What has been your experience with religion and religious believers in Canada?

Question

I read alot about the U.S.A in R&S, I hear things like "Christian Nation", I hear about the really super fundamentalist areas and all sorts of things about god lovin' gun toting Americans(not my words, and no hate implied I've met plenty of Americans who were incredible people).. I hear very little about religion in Canada on here. I'm curious to hear all your perceptions and opinions about religion and belief in Canada. Do Americans consider Canada to be a godless nation? How is religion in Canada percieved by residents of the U.S.A?

What kind of experiences have you had with religious beliefs in Canada?

What kind of experiences have you had with non-believers in Canada?

Would you consider Canada to be more or less religiously inclined than the U.S?

Any thoughts are welcome.. but please no insulting each other, we are after all neighbours and I spent my life around tourists from the U.S. there are asshles and nice people in equal proportions on both sides of the border..

Answer 1

I was kinda wondering about that myself. I went to Vancouver this weekend for vacation and there weren't a lot of churches. I was wondering if people were as religious as the USA. Of course, it was in the city so there usually isn't a lot of churches. I really have no idea what religion is like in Canada vs here in the USA. I'm only familiar with the USA.

Answer 2

Canada is just as religious yes. We just don't seem to have the same figures for things like "Fundamentalism", and "Evangelicals". The fringes don't really seem to pick up speed here. I suppose we don't have the same laws like in the USA. Where anyone can say anything and not care who gets taken down along the way. And that the American government is so quick to hand out tax breaks to anyone claiming to be a church. In Canada those things are not necessarily within our freedoms. Which may be a bit more restrictive. But I will take freedom from hatred laws over a religiously tainted constitution.

Answer 3

As a Canadian, I am happy that religion plays far less in politics up here than it does in the US.

In our election of 2000, when it came out that Stockwell Day (Leader of the then Canadian Alliance Party) was a creationist, it gained him no positive ground, and lost him quite a bit with rational people.

Religion plays far less on Canadian TV and what is one is far less evangelical than is common in the US. Theres, fortunately, no Canadian equivalents of the bedbug crazy Pat Robertson & Jerry Falwell here.

Overall, I would say that religion is treated as being more of a personal and private matter here than in the US, and thats a Good Thing.

Answer 4

Umm...there were alot of asian people and pretty gardens there...that's pretty spiritual right??