A nationwide survey of more than 10,000 Australian Christians has found growing concern over religious freedom, with 92 per cent of respondents saying it has become riskier to express their faith than it was five years ago.
The Christian Freedom Survey, conducted among 10,808 Christian Australians, also found almost half reported self-censoring their beliefs.
Michelle Pearse said the findings pointed to increasing pressure on Christians in public life and workplaces.
“Nearly half (43.9%) of all Australians are Christians and find themselves living in a country where they are self-censoring, where institutions don’t feel protected, and our freedom of religion and speech are being eroded,” Pearse said.
The report identified healthcare referral mandates relating to euthanasia and abortion, regulations around teaching and prayer on sexuality, and vilification laws as contributing factors.
Victoria was ranked the most restrictive state for Christians, while NSW was ranked fifth.
Pearse said some workers had faced consequences over expressions of faith.
“We’re seeing public servants being sanctioned because of their beliefs and HR being weaponised to remove Christians from the workplace,” she said.
She cited one example involving a woman wearing a crucifix at work.
“She was told by the leadership in her workplace that it was disrespectful for her to wear the crucifix when there were Muslims in the workplace, but the Muslims were allowed to wear the hijab, but she was confronted about wearing the cross,” Pearse said.
“So, you know, as a society, we champion tolerance and inclusivity as, you know, the greatest of values, but what’s come through clearly in this report is that Christian belief is not tolerated. And inclusive inclusivity stops at the point of including Christians.”
According to the 2021 Census, about 11.1 million Australians, around 44 per cent of the population, identify as Christian.
Source: Daily Telegraph.
