HSC Studies of Religion I flashcards

36 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

White Australia Policy

A set of laws from 1901 restricting non-European immigration, progressively dismantled from 1966 and formally ended in 1973, which had limited Australia's religious diversity.

Post-war immigration

The 1945–1960s program bringing displaced persons and migrants from Britain, Europe, and the Middle East, which established large Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish communities in Australia.

Multiculturalism policy

A 1970s Australian government approach replacing assimilation, encouraging migrants to maintain cultural and religious heritage, and supporting public expression of religious diversity.

Section 116

The Australian Constitution clause barring the Commonwealth from establishing religion, imposing religious observance, or prohibiting free exercise, though it does not fully separate church and state.

'No religion' census rise

Census responses for 'no religion' grew from about 0.3% in 1947 to roughly 30% in 2016, reflecting secularisation and changed question wording.

Royal Commission 2018

The inquiry into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, which produced the National Redress Scheme and prompted religious institutions to reform child-safe standards.

Religious Freedom Review 2019

The Ruddock Report, commissioned after same-sex marriage legislation, examining how Australian law protects religious freedom and belief in a diverse society.

National Council of Churches

An Australian ecumenical body formed in 1994, bringing together Protestant and Orthodox churches for cooperation, dialogue, and shared social justice advocacy.

Australian Federation of Islamic Councils

A national peak body established in 1964 representing Muslim communities, coordinating halal certification, education, and interfaith engagement in Australia.

Buddhist migration impact

Resettlement of Vietnamese and other Asian refugees after 1975 significantly expanded Australian Buddhism, leading to temples, schools, and Vesak public observances.

Assimilation versus integration

Assimilation expected migrants to abandon cultural and religious identity; integration and multiculturalism allowed retention of faith alongside participation in Australian society.

Interfaith dialogue

Structured cooperation and conversation among different religious communities, in Australia often addressing social cohesion, prejudice, and shared ethical concerns.

Census religion question

The optional Australian Census item on religious affiliation, which measures self-identified belonging rather than belief or practice, shaping policy and community funding.

Secularisation

The decline in religious belief, practice, and institutional influence in society, evidenced in Australia by falling church attendance and rising 'no religion' responses.

Denominational switching

Movement of individuals between denominations or traditions, a pattern in Australian census data showing fluid affiliation rather than fixed inherited religious identity.

Trinity

The Christian belief that one God exists in three coequal persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - formally defined in the Nicene Creed of 325 and 381 CE.

Incarnation

The Christian teaching that God became human in Jesus Christ, central to the Nicene Creed and grounding Christian beliefs about salvation and revelation.

Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5–7, where Jesus teaches the Beatitudes, love of enemies, and the Golden Rule, forming a key source of Christian ethical teaching.

Baptism

The Christian initiation ritual using water, commanded in Matthew 28:19, practised as infant baptism in many churches and believer's baptism in others.

Eucharist

The Christian ritual recalling the Last Supper, understood as transubstantiation in Catholic teaching and as symbolic memorial in many Protestant traditions.

Sola fide

The Protestant principle of justification by grace through faith alone, drawn from Ephesians 2:8, distinguishing Reformation theology from Catholic teaching on works.

Tawhid

The Islamic belief in the absolute oneness and unity of God, expressed in the shahada and underlying all Islamic theology, ethics, and worship.

Five Pillars

Islam's core obligatory practices: shahada (declaration), salat (prayer), zakat (almsgiving), sawm (fasting), and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Sharia

Islamic law and moral guidance derived from the Qur'an, Sunnah, ijma (consensus), and qiyas (analogy), governing worship, ethics, family, and finance.

Akhirah

The Islamic belief in the Day of Judgement and afterlife, motivating moral accountability and shaping Muslim ethics, funeral rites, and religious education.

Covenant (brit)

The binding agreement between God and Israel, central to Judaism, expressed through Abraham, Moses at Sinai, and the Torah's commandments.

Shema

Deuteronomy 6:4 - 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one' - Judaism's central declaration of monotheism, recited daily in prayer.

Halakhah

The body of Jewish law and practice derived from Torah and rabbinic interpretation, guiding daily life, ethics, diet, and worship.

Shabbat

The Jewish Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, rooted in Genesis 2:2–3, marked by candle lighting, Kiddush, synagogue prayer, and rest.

Kashrut

Jewish dietary laws distinguishing permitted from forbidden foods and governing preparation, expressing holiness and covenant identity in daily life.

Four Noble Truths

Buddhism's core teaching that suffering exists, has a cause in craving, can cease, and is ended by the Noble Eightfold Path.

Anatta

The Buddhist teaching of no permanent, unchanging self, one of the three marks of existence alongside anicca (impermanence) and dukkha (suffering).

Three Refuges

The Buddhist declaration of commitment to the Buddha, the Dharma (teaching), and the Sangha (community), recited to formally become a Buddhist.

Moksha

In Hinduism, liberation from the cycle of samsara, achieved through paths of knowledge, devotion, or disciplined action, and the ultimate goal of human life.

Dharma

In Hinduism, the moral and social duty governing right conduct according to one's stage of life and role, closely linked to karma and cosmic order.

Puja

Hindu devotional worship, typically involving offerings, lamps, incense, and images of deities, performed at home shrines or in temples.