Christ as Anzac: How Is ‘Sacrifice’ Understood in Australian Educational Contexts?

Anzac continues to be ‘sacralised’ in modern, apparently secular school contexts. This sacralisation draws on language and imagery from the Christian tradition and is ‘Christ’-shaped. For many young Australians growing up in a post-secular society, Anzac stands in for ‘Christ’. This can be shown in student writing samples by making explicit the connection between the language and imagery of modern commemoration and aspects of ‘Christ’s’ atoning sacrifice (i.e. creation, salvation, redemption). This sacralisation is not driven by the modern historically conscious school curriculum, but rather appears to be influenced by a previous era of Christian cultural assumptions in schools and a post-Christian culture that regards Anzac ‘sacrifice’ as normative. The prevalence of this coherent spirituality of Anzac among school children has implications for Australian christology as Christ is displaced by civil religion.