This lesson suits upper-intermediate to advanced learners. After listening, scroll down and test your knowledge with our quiz.
Learning notes
Language objective
Asking about someone’s religious beliefs
Different questions to use when politely asking about someone’s faith
- What’s your religion if you don’t mind my asking?
- Would it be alright if I asked you a question about your faith?
- Would you mind if we talked about religion?
- Is religion important in your culture?
Different phrases to use when talking about religion.
- I really enjoy going to church. I come out feeling quietly happy.
- I just love coming together with my community and praying together. And I like the signing, too.
- She loves worshipping at the temple. She finds the religious rituals very soothing.
- I was brought up Sikh, and though I’m not very observant, I do enjoy going to the temple.
Colloquial expressions:
Counting your blessings means being grateful for what one has.
Some who has been through a lot has had a difficult time.
Come what may mean no matter what happens.
If someone is testing you, they are deliberately making things difficult for you to see how you react.
Vocabulary:
Religion – the belief in and worship of a power or powers that are bigger than you, usually a God or gods - There are many religions in the world, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism.
Beliefs are the things you believe in and accept as true without evidence. People who follow different religions often have different beliefs; they follow or believe in different things.
Ideology – is a set of beliefs held by social or political group or an individual.
Faith – is a strong belief in something or someone, especially for which there is no strong evidence or proof. It is often used to talk about our belief in a religion. My faith is stronger every day.
Deity – is a god or goddess. In my religion, we worship more than one deity.
Worship – is to pay respect to a deity, often in religious ceremonies. Many people worship at this temple.
Doctrine – is the belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other groups. I was born a Christian, but I want to learn more about Buddhism's doctrine.
An atheist is a person who doesn’t believe in the existence of God or gods. His wife goes to church often, but he is an atheist.
A mutual friend is someone both persons, or, people know.
Cultural information:
In Australia, people are free to choose, express and practise their religious beliefs differently, including the right not to believe in or practise any religion.
almost 10 million Australians reported having no religion. In 1911 this was only 0.2% of the population but it has now grown to 38.9%. Although it has been in decline since the 2016 Census, Christianity is still the most commonly reported religious practice.
The Yezidi faith has only 4000 people in Australia but it has the fastest growth because of Australia’s Humanitarian Program that has specifically focussed on resettling Yezidi women, children and families from Iraq and Syria.
While NSW had the most people following Islam and Hinduism of all the states and territories in 2021, these religions have grown the fastest in Tasmania since the 2016 Census.
Transcript:
(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)
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Hi, my name is Josipa, and you are listening to the SBS Learn English podcast.
We have been so happy to see how many people have been listening. Thank you and well done for taking the time to learn!
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My manager Janine said we should count our blessings, which I felt is an appropriate phrase to open an episode on asking questions about someone’s religious beliefs.
So, if someone is counting their blessings, they are thankful for what they have, grateful.
For example, let’s say your child has received a lot of Christmas presents, you could tell them: “Now, count your blessings and go to bed.”
Blessing in this context means fortune and good luck but it can also stand for a prayer said before or after a meal or a person’s support. For example, “My father gave his blessings for my marriage.”
Now, let’s get into our dialogue. Today, Allan and Claire are friends who don’t know each other very well. They are chatting at a Christmas party organised by a mutual friend.
A mutual friend is someone they both know.
Claire
Hi Allan, wow you look like you won the lottery, having a great Christmas?
Allan
Actually, I really enjoy going to church. I always come out feeling quietly happy. I just love coming together with my community and praying together. And I like singing, too.
Claire
Yeah, that’s just what my husband says, too. He loves worshipping at the temple. He finds the religious rituals very soothing.
Allan
What religion is he if you don’t mind my asking? I thought you were atheist.
Claire
Yes, I am, but my husband was brought up Sikh, and though he is not practising he does enjoy going to the temple.
Allan
And he doesn’t mind that you are an atheist?
Claire
No, he’s very tolerant. His approach to religion is very much live and let live. I’m very lucky. I count my blessings every day!
Religion, like politics, can be a touchy subject to talk about, whether you want to find out other person's beliefs or share your own.
A touchy subject is a topic that needs to be dealt with carefully and in a sensitive way, because it might upset or offend people.
When starting a conversation about religion, faith, ways of worship, ideology, or any other beliefs we practise, it’s good to first make sure the other person is comfortable talking about it.
A good indicator that the other person is comfortable talking about it is when they bring up the topic themselves. This is what Allan said,
Allan
I really enjoy going to church. I come out feeling quietly happy. I just love coming together with my community and praying together. And I like singing, too.
