Contemporary Religions in Canada

1. Contemporary Religions in Canada Christianity and Its Varieties

2. Christianity in Canada • The Basics of Christianity • Originally begins as a Jewish sect in Palestine in the first century C.E. • Monotheistic—belief in one God • Inherits this from its Jewish roots (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) • Expressed in a Trinitarian formula • One God; Three Persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), Holy Spirit

3. Christianity in Canada • The Basics of Christianity • Holy Writings are referred to as the “Bible” or “Scriptures” • Consists of two parts • Old Testament (written originally in Hebrew and shared with other monotheistic faiths, especially Judaism, but also to some extent Islam) • Contains law codes, stories, poetry, and prophecy of ancient Israel • Stories are “set” from the dawn of time down to 400’s-200’s B.C.E.

4. Christianity in Canada • The Basics of Christianity • New Testament (written originally in Greek and not shared with other monotheistic faiths but Jesus accepted as a prophet by Islam) • Contains four gospels (story of Jesus), Acts (story of rise of early church), and Letters (most by Paul) • Stories and letters are “set” in the 0-100’s C.E. • Jesus’ ministry and death take place approximately 27-30 C.E. • Paul is active circa 40-60 C.E.

5. Christianity in Canada • The Basics of Christianity • Other distinguishing features • Church • Christianity is comprised of “communities” of the like-minded • “church” can refer to both the global community of Christians or local Christian communities • Apostles’ Creed • Statement of key beliefs of Christianity • Includes a statement on the Trinitarian nature of God (Father, Son, Spirit) and the story of Jesus and key beliefs about salvation, the church, and end-time resurrection • Is a statement of faith as it begins with “I believe…” • Lord’s Prayer • “Our Father…Amen”

6. Christianity in Canada • The Basics of Christianity • Other distinguishing features • Eucharist/Communion • A “meal” of sorts in memory of Jesus’ last supper with his apostles • bread (wafer) and wine correlated to Jesus’ body and blood • Baptism • A water ritual which marks individual’s identification with Jesus and his followers (i.e., the church) • The initiation rite of Christianity (typically performed on infants but also on adult converts—in Anabaptist forms of Christianity it is only an adult ritual)

7. Christianity in Canada • The Basics of Christianity • Concerned with “Salvation” • Traditionally Christians believe in a “Fall”, that is, that humanity was designed to be in harmonious relationship with God but brought ongoing disastrous consequences and death on itself through “sin” (that is, deliberate disobedience to God’s command) • God deals with sin and death through the actions of Jesus Christ (the Son), who joins humanity (Incarnation), and provides forgiveness from sin and release from its consequences (ultimately death) through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. • Ultimately “salvation” is found in end-time resurrection of the dead (shares this with Judaism) • With shift into Greek contexts in Christianity’s early days, belief in the soul being rewarded with life in heaven is typically a more widespread hoped for outcome than end-time resurrection

8. Christianity in Canada • The Basics of Christianity • Concerned with “Salvation” • While God is ultimately the provider of salvation, human response to God is critical within the traditional Christian worldview • Humans are called to respond to God’s grace by following not just the teachings of Jesus (which also keep alive some of the Old Testament commands), but by following the pattern of Jesus in love and self-sacrifice to God and other humans • Typically Christianity is expressed in terms of some combination of correct beliefs and correct behaviour

9. Christianity in Canada • The Basics of Christianity • Three Main “Branches” of Christianity • “Catholic” church split between Latin West and Greek East in 1050 CE to form what we now call “Roman Catholic” and “Eastern/Greek Orthodox” • frequently shortened to “Catholic” and “Orthodox” • “Roman Catholic” church was fragmented by “Protestantism” in 1500’s CE • Multiple Protestant movements which themselves experienced fragmentation • “Lutherans”, “Calvinists/Reform”, “Anabaptist” groups, and the Catholic/Protestant hybrid in England—“Anglican” • Can loosely speak of three main branches: Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant

10. Christianity in Canada • Varieties of Christianity in Canada (according to 2001 Census Data) • 72% of Canadians self-identify as some variety of Christian (compared to 82% in the USA) • In terms of three main branches: • Roman Catholic 43.2 % • Protestant 29.2% • Orthodox 1.4%

