RELIGION
POST GOD NATION?
By Roy Williams. ABC Books. 406pp. $32.99.
Post God Nation? begins with a provocative quote from Australian novelist Patrick White. White wrote: "I suppose what I am increasingly trying to do in my books is to give professed unbelievers glimpses of their own unprofessed faith". Is Patrick White suggesting that even unbelievers have faith? Roy Williams, retired lawyer, probes the rise of atheism and agnosticism in modern Australia.
The author reminds us that in 1901, 96 per cent of Australians identified themselves as Christians. In the 20th century, religious faith for many has collapsed and we now have a secular society. I have been in Christian ministry for more than 50 years and have witnessed this massive shift. Today, most Australians perceive Christianity as implausible, undesirable or irrelevant. Most people have either no idea of what the Christian religion is offering or they have rejected what they mistakenly think it is offering and Williams tells us candidly that such was his own position for many years.
Williams does not set out to convince us that Christianity is true, but rather he is writing a work of historical and social observation to show that faith in God has been an integral part of Australian history, from the Aboriginal Dreaming, whether we like it or not. God did not arrive with the First Fleet. He makes three bold claims.
Firstly, he claims that the historical influence of religion on Australian life has been vital and largely favourable and that the Christian churches and other religions have done more than any other institution to civilise Australians. Many historians try to deny this. He emphasises the key role played in Australian history by outstanding individuals of religious faith from 1788, and he gives many surprising examples.
Secondly, he states that the decline of religious belief in Australia has been partly the churches' own faults, and partly the result of forces beyond their control, such as the two world wars. Sexual abuse of children by clergymen and the cover-up of their horrible crimes by bishops and others has almost trashed the church in the eyes of many.
Finally, Williams claims that religion is worth saving, and he suggests ways that this might be done. He admits that restoring our religious heritage would be a massive task. He believes that a society which rejects or denies its religious history is in moral and spiritual danger.
Whether you find these propositions outrageous or inspiring, please suspend judgment until you read Post God Nation? Roy Williams makes a powerful case.
Father Robert Willson is a Canberra Anglican priest and a regular reviewer.
