European and Māori major non-believers in NZ

Posted on September 27, 2015 | 1 Comment

This was a bit of a surprise to me.

The 2013 census data show that a similar proportion of the European and Māori ethnic groups declared themselves as having no religion in the 2013 census – 46.9 percent of European and 46.3 percent of Māori (see 2013 Census QuickStats about culture and identity).

The graph below illustrates the proportion of non-religious for the different NZ ethnic groups differentiated in the census.

2013-census-1

Recent sociological research does show differences between European and Māori economic values and beliefs and I thought this might be reflected in different religious affiliations.

But apparently not.

I wonder if these non-religious Māori feel as offended as I do when a Christian prayer, disguised as a karakia, is imposed on them? I feel this is dishonest and takes advantage of the unwillingness of New Zealanders to complain as the complaint could be interpreted as racist. But it must also offend non-Christian Māori for their culture to be hijacked like this.

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One response to “European and Māori major non-believers in NZ”

  1. watchsamfly | September 29, 2015 at 3:43 pm |

    I’m offended when a karakia is offered, whether a supposed Christian one or not (who can tell without a translation, which is almost never supplied), and I am a Christian (one of those crazy ones that actually believes the Bible is true). Expecting anyone to respect a religious activity under the guise of culture and diversity is inconsiderate at the least and subversive at worst. It harms both the good aspects of Maori culture and a proper understanding of the place of freedom of religion in society.

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