2.5 Religion in oceania

The term Australasia refers to Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, New Guinea, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides and the Solomon Islands. Under the term Pacific is understood the islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia , scattered all over the Pacific Ocean. The best known of these islands are Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti and Hawaii. Another name that is often used for this entire region is Oceania . Today, this is the most religiously homogeneous of all the rmajor geographical regions.

Before the coming of British colonial settlers to Australia during the nineteenth century, the country was inhabited by the Aborigines who had their own religious beliefs and practices. Today, approximately 70 per cent of Australian Aborigines indicate on census forms that they are Christians. With the first immigrants, mainly coming from Britain, all the major Christian denominations found their way to "down under", as Australia is known. Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and members of the Greek Orthodox Church all made Australia their home. In the period after the Second World War, adherents of other world religions, started entering the country. Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and Muslims together constitute less than 3 per cent of the Australian population, but their numbers are growing

The Maoris in New Zealand practised their own form of Polynesian religion until the latter part of the nineteenth century. Then a great number of Christian missionaries, who came in the company of the colonial powers or soon afterwards, actively promoted the Christian faith. The result was that most of the Maoris converted to Christianity.

The majority of islands in Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia have given up the worship of family and village gods in favour of Christianity. Some islands, such as Samoa for instance, appear to be one hundred percent Christian. Catholics, Anglicans and Methodists appear to be present in large numbers. It is only on the island of Fiji where there is a significant presence of people of other faiths. 38 per cent of all Fijians are Hindus, while Muslims account for 8 per cent of the population. But this is because of immigration from India, not because the native Fijians accepted those religions.