Allan enjoys going to church, so we could say, “He loves coming together with his community, singing and praying together.
Do you remember what Claire replied when talking about her husband?
Claire
He loves worshipping at the temple. He finds the religious rituals very soothing.
Let me use these sentences in the first person. They could be useful and applicable to many situations. I love worshipping at the temple. I find religious rituals very soothing.
When Allan asked Claire about her husband’s religion, he did it with care even though it was evident that Claire was comfortable talking about it from their previous conversation.
Let’s hear again how Allan did it,
What religion is he, if you don’t mind my asking?
If you don’t mind me asking, or if you don’t mind me saying are very useful phrases to ask respectfully about something that could upset, annoy, or embarrass someone.
Now, let's say you are not sure if the other person is comfortable talking about their faith; then maybe it's better not to ask anything so you don't come across as rude.
But if for some reason you really need to know, you could say,
Would it be alright if I asked you a question about your faith?
Or you could say: "Do you have any particular religious beliefs if you don’t mind me asking"
Another question you could ask is,
Is religion important in your culture?
Previously also Allan said,
I thought you were atheist.
An atheist is a person who doesn’t believe in the existence of any God.
Claire
My husband was brought up Sikh, and though he is not practising, he does enjoy going to the temple.
You can be brought up with any beliefs and practices that shaped your childhood.
And when somebody is not practising their religion, we say they are a not strict follower, or if they live according to the teachings of a religious text or set of beliefs we call them strict followers.
Claire then shared few nice phrases we could use to talk about any religion when she said,
Claire
His approach to religion is very much live and let live. I’m very lucky. I count my blessings every day!
Before introducing my guest, I’d like to share a quote from a book I’ve been reading recently called Reflections: A Journey to God written by Gary Eby who said, “What we believe in is not that important. What really counts is that what you believe gives your life meaning, direction, and purpose.”
With us today is my dear friend Ahmad with whom I share a lot even though we grew up in households with different religious and cultural backgrounds.
Hi Ahmad, thanks for agreeing to talk to me about this topic. I know that it can be a touchy subject.
Ahmad
Hi Josipa, yes it can. Can I ask you a question before we start?
Josipa
Sure, please do.
Ahmad
Just now, while listening, I wondered… My family practices Islam. How common is this in Australia?
Josipa
I’m glad you ask this. I looked at the data from the latest 2021 Census and saw that 3.2 per cent of Australians practise Islam. The most commonly reported religion in Australia is Christianity, 43.9 per cent to be precise.
Ahmad
How about other religions?
Josipa
Hinduism and Buddhism are below 3 per cent. But the number that is right up there close to Christianity is 38.9 percent which belongs to people that don't identify with any religion, and this number has been growing the most in the past 20 years. But let me ask you a question now.
Ahmad
Sure go ahead; that’s what I’m here for.
Josipa
Growing up, my grandma, a very committed Christian, often said that we must not use God's name in vain, that is, not to use it in a way that shows a lack of respect. For her, even saying "Oh my God", which is something many of us say without thinking, is using God's name in vain. But in your culture, it's different?
Ahmad
Yes, Muslim people have many everyday sayings that include Allah’s name.
Josipa
And the other day, when we talked about this interview, you told me that you consider yourself more spiritual than religious. Can you explain what you mean by that?
Ahmad
Well, the word "Islam" means "submission to God's will. And if you are a practising Muslim, you pray five times a day; you give zakat, that is, you give part of your wealth to the poor; you fast during the month of Ramadan; and so on. I identify with Islam because of my family background and personal experiences, but I don't practise Islam with the same commitment as a practising Muslim should. And that works for me.
Josipa
I completely relate to that. My family background is Christian, but rather than going to church; I find more peace and comfort in meditation or when I am walking in nature.
Ahmad
Yeah, I think it doesn't matter what the name of your God or gods is because, at the end of the day, all religious and spiritual practices have one thing in common, which is to bring peace and comfort to people. You know, sometimes when I say that I’m a Muslim, people immediately think that I’m an extremist, which is definitely not the case. So, rather than focusing on differences when talking about religion, I think we should focus on the things that unite us and the values that we share because we have faith.
Josipa
That is beautifully said, Ahmad. We originally said that this topic is hard to talk about but if you do it carefully and with respect there can be lots to discuss. I could talk about this with you for days!
A big thank you to our educational consultant Professor Lynda Yates, our guests Ahmad Sabbah and Christelle Bassil and Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan who voiced the characters of Allan and Claire.
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