Christian Groups In Australia example essay topic
379 words
History of Christianity in Australia (O 1) 'The Church, in obedience to the command of her founder, strives to preach the Gospel to all. ' ( 849) 'Christianity came to Australia on the First Fleet with Richard Johnson as a Church of England Chaplain who was joined in 1794 by the Rev. Samuel Marsden. Rev. Marsden was also a strict magistrate which highlighted the hope of the authorities that religion would promote a moral and lawful society under the British crown. Samuel Leigh, the first Methodist minister arrived in 1815 and in 1823 John Dunmore Lang, a Presbyterian minister came to Sydney. The Catholic Irish convicts were forced to attend Church of England ceremonies and although James Dixon, a convict priest, was allowed to say Mass until the Castle Hill uprising, they had to wait 32 years for Fr John Theory, their first chaplain, to arrive. The first bishop, John Bede Polling arrived in 1835. Governor Burke's Church Act in 1836 subsidised genuine religious effort in the colony by stipends for clergy and grants for the building of churches. Father Seraphim Phokis, the first Greek Orthodox priest, arrived in Sydney in 1898 and Father Kantapoulos arrived in Melbourne the following year. ' (cf. New studies in religion. Lov at, T. pp 31-35) Immigration has resulted in increasing cultural diversity within most Christian denominations, especially Catholicism. The assisted immigration scheme begun in 1836 brought Irish settlers, the gold rush attracted Greeks and Chinese, the immigration schemes after World War I and World War II saw Italian, Polish, German migrants, the end of the 'white Australia policy' has brought Pacific Islander and Asian migrants to Australia.
The Catholic Church has seen Catholics arrive from countries including Ireland, Austria, Croatia, Spain, Germany, Lebanon, Italy, Malta, Pacific Islands, Vietnam and the Philippines to make it the largest Christian denomination in Australia. The Church of England changed its name in 1982 to the Anglican Church of Australia as a sign of its independence from England. In 1997 the Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists combined to form the Uniting Church. Other Christian groups in Australia include the Salvation Army, Society of Friends (Quakers), Mormons, Seventh day Adventists, Jehovah Witnesses and Pentecostal groups..
