The Statement of Conclusions commends Australian society on its tolerance. While this strength can be exaggerated, we do compare well with many other societies on this issue. Most Australians are not atheists, who deny God's existence. Many more are agnostics, people who are not sure about God or not interested. Some have a great reverence for the mighty forces of nature.
Faith presents the central religious problem for the Western world today.
Apart from the truths about the existence of God, nothing is as basic as the teachings about the nature and person of Jesus Christ, Son of Mary and Son of God, who redeemed and saved us. In the early nineties Cardinal O'Connor of New York told me that he was sending a young priest for doctoral studies in Christology, because this was fated to become a crucial issue. The Cardinal was right. So much follows from the nature and status of Christ. If Christ is merely another man, perhaps the holiest and wisest in all history, then his teaching and activity might be important but humans would have every right to try to improve on his teaching.