Uneasy Neighbo(u)rs, a new book by David Kilgour and David T. Jones, is an exploration of Canada and the United States. The following excerpt compares religion in the two nations.

THE 2001 national census by Statistics Canada dealt in part with the state of religion across the country; its conclusions, released in mid-2003, provided many interesting insights.

Despite large immigration from mostly non-Christian countries since the 1970s, seven out of 10 Canadians still identified themselves as Catholic or Protestant. Almost 13 million claimed to be Catholic; 8.7 million self-identified as Protestants. Those who said that they were simply ‘Christian’ more than doubled from the 1991 census, to 784,000.

Statistics Canada samples persons over 15 on their attendance at religious services. Nationally, one-fifth of those sampled – some 6.4 million individuals – attended services on a weekly basis. Even if there was some exaggeration, no other voluntary activity across the country would appear to attract anything like this number of regular participants.

Most of our media continue to overlook this phenomenon.

American way

Canada’s religious situation contrasts strongly with that of our southern neighbour. In The Churching of America: 1776-1990, authors Rodney Stack and Roger Finke assert that fewer than one-fifth of Americans were active in churches in 1976, compared to more than 60 percent in 1990.

The ongoing link between faith involvement and ‘the American way’ of life remains very strong. Weekly church attendance in the 1990s among Americans – 40 percent nationally – was higher than in the 1930s (35 percent). Congregational membership, at 69 percent, was only slightly lower than in the 1950s (73 percent).

Reg Bibby of the University of Lethbridge notes that about 30 percent of Americans belong to conservative Protestant churches, which manage to stay in close touch with the spiritual concerns of their members – compared to only about seven percent of Canadians. He notes the now well-known phenomenon that both attendance and religious belief are stronger in countries like Canada and the U.S., where there are numerous competing churches.

Just over four in five Canadians nationally continue to believe in God. The Project Canada survey conducted by Bibby found that about 70 percent of Canadians across the land, as of 1990, believed there is life after death; 70 percent said that there is a heaven; and 46 percent said there is a hell.

Renaissance?

In  Restless Gods, Bibby refers to American congregational expert Lyle Schaller and his argument that a new religious renaissance is taking place in both Canada and the U.S. Schaller’s list of indicators of this trend includes:

• many worship services are changing from dull to exciting
• new era in religious music
• emergence of megachurches
• increased number of independent congregations
• laity more involved in ministry
• positive impact of television on churches
• bestselling books having religious messages
• growing interfaith cooperation
• priority given by adults and teens to prayer groups

Canada is now seen as a land of many vibrant faiths. There is even a multifaith, all-party committee on Parliament Hill, which is well-attended by representatives of numerous faiths.

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All faith communities represented at its meetings appear to accept that there will never be sustainable peace in the world until its myriad faith communities can live in harmony.

Bibby has explored how faith communities can attract more Canadians. He cites the late Queen’s University historian George Rawlyk, using polling data gathered a decade ago.    

A large number of Canadians would return to church if they were given specific guidance on how to live their lives. A large percentage would return if they felt their spiritual needs would be met in church.

This is consistent, asserts Bibby, with factors detected 15 years ago in the U.S. by George Gallup. The veteran pollster concluded the future vitality of American faith communities would depend largely on their response to basic needs.

Purpose

He listed them as the need to believe life has a purpose; a desire for community; the wish to be respected; the need to be listened to; the need to mature spiritually; the need to close the deficit between belief and practice.

Gallup reminded Americans that most churches and synagogues were not effective, stating: “significant numbers of people find churches irrelevant, unfulfilling and boring.”

Bibby notes that a majority of Canadians now say faith groups have a role to play in their spiritual, personal and relationship needs – ”precisely the three emphases that have been central to religion throughout history.

“Religion has much to say to people . . . who are looking for personal hope, resources and the possibility of new beginnings. Religious groups also have much to say about how interpersonal relations at all levels of social life can be enriched . . . It sounds like a match made in heaven.”

It is difficult for anyone but the most jaundiced to disagree.

Bibby’s prescriptions for growth among all religious communities across Canada can be summarized in two parts:

First, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Sigmund Freud and many other proponents of the ‘God is dead – or should be’ school, have now been proven wrong by history. The vast majority of Canadians continue to hold supernatural beliefs.

Second, regarding which religions will flourish in 21st century Canada, Bibby thinks the ones that have been around for a long time are best positioned. Recent evidence is strong that, for better or worse, the 21st century will be one of enormous religious activity, requiring real attention by all who seek peace in the world.

For example, Bibby thinks the Catholic Church in Quebec, while obviously now in a difficult period, will survive. So will other denominations, including the United Church, which has “a core of staunch supporters, an enviable pool of affiliates, a real tradition, and young and upcoming leaders who are determined to see congregations flourish. Denominations that are smaller will have tougher times, but only a handful will actually disappear altogether.”

Bibby thinks established religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism will also be able to avoid assimilation and acculturation, and to flourish in parts of Canada.

We agree with him, and others such as Don Posterski, that the congregations of any faith which seem likely to thrive the most are those that champion both a love of God and genuine compassion for people.

Members of all faith institutions, however, will have to work hard to enjoy this renaissance.

December 2007