Australia: Children of a modern God
Peter Munro
March 16, 2008

Excerpt:
Empty pews are a common sight in Australia's established churches. The latest census found that just over half of 15 to 34-year-olds call themselves Christian, compared with 64% of all Australians and 79% of those aged over 65. Data tracing generation Y - those born from 1976 to 2001 - over the decade to 2006 as they began forging their own beliefs shows that about a third stopped identifying themselves as Catholic, while more than 40% turned from Anglicanism.

But it seems the long-documented drift from established religions has not left generation Y godless - or at least has not left it lacking in spirit. Experts suggest young Australians are increasingly embracing spirituality, whether in rebellion against their parents' secularism or as an antidote to rampant materialism.

Spirituality used to have a predominantly religious meaning, often referring to someone's relationship with God. Now it is used more broadly to denote a person's outlook and values, whether religious or not. And its rise among generation Y has prompted some who once spoke about the death of God to now contemplate something akin to a resurrection.

A study released in January found that almost a third of Australians aged 13-17 were non-believers. The three-year national study of spirituality among 1219 young people found that 31% had no religious beliefs. While almost half identified themselves as Christian, only 17% regularly practised their religion - almost as many who professed to New Age beliefs such as reincarnation and astrology. the rest