Are New Zealanders Religious?
For most people, Good Friday is at the very least a day off work,
but Easter is arguably the most significant date for Christians. We
look at Christianity and whether Christian holy days still hold
their meaning or are we, as the state is proposing, a secular
society where religion and the State operate independently of each
other. Close Up discusses these issues with a panel of people who
represent many of the diverse beliefs in our country today,
beginning with an investigation by Corinne Ambler into whether New
Zealand is still a Christian country.
Then Mark Sainsbury discusses the issue with a panel made up of the
Right Reverend Richard Randerson from the Anglican Church;
Evangelist Christian, Senior Pastor Martin Steel from the
Harbourside Church on Auckland's North Shore; Bill Cooke from the
New Zealand Rationalists and Humanists Association; Rabbi Jack
Engel of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation; Anjum Rahman of the
Islamic Women's Council; and the Venerable Amala Wrightson, Sensei,
a Zen Buddhist priest.
What Kiwis Think
National reports and government policy on religion may be all very
well but do they reflect how Kiwis feel about religion? Close Up
conducted a poll of more than 3300 New Zealanders, canvassing their
thoughts on religion in our country. And for a nation which is
becoming increasingly secular it seems we have very strong opinions
on just what that means. The majority still believes we are
predominantly a Christian society, while 45% say we're not. Sofia
Wenborn took to the streets to talk to the church-goers and the
Sunday morning brunchers. The company who conducted our poll were
Buzz the People. For the results
CLICK HERE
Fundamentalism in NZ
To many, religious fundamentalism, with its
"we're-right-you're-wrong'" beliefs is something to fear. In fact,
some say fundamentalism has replaced communism as the great fear of
the Western world. Religious fundamentalists subscribe to an
absolute truth, a simple life, where they live by the literal word
of God. And of course fundamentalism spans the whole religious
spectrum from Christianity to Islam. Internationally, there have
been clashes between these vastly different communities. So in this
global world will those tensions come to New Zealand, and how does
religious fundamentalism manifest itself here? Robyn Janes finds
out.
Got an opinion? Share your views with the Close Up
team
closeup@tvnz.co.nz
