Berkley Center

I knew that going to church once a week was a bit more religious than many of my peers, but I never expected to be considered a saint. Before arriving in Sydney, I had learned that Australia is one of the world's most secular countries. I was most interested in learning about youth religious views and practices. Is it that most young people do believe in a certain religion but do not practice it, or that they do not claim a religion at all?

After living here for three weeks, some of my preconceived notions have come true, while others have been proven false. A group of Australians that I have met do not support organized religion. They believe that if you want to pray, you can do it on your own; if you pray as a group, you are just following the crowd. They see the Catholic Church in a negative light. They think it is just a means of making money, noting it as one of the largest “businesses” in the world. They claim to be practicing Catholics, although they only go to church on Easter and Christmas. They were shocked to hear that I was among other American college students who attend Mass every week, especially on a voluntary basis. They called me a saint! I considered that this group might be a bit extreme until I learned that the Atheist Society on campus is one of the largest student groups. I expected most students to believe in a certain religion, but not necessarily practice it. I did not expect to meet students who felt so strongly opposed to organized religion. Perhaps this is just an example of youth rebellion.

On the other hand, another Australian friend was quite religious, but I only learned this after the topic came up. He has also studied abroad in the United States, so it was interesting to compare our different perspectives on one another’s religious cultures. While I perceive many Australians to be non-religious, he thinks that Americans are too conspicuous about religion. He feels as though we all wear our religion on our sleeves and treat the concept as a means of pride. This parallels many American lifestyles of being materialistic and haughty. Some of us boast about how much money we make or what degrees we have earned; it makes sense that religion is another category that we like to share with the world. He believes that religion is a personal matter and something you have to ask an Australian about. It is not that most Australians are not as religious as Americans; it is just that they do not show it like we do.

To say the least, I was not surprised to find only one Catholic church in my suburb of 20,000 people. Compared to the churches that I have been to at home, this place was fairly empty, with only about 30 people in attendance. I must have been one of about two people in their twenties. While the youth religious culture is definitely different in Australia, it is certainly not absent. I am excited to continue to learn more about more youth religious beliefs and practices, or reasons for its nonexistence.