Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A Great Nation? The Changing Place Of Religion In Law And Society In Colonial And Contemporary Australia: Reflections On Douglas Murray In An Australian Context, Michael Quinlan

Law Papers and Journal Articles

This paper discusses the role of Christian theology in Australian law and society in the period after the arrival of the First Fleet and in contemporary Australia. It argues that Christian theology was foundational to the Australian colonies. Whilst the theology of Australia’s Christians has always been divided doctrinally, a shared knowledge and understanding of Christianity provided the vast majority of colonists with a common understanding of the world and a common language of discourse about it. This understanding was not shared by the indigenous peoples who had their own cultures, traditions, and understandings of the world and their own …