Believers, not Belongers: The Canadian Religious Landscape

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Believers, not BelongersThe Canadian Religious
Landscape
Presentation to How the Media Cover Religious
Pluralism in Canada Conference Oct 21, 2005
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Outline

• Who believes what in Canada?
• Believers and the Public Square
• And so

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Canadians is predominantly a Christian nation, in
terms of religious identity
Total Population 29,639,035
Protestant29
Catholic43
No religion16
Source Statistics Canada, 2001 Census
Question What is this person's religion?
(Indicate a specific denomination or religion,
even if this person is not currently a practicing
member of that group)
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Canada has a unique religious history and
trajectory
Questions Do you believe in the existence of God
or a universal spirit? Did you happen to attend
church or synagogue in the past 7 days/religious
service at a place of worship?
Source Gallup/Ipsos-Reid
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Canada is a Nation of Believers
Source Canadian Religious Beliefs and Practices,
Ipsos-Reid Sept/Oct 2003, n3000, except God
and other Mysteries, Ipsos-Reid June 2003,
n1000..
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God is not an abstraction to Canadians



Source Canadian Religious Beliefs and Practices,
Ipsos-Reid Sept/Oct 2003, n3000, except
Canadians God, 1996 n1500.
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There are increasingly polarized attitudes toward
Jesus Christ The percent who claim forgiveness
through Christ is on the increase, as is the
number of Canadians who think Christ is not God
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Belief is up, while belonging is down Canadians
are increasing likely to claim commitment to
Christ, yet the of weekly attenders may be
slowly declining
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Most Canadians dont think you need to belong in
order to believe
Source Canadian Religious Beliefs and Practices,
Ipsos-Reid Sept/Oct 2003, n3000
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A majority of weekly attenders dont think you
need to go to church in order to be a good
Christian
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Even regular attenders feel their private beliefs
trump church teaching
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But many people who dont attend have an intense
relationship with God
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Believers and the Public Square
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Religion is seen as a force for good by a
majority of Canadians
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Priorities for the Church

• We asked Canadians which of these nine priorities
  they felt the Church in Canada should put greater
  effort into.
• Supporting Canadian children living in poverty
• Supporting children living in poverty in places
  like Africa
• Helping to reduce pollution and preserve the
  environment in Canada
• Helping to reduce racism in Canada
• Helping to reduce homelessness in Canada
• Caring for people with HIV and AIDs in Canada
• Caring for people with HIV and AIDs in places
  like Africa
• Protecting unborn children in Canada
• Preventing the exploitation of children in
  pornography and the sex trade in Canada and the
  world

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All Canadians agree on what the church should do
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Half of all Canadians think faith and religion
receive the right amount of coverage. But 1 in 3
think faith receives less coverage than it
should.
Half (50) of weekly attenders want more coverage
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Churchgoing Christians seem to perceive a bias
against themselves that does not exist
Agree Strongly I think that there is a general
bias in Cdn society against the viewpoints that
are held by deeply committed Christians.
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And so

• Religion is very important to most Canadians, but
  it is something of an underground phenomena.
• This story is uniquely Canadian. It is not
  something we have in common with the US or the
  UK. Has this story really been explored?
• What is curious is that belief has not faded.
  Indeed, in some respects, it appears to be
  flourishing. Whats behind this?
• The gap between belief and belonging
  unfortunately seems to create a sense of
  alienation among belongers.
• The disconnect between perception and reality
  creates a fracture in our society which does not
  serve us well. Can the media make a difference
  here?

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And so

• Belief without belonging creates a need or desire
  for communication.
• Writerswho communicate privately through a
  public forumare uniquely well positioned to meet
  this need. Is there opportunity here?
• Religion in Canada is a fascinating storyone
  that is begging to be told.