HSC Studies of Religion I cheat sheet

Census data tracks religious affiliation: 'No religion' rose from about 0.3% in 1947 to roughly 30% by 2016, while Christianity's share fell from about 88% to about 52%.

The 1945–1960s immigration program (Arthur Calwell era) brought large numbers of displaced persons and migrants from Britain, Italy, Greece, Poland, and the Netherlands, expanding Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish communities.

The White Australia Policy was progressively dismantled: the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 was eased by the 1966 Holt government changes and formally ended by the Whitlam government in 1973.

The 1970s policy of multiculturalism (Al Grassby, then Fraser government) replaced assimilation with cultural maintenance, enabling religious diversity and public expression of faith.

Post-1975 Vietnamese and later refugee resettlement added significant Buddhist and Muslim populations; Muslim affiliation grew from about 0.1% in 1947 to about 2.6% by 2016.

The 2018 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse led to the National Redress Scheme (2018) and prompted religious institutions to review child-safe standards.

The Australian Constitution's Section 116 forbids the Commonwealth making laws to establish religion, impose religious observance, or prohibit free exercise, but does not create a full separation of church and state.

The 2017 same-sex marriage postal survey and the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 intensified debate over religious freedom, prompting the 2019 Religious Freedom Review (Ruddock Report).

Interfaith and ecumenical bodies - the National Council of Churches in Australia (1994) and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (1964) - formalise cooperation among religious communities.

For each tradition, distinguish the principal beliefs drawn from sacred texts and creeds, then link each belief to a specific ethical teaching and a specific ritual practice.

Christianity: the Nicene Creed (325/381 CE) states belief in the Trinity - one God in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) - and in Jesus' incarnation, death, and resurrection.

Christian ethics derive from the Decalogue, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), and the twofold command to love God and neighbour; salvation is understood as by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).

Christian rituals: Baptism (initiation, Matthew 28:19) and Eucharist (Luke 22:19–20), with variants - infant versus believer's baptism, transubstantiation versus memorialist interpretations.

Islam: Tawhid (oneness of God), risalah (prophethood, Muhammad as final prophet), and akhirah (Day of Judgement) are core beliefs; the Qur'an and Sunnah are the primary sources of authority.

Islam's Five Pillars - shahada, salat, zakat, sawm, hajj - are obligatory practices; ethical guidance comes from sharia, derived from Qur'an, Sunnah, ijma (consensus), and qiyas (analogy).

Judaism: covenant (brit) between God and Israel, monotheism (Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4), Torah as divine revelation, and halakhah as the legal-ethical path governing life.

Judaism's practices include Shabbat (Genesis 2:2–3), kashrut dietary laws, brit milah, and the festivals of Pesach, Yom Kippur, and Rosh Hashanah; denominations differ on observance.

Buddhism: the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, anatta (no permanent self), anicca (impermanence), and karma/samsara; the Three Refuges (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) mark commitment.

Hinduism: dharma, karma, samsara, moksha, and the authority of the Vedas and Upanishads; the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) and avatars of Vishnu express the divine.

Hindu practices include puja, yoga, pilgrimage (tirtha), and samskaras (life-cycle rites); the varnashrama system and ahimsa shape ethics, with reform movements reinterpreting caste.

For 'significant person' or 'school of thought' questions, give the figure's context, key teachings, impact on the tradition, and a specific contribution to belief or ethics, with source evidence.