11. Christianity in Canada • Varieties of Christianity in Canada (according to 2001 Census Data) • Protestantism is frequently broken down into two broad categories • Mainline • Protestant denominations with longer history • Arrived in Canada with historic roots in Europe • Often have a reputation for being more open to liberal forms of Christianity • Canadian e.g.’s: Anglican, United Church, Lutheran, Presbyterian

12. Christianity in Canada • Varieties of Christianity in Canada (according to 2001 Census Data) • Protestantism is frequently broken down into two broad categories • Conservative • Frequently have shorter history (circa 100 years or younger) • Some are home grown in North America • Often have a reputation for being more keen on “evangelism”—that is attempting to convince others to join their group; “conversionist” • Canadian e.g.’s: Baptist, Pentecostal, Some Mennonite churches, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Salvation Army

13. Christianity in Canada • Varieties of Christianity in Canada (according to 2001 Census Data) • Protestant Christianity’s #’s in Canada • Mainline 29% (USA-22%) • Largest group: United Church – 9.6% • Conservative 8% (USA-27%) • Largest group: Baptist – 2.5%

14. Christianity in Canada • But what about actually attending church services on a regular basis? • Roman Catholic 30% (3.8 million) • Quebec 21% • Outside Quebec 38% • Protestants 29% • Mainline 18% (circa 1.1 million) • Conservative 64% (circa 1.5 million)

15. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Roman Catholic (in Canada—43.2% self-id; 13% reg. attd.) • Are ultimately led by the Bishop of Rome / The Pope (presently Benedict XVI), with the church governed by an “episcopal” hierarchical structure which includes: • Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, and Priests • Local church communities/congregations (“parishes”) led by “priests”; larger geographic areas/collection of churches is referred to as a “diocese” and is under a “bishop” • Priests cannot be married, typically addressed as “Father” • Only a priest may perform a “mass” (the eucharist/communion) • Also have “religious orders”—individuals who have taken vows to live out their lives in supreme dedication to God, i.e., nuns and monks • Church services are typically “liturgical”, i.e., they follow a preset structure of prayers and Bible readings from a prayer book

16. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Roman Catholic (in Canada—43.2% self-id; 13% reg. attd.) • Have a tradition of “confession” in which one may confidentially confess their sins to a priest and receive forgiveness/absolution • “Last rites” are an important anointing ceremony performed by priests for the dying • Significant and pious Christians of the past are sometimes recognized in a “beatification” ceremony and serve as “saints” • Roman Catholic Christians may “pray to saints”—that is, ask saints already in heaven to intercede to God on their behalf for their requests • Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a key figure in the Roman Catholic tradition, is venerated to varying degrees by Catholics, and is certainly called upon to intercede more than any other saint. • Hold to a belief in “purgatory”, that is, an intermediate zone Christians pass through en route to heaven proper where they are purged of remaining sin in preparation for eternal life

17. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Mainline Protestant (in Canada—21% self-id; 3.8% reg. attd.) • In terms of size in Canada as % of total pop • United Church (9.6%) • Anglican (6.9%) • Lutheran (2.0%) • Presbyterian (1.4%)

18. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Mainline Protestant (in Canada—21% self-id; 3.8% reg. attd.) • Vary in governance structure • E.g., Anglican—very much like Roman Catholic structure (episcopal—with bishops and priests), but no overarching bishop/pope; technically Monarch of England is head of church, archbishop of Canterbury is “top clerical post” (presently Rowan Williams) • E.g., Lutheran—have “bishops” but they function differently from RC and are typically voted in and term appointed by larger assemblies made up of church representatives (presbyterian structure); usually churches have say in who serves as their minister • “Presbyterian” government forms are most typical (governance by democratic processes of elected members from local churches) • Professional local church leader is typically called a “minister” or “pastor” rather than “priest” (Anglican is exception) and is typically addressed as “Reverend”; all allow married clergy (including Anglicans)

19. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Mainline Protestant (in Canada—21% self-id; 3.8% reg. attd.) • Most offer services which are “liturgical” to a great extent (i.e., preset according to a “prayer book”) • Doctrinally shaped by the theology of their historical founders • E.g., Luther for Lutherans; Calvin for Presbyterians

20. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Mainline Protestant (in Canada—21% self-id; 3.8% reg. attd.) • Differences with Roman Catholicism in particular • Unlike RC’s, Protestants will… • Typically will not call on saints/Mary to intercede for them (Anglicanism closest to Catholicism on this point) • Historically preaching (sacrament of the Word) has been very central to their services although Eucharist is also practiced and highly regarded • Historically have been more interested in Bible as source of theology than traditional teachings (however, notice that historical founders have generated particular traditions by which texts are interpreted) • “Confession” is not an official practice typically • No belief in “purgatory”

21. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Mainline Protestant (in Canada—21% self-id; 3.8% reg. attd.) • Differences with Conservative Protestantism • Unlike Cons. Prots., Mainline Protestants will… • Have typically been less literal and more liberal in their interpretation of Christian doctrine and the Bible e.g., United Church ordains homosexual clergy and supported same sex marriage • Have typically embraced larger social transformation as a goal/responsibility of the church e.g., “social action” is typically a preferred way to interact with larger world outside the church than “evangelism” (i.e., attempting to convert individuals)

22. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Conservative Protestant (in Canada—8% self-id; 5.1% reg. attd.) • Church Governance • Some have episcopal (like RC) aspects, but more typically they are presbyterian (elected reps and area supervisors) and most frequently congregational (local church makes final decisions for itself) • Largest Groups/Denominations (as % of Can pop) • Baptist 2.5% • Pentecostal 1.2% • Mennonite 0.6% • *notice how fragmented these groups are—larger representatives in this group have in the 50,000-100,000 range in membership (.1-.3% of Can pop); many smaller groups

23. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Conservative Protestant (in Canada—8% self-id; 5.1% reg. attd.) • Differences from Mainline Protestants • Unlike Mainline Prots., Conservative Protestants will… • Typically operate a “free” style service which while it may fall into a very predictable pattern is nevertheless not scripted in advance, liturgical calendar is only followed for Christmas and Easter - Music is typically shaped by popular tastes - Prayers are usually spontaneous and personal • Individual denominations and churches can range from more intellectual/reflective/teaching style to “charismatic”/expressionist/enthusiastic forms • Put much more emphasis on personal conversion and hence on evangelism (i.e., trying to convert others)

24. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Conservative Protestant (in Canada—8% self-id; 5.1% reg. attd.) • Conservative Protestants will… • Usually hold to more literal and conservative interpretations of the Bible • This doesn’t mean groups will necessarily agree—in fact, there can be fierce debates between conservative groups over points of interpretation • Some groups shaped by Prohibition Movement will have an alcohol taboo and most believe sex is to be reserved for heterosexual marriage • Typically find their political voice in The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada

25. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Conservative Protestant (in Canada—8% self-id; 5.1% reg. attd.) • Two interesting groups in the Conservative Protestant Category: • Jehovah’s Witness (JW’s) (0.5% of Can Pop) • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (0.35% of Can Pop) • These groups share significant features of other conservative protestant groups, especially in their conversionist endeavours, and other sociological identity markers (e.g., alcohol taboo, strict on sexual matters) • However, while many conservative Protestant groups will recognize the validity of other like-minded conservative Protestant denominations, these two groups are viewed by con. Prots. with suspicion as failing to be “orthodox” (indeed, usually classed as “cults” by conservative Protestants)

26. Christianity in Canada • Some Distinctive Features (i.e., aside from holding to pan-Christian beliefs and practices) • Conservative Protestant (in Canada—8% self-id; 5.1% reg. attd.) • Two interesting groups in the Conservative Protestant Category: • Jehovah’s Witness (JW’s) (0.5% of Can Pop) • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (0.35% of Can Pop) • Typical reasons why other Cons. Prots. object to these two groups: • do not share more broadly typical Christian theology/view on Christ • seen as overly aggressive in evangelism (although that is obviously relative as Cons. Prots. also “evangelize”) • “secrecy” of aspects of Mormonism also tends to frighten other Cons. Prots.