THE nation is awash with Jedi knights.
A major report commissioned two years ago by the Federal Government found more people are turning to religion, but that the Protestant faiths are on the wane.
As most religions increase the size of their flocks the number of Australians describing themselves as having no religion has dropped by more than 44,000 since 1996.
But not even the 71,000 who listed their religious identification as Jedi at the last census could dampen the report's view the nation is undergoing a religious revival.
"Jedi -- from the series of Star Wars movies featuring an epic struggle between good and evil in which the Force sustains Jedi warriors fighting for good -- suggests not so much that people do not take the census seriously, but that they are responding in some (broader) way to the category of religious identification," the report says.
The report also reveals:
PENTECOSTAL and charismatic Christian churches are enjoying growth as are Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Catholicism.
NEW Age Earth-based groups such as Gaia, goddess religions, witchcraft and paganism still remain small minorities but are growing quickly.
PROTESTANT churches are down in popularity with Uniting, Presbyterian, Anglican and Salvation Army churches all shrinking since 1996.
MOST Australian Muslims are born here and half are under 24. In Melbourne Muslims mostly choose to settle in Meadow Heights, Reservoir, Dallas, Noble Park or Coburg.
KNOWLEDGE about other faiths among members of religious communities is far from accurate.
The report commissioned by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs gave a positive appraisal of local religious tolerance in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
"Across Australia the (attacks) . . . were handled at all levels with maturity and alacrity, though some political and religious leaders . . . could have acted more quickly," the report concluded.