Religious and belief systems in AustraliaQ1. Describe the changing patterns of religious membership in Australia from 1945 to the present. There have been many changes in religious adherence since the end of World War II. At the end of the war many Australians still had British ancestry and so most were Christians. With the arrival of immigrants to Australia after the war, we began to see new religions develop. Orthodox Christians came from countries like Greece, for example. Catholics continued to grow in number while some other Christian denominations declined in size. One of the reasons the Catholic Church is growing is the arrival of immigrants from countries like Africa and the Philippines. With the arrival of immigrants from countries such as India and other parts of Asia since the 1970s, the number of worshipers has increased. non-Christian religions. Hinduism grew as a religion due to increasing immigration of people from countries like India. Buddhism also developed. It is today the largest non-Christian religion in Australia. Among other religions, Islam continues to grow while the number of people following Judaism has remained fairly constant. Ethnicity therefore continues to influence the way people view religion in Australia today. However ( Andrew West and Professor Des Cahill, 2012 ) argue that Australia is becoming more religious, but in different ways, including through non-religious choices. In the 2011 census, more people chose the “No religion” option than in previous censuses. It is predicted that in the 21st century, the number of people identifying as Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus will increase. At the same time, in recent years there has been a decline in the number of newspapers describing people who do not believe themselves to be religious. However, the census section relating to religious beliefs is not obligatory. Therefore, people who do not want to talk about their religious beliefs may not have completed this section. The “no religion” section also includes agnostics, atheists, and some people who follow new age traditions. Many of these people may not be religious, but they can still be spiritual. 2011 census reveals rose without religion”, ABC radio National, June 27 http://www.abs.gov.au Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011, census, Australia. http://www.smh.com.au/ West A, 2012, “Australia's 2011 census, ethnicity and religion”, ABC Radio National, 8 August