<
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-20/christianity-atheism-religion-australia-islam-hinduism-nirvana/100722066>
"Battling the cold winter weather, hundreds of worshippers gather outside the
largest Hindu temple in Melbourne to celebrate the annual Chariot Festival, one
of India’s biggest religious events.
Balasubramaniam Rangarajan, one of the organisers, is thrilled with the turnout
— as president of the Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, he says he’s
witnessed a huge shift over the last two decades.
“When I first came to Australia in 1998, there were very few [Hindu] temples,”
he says.
“Now people come here from various parts of Victoria, because it gives them an
opportunity to visit one of the biggest temples.”
Hinduism is one of the fastest-growing religions in Australia, according to the
latest census data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
It’s grown by more than 55 per cent in the last five years and is followed by
2.7 per cent of Australia’s total population.
According to the ABS, more than 2.5 million people — roughly 10 per cent of the
population in 2021 — now report an affiliation with a minority religion.
That’s an increase of 3.5 per cent over the last 25 years.
Christianity, meanwhile, has dropped by more than 26 per cent in the same
period, despite remaining the dominant religion."
Nice photos.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
