ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the premise that religion, and how it is understood, is polysemic and in a state of flux. It deals with theoretical concepts of ‘religion’, and its place in society within a context of religious changes, and argues that a broadened approach is required to understand ‘religion’ and its applications. The book considers the perspectives that have contributed towards current understandings about ‘religion’, and the influence of these perspectives of the secularisation thesis, understood broadly as institutional religion’s functional separation from the state. It examines the Habermasian concept of the public sphere, viewed as a contemporary space used for participatory discussion. The book suggests that a limited public perspective on ‘religion’ has framed conceptual understandings, or misunderstandings, about it. It demonstrates a summary of how religion was dominantly and diversely represented on the Australian national program.
