Post-secularism as the secularism of the exit of secularism: Australia as a case study of passé secularism

Data from western countries tells the narrative that religion is in decline in terms of both attendance and identification. Yet, drop of religious attendance and identification does not prove the end of religion. Noting the ever-return of the sacred, this article argues there is a growth of a newly perceived religious minority in the public sphere promoting their understanding of religious freedom. Their presence puts in question the hegemony of the use of secular reason as the lingua franca of the public sphere. Following Gauchet’s reading of Christianity as being the religion of the exit of religion, this article presents post-secularism as the secularism of the exit of secularism. Using Australia as a case study, the new phase of passé secularism is introduced.