Most people who consider themselves religious identify as being Christian, however other religions are growing.

The three that saw the biggest increase in followers between 2006 and 2013 are Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism.

Meanwhile, the number of people who say they have no religion has jumped 26 per cent to 1.6 million.

In a four-part series, Ollie Neas talks to followers of New Zealand's fastest growing religions and people who don't identify with any religion.

In the first episode, we talk to Hisham Zaoui, 28, about Islam. Continue reading.

Image:The Wireless

Police are investigating the circumstances of the daylight attack on Joseph Nawl, 15, a student at Porirua's Bishop Viard College, on Wednesday. Doctors at Wellington Hospital initially feared he could be paralysed.

They suspect he has a broken neck, but it remains too swollen for them to see clearly on X-rays.

His family, originally from Myanmar, do not want him or any of their other children to return to the school, where they say they have suffered racist bullying and no longer feel safe.

Bishop Viard principal Teresa Cargo said the "unfortunate incident" was an assault, not bullying. The two boys involved had been good friends and team-mates, and both families were distressed by what had happened.

The school had a "zero-tolerance policy" towards bullying, but at no time had Joseph or his family made any suggestion of "bullying or racial overtones".

Police said they had begun an investigation because of the severity of the latest attack. They had seen CCTV footage of the incident, and any charges could depend on the hospital's assessment of Joseph's injuries.

Ms Cargo said: "We are following set procedures and are still investigating. We do not condone violence and this was a random act completely out of character for the student involved.

"We have a growing number of refugee families in our community who have chosen to send their children to Bishop Viard College, and we are recognised in the wider Wellington region as a school which acknowledges and supports this cultural diversity."

Source:

• Dominion Post
• Image: Dominion Post

"These criteria are inconsistent with the policy and practice of student organisation recognition at Gonzaga University, as well as the university's commitment to non-discrimination based on certain characteristics, one of which is religion," the university said.

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Pozolo, a senior at the University of Notre Dame, is one of many students who find themselves struggling to accept some of the Catholic church's beliefs.

These students are not alone. A recent USA Today article, examined the survey "Catholics in America: Persistence and change in the Catholic landscape."

The survey examined the beliefs and practices of 1,442 U.S. Catholic adults. The research was led by Catholic University sociologist William D'Antonio, and provided detailed information about specific beliefs.

According to the article, the survey found that 86% of those surveyed believed "you can disagree with aspects of the church's teachings and still remain loyal to the church."

Continue reading: Catholic students struggle with ‘outdated and inflexible' traditions

Source - Image: HelloQuizzy