'A secular society with segments of religious power': ex-religious Australians' views of religion and state

This article contributes to the growing field of nonreligious studies by giving voice to a group of formerly religious Australians who gave up their religion during a time of rising rates of disaffiliation and the progressive instrumentalisation of religion in the public sphere. The experiences of 30 adults who have self-consciously disaffiliated from a range of mostly Christian denominations were recorded through seven 90-minute focus groups, during which participants were asked why they left religion, and whether they consider Australia to be a religious society. The resulting transcripts were analysed through a six-stage inductive process, resulting in the identification of three dominant themes: 1. the disproportionate religious influence in public institutions; 2. the role of secular higher education, and 3. perceptions of hypocrisy of religious leaders and communities in processes of disaffiliation. A dissatisfaction with the public funding of religious schools was identified across each of the themes. Findings highlight a tension at the heart of Australian public life between religious and progressive values, contributing to processes of disaffiliation. This suggests an inherent fragility to Australia’s post-secular contract.