The Relevance of Religion in Canada’s Future

The Relevance of Religion in Canada’s Future
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Walden University
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The Relevance of Religion in Canada’s Future
The power of religion seemed to be on the rise in the early years of the 21st century. In Eastern Europe, the collapse of the Soviet Union and communism left an ideological vacuum that Orthodox Christianity subsequently filled. Following his election, President George W. Bush, an evangelical Christian, suggested that Christianity was a political force in the United States (Mansfield, 2004, p. 123). Further, the 9/11 attack shifted the world’s attention to the political power of the Islam religion and how it controlled the Muslim world. However, since 2007, Inglehart (2020) argues that there has been a sharp trend away from religion in almost all countries, be it developed or not. Pope Francis has claimed that the rigidity of the Christian faith is losing touch with the working-class (Clarke, 2020) and that in the current world, Christianity is increasingly irrelevant (Winfield, 2019). While Christianity remains the most prominent religion based on adherence, a 2015 analysis of the European Values Study reported a dramatic decline in affiliations (Vincett, Dunlop, & Sammet, 2015), while another study by St. Mary’s University reported that a majority of young adults reported not to be religious (Bullivant, 2018). Interestingly, some currently-minority religious groups like Daoism are making no gains either. Based on these study outcomes, it can be argued that religious affiliation in Canada is declining, making religion irrelevant in Canada's future.
Based on this premise, the current paper explores the history, trends, and status of religion in Canada. In focus is the core factors that are increasingly making religion irrelevant, including societal influence, globalization, climate change, Covid-19 pandemic, and developments in science. Thus, the paper will begin by looking at the history of religion in the country and then establish reasons for its becoming irrelevant with development. If people are abandoning Christianity at a higher rate than any other religion, then it would mean that Canada’s minority religious groups like Daoism may experience a follower increase. In this discussion, the paper will borrow from Taoism and its prevalence or relevance in Canada and, in comparison, with Christianity.
Current State and History of Religion in Canada
Historically, a key characteristic of Canada is its religious diversity. The religious diversity results from the diversity of Canadian's origin and cultural differences, with a majority having come from Europe. At the time of the migration of Europeans into the New World, Europe was primarily dominated by religion. Indeed, among the migration was that people were running away from religious persecutions. Today, Canada remains among the most diverse countries in the world. The country has a low level of government restrictions on religion. The constitution protects freedom of religion, and in 2006, the Supreme Court ruled that a Quebec school could not prohibit a Sikh student from carrying the kirpan at school. Further, Sikh men serving on the police force are exempted from wearing hats and turbans, an essential requirement of their faith. These and other court rulings uphold Canada as a religiously diverse country.
Based on the 2011 census report, 67% of Canadians identified as Christians (with Roman Catholics being the majority), 23.9% reported having no religion. Other faiths in the country include Islam, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jews, and Taoists. This religious pluralism makes Canada not have an official religion form an essential part of the country's political culture. Even before the colonization of the country by Europeans, the country had a diversity of Aboriginal religions with largely shamanistic and animistic belief systems (Ruml, 2016). As of 2021, two-thirds of Canadians reported a religious affiliation (Cornelissen, 2021). In this category, most people participate in religious activity at least once per month and place high importance on the relevance of religious beliefs in their life.
However, despite these statistics from the Canadian government, other research outcomes have indicated a declining affiliation to a religion. According to Lipka (2019), a declining share of Canadians identifies as Christians. While other religions like Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, and Buddhists have seen a slight increase in numbers, the biggest beneficiary of the decline in Christianity is the group that is not affiliated with any religion. This group, which forms 29% of the Canadian population, consists of 16% of individuals without religious views, 8% atheists, and 5% agnostics (Lipka, 2019). Between 1971 and 2011, this category rose from 4% to 24%, and 11 years later (2021), the group now stands at 29%. Projections suggest that by 2036, the number of Canadians reporting a non-Christian religious affiliation could double (Stewart, 2022). Across the border, the situation is the same for Christianity in the USA, whose affiliation has declined by 4% between 2007 and 2014 (PEW, 2015). More importantly, some decline has been experienced in the Bible belt.
Daoism is among the minority religion in the country. While the religion is practiced mainly in East Asia (China, Taiwan, and Singapore), globalization has spread into regions like Canada. Due to its small number of followers in the country, the religion is often grouped with 'others' which form the smallest percentage of Canada's religious affiliation. Unlike Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism, Daoism is not a beneficiary of the declining Christian numbers. According to the Taoist Tai Chi Society, Daoism had 40000 members across 26 countries outside Asia, of which 15000 were in Canada as of 2007 (TTCS, 2021). However, across the board, more people are choosing not to remain without religious affiliation than shifting from one religion to another. This could explain why while Christianity has declined, others like Daoism have not reported an increase in members, those without Asian roots in particular.
These trends in statistics suggest a pattern in which people, within and without Canada, are choosing different paths from religion. History shows that religions have been at the center of almost all human societies. It influences world views, enhances the leadership of monarchies, continues to shape the modern world's sociopolitical realms, and shapes the day-to-day practices of billions of people around the world. Thus, the deviation suggested by the trends and statistics is a challenge to a long-standing global order. These trends, however, are not exclusive of pertinent factors that are causing people to increasingly re-thinking religion: influence of society, globalization, climate change, pandemics, and science.
Factors Leading to the Decline of Religion in Canada
Influence of Society
The biggest challenge faced by religion is the drastic changes taking place to which religion cannot keep up. As suggested by Pope Francis (Winfield, 2019), the rigidity of Catholicism is causing people to deviate from the church. As a result, it is not providing answers to critical societal changes from a religious point of view as fast as these questions are emerging. Increasing work shifts dues to economic challenges are causing more people to spend Sundays relaxing or spending time with family members. As a result, religious activities suc...