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 ...