indicators. The research shows that charity/welfare is regarded by Catholics as a core function of religion. Moreover, this is shown to tap into two differing orientations: one specifically religious, the other less so. These two orientations are also identified in the provision of welfare services by Catholic organisations in the sense that their mission accords with the first orientation, while service delivery tends to accord with the second. These findings prompt exploration of the possibility of a symbiotic relationship between "the religious" and "the secular" in Catholicism's social engagement.

The Transmission of a Religious Heritage to Younger Members of Small Ethnic Communities in a Pluralist Society: The Perceptions of Young Australian Copts

Marian de Souza, Richard Rymarz

Contemporary Australia has clearly become a multi-faith and multi-cultural society. Even within the mainstream Christian religions there are many new arrivals whose countries of origin are non Euro-centric, and they have brought with them a wide variety of cultural practices that are different from the Anglo-Saxon/Celtic culture that has dominated Christian practice in this country. Consequently, the 'face' of Australian Christians has been slowly changing. In particular, young Australians have been exposed to a wide range of cultural and religious practices through both community interaction and a highly influential media. Within this framework, the Copts are a small growing ethnic community who are focused on handing on their cultural and religious heritage to their younger members. This paper will explore the transmission of the Coptic religious heritage, and discuss what some school-going Copts say about the various influences on their religiosity and spirituality.

Evangelical Countercult Apologists versus Astrology: An Unresolved Conundrum

Philip Johnson, Simeon Payne

Astrology is a religious, divinatory tool with an ancient pedigree found across many cultures. In the current era astrology is widely used in do-it-yourself (DIY) approaches to spirituality. Since the Reformation, there have been three primary Evangelical Protestant responses to astrology: "critical rejection", "qualified embrace", and "apologetic engagement". Contemporary polemics resemble a form of reality maintenance bounded by "fear" of the alien other, with the objective being the nihilation, of astrology as a spiritual competitor. Evangelical Protestants face increased challenges from DIY spiritualities concerning divination and guidance. This paper inquires into the Evangelical responses, noting how each one reflects sympathies or antipathies toward the concept of natural theology or general revelation in the history of Christian thought. The discussion explores these issues, as well as considering what theological questions arise vis-à-vis astrology.

Jules Monchanin, Henri Le Saux/Abhishiktananda and the Hindu-Christian Encounter

Harry Oldmeadow

This article focuses on two Benedictine monks, Fathers Jules Monchanin and Henri Le Saux, who spent many years in the sub-continent where they immersed themselves in Indian philosophy and spirituality. The article compares and contrasts their differing responses to the "problem" of the relationship between Christianity and the Hindu tradition. The article argues that the more inclusivist understanding of Hinduism by Le Saux (who became better-known under his Indian name, Abhishiktananda) allowed him to reconcile the tensions and contradictions evident in the life and work of his fellow-monk. The article also explores Abhishiktananda's understanding of the ideal of renunciation as a meeting-point for the two traditions.

Film Review

Various Contributors

The Passion of the Christ (Director Mel Gibson 2004)

Book Reviews

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Back matter

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