The Social Role of Religion

This website describes progress being made on an ARC Discovery Grant awarded to Dr James Jupp at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. This grant is focussed on the social role of religions in Australia.

It has several aspects:

• A description of over one hundred religious denominations operating in Australia, with special reference to their social role as providers of welfare, education, services to immigrants and refugees, agents of social cohesion and cultural maintenance. It is not intended to develop a critique of the theologiy or philosophy of various religions as this is already fully covered in a wide variety of resources. It is intended to give a broad picture of the Australian scene as this has not been so effectively covered and has some unique features.
• A discussion of a number of specific social issues with an Australian religious dimension including Indigenous questions, immigrant settlement, social cohesion, religion and women, religion and youth, religion and the state, the political involvement of religions and the religious.
• An assessment of the international dimensions of Australian religions, including their inheritance from elsewhere, the extent to which they are controlled or influenced from outside Australia, and their distinctive roles in a multicultural society.
• The provision and analysis of recent statistical data based on the religious information available from the Australian census and other official sources.
• The provision of a wide range of references in English and generally available in Australia useful to those wishing to follow particular issues and organizations in greater depth.