An American woman who moved to Australia ‘almost a decade ago’ says she was shocked to find very few practicing Christians Down Under.
Kerrene Taylorfrom Washington, grew up in an evangelical environment where the Australian Hillsong church was ‘everywhere’.
The professional photographer, who now calls Perth home, said she came to associate Christianity with Australia as a result.
“People from Hillsong came to our church every year, so I was exposed to all these Australians,” she said.
Kerrene Taylor, from Washington, moved to Perth for work nearly a decade ago
“As I’ve reflected on it as an adult, I think part of Hillsong’s strategy was to brand themselves as very Australian, so my 10-12-year-old mind thought Australian culture was synonymous with Christianity.”
Kerrene recently realized that wasn’t true when she began observing the country’s attitudes toward marriage.
“Australia is not big on marriage because most of the population don’t identify as religious,” she said.
“It’s really nice to be in a religiously neutral country, or somewhere religion doesn’t equate to cultural norms.
“In the US, Christianity is so embedded in the culture that it’s almost inevitable.”
She also indicated that she appreciated living somewhere with a ‘neutral’ attitude towards religion.
“I really appreciate having the breathing room and I’m not ashamed of anyone who is religious at all,” she added.
Many Australians were shocked that Americans perceived them as religious.
“Aussie here, and my husband’s ‘church’ is the pub,” joked one.
“In Melbourne, AFL is our religion,” added another.
One shared. “Many of my friends identify as culturally belonging to a religion, but they are not actively practicing it.”
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