Secular society

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 320, 23 January 1990, Page 12

Secular society

New Zealand has become one of the most secular societies in the world, according to a new book written by Massey University researchers.

Dr Alan Webster and Dr Paul Perry wrote the book - "The Religious Factor in New Zealand Society" - using data from a nationwide study of values conducted across 1,000 households in 1985. They found that barely one third of Kiwis now believe in a personal God. The remainder are evenly split between those who believe in some form of "life force", and those who define themselves as agnostics or as unbelievers. The Devil receives a 25 per cent belief rating, while less than 30

per cent of people believe in the concept of sin. In terms of putting their beliefs into practice, even fewer New Zealanders could be described as actively religious, the researchers say. Only 17 per cent of the total population attend church at least once a month. When this figure is broken down by denomination, the C atholic church emerges as the largest sub-group with five per cent of the total population. Next come fundamentalist churches with 3.4 per cent, Anglicans (2.9 per cent), Presbyterians (2.5 per cent) and Baptists (1.9 per cent). "What this means," says Dr Webster, "is that no single church can in any way claim to represent the common values of the wider New Zealand population." This is particularly so when active religious practice is analysed, he says. "According to census statistics, for example, 30 per cent of the population are Anglicans." "Yet barely one-in-four of that group actu-

ally attend church on a regular basis." While the move away from traditional religion mirrors trends in Western countries generally, the extent of dis-affiliation in New Zealand is extreme, says Dr Webster. He says the decline in spiritual values goes to the core of New Zealander's life attitudes, with 80 per cent of the population now naming material prosperity as their primary goal in life. A key result of the changes is a confusion about how to define meaningful values, he says. "Religion has traditionally been a major source of guidance in terms of rules for living." "We are struggling to find alternatives - for ways of formulating basic values in a world where the old unshake-

able certainties have gone. The researchers say a consequent new pluralism is at work in the religious sphere. Fundamentalist churches are taking an ultra-conservative stance in response to moral relativism, while mainline churches are becoming more "secular" in their outlook. New Age spirituality and its related self-po-tential movements, and the resurgence of Maori spirituality are also powerfully emergent factors. "Questions about the moral nature of society don't disappear with secularisation," says Dr Webster. 'They simply become more problematic." "It is more important than ever that people think about what values mean in a secular society."