Religion

  • On Good Data & Bad Ideas

    On Good Data & Bad Ideas

    Reginald Bibby

    August 29, 2013

    In late June, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released a report titled "Canada's Changing Religious Landscape." It provides an excellent overview of Statistics Canada data on religious identification and service attendance spanning the 1980s through 2011, complete with many high-calibre charts and tables. What is less helpful is the report's central focus on a few select trends that are not favourable to Christianity, resulting in a very truncated picture of Canada's changing religious landscape that minimizes the ongoing importance of Catholicism and Protestantism.

    Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from Bibby's full-length reflection in the current issue of Convivium. Buy the PDF or printed version now: https://www.cardus.ca/store/4001/.

    In late ...

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  • Tread Lightly and Carry a Big Dream

    Tread Lightly and Carry a Big Dream

    Doug Sikkema

    August 27, 2013

    I wholeheartedly agree that this is not an either/or scenario. However, acting locally—that is, in a particular place and time—should not be misconstrued as dreaming small.

    Last week on the Cardus blog, Jamie Smith's look at the rising generation whose local acts of kindness may, in some instances, signal a retreat from the more "macro" tasks of civi...

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  • Imposing On Whom?

    Imposing On Whom?

    André Schutten

    August 26, 2013

    For a democracy to flourish, governments must respect the fundamental freedoms of its citizens, four of which are outlined in section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The first one, freedom of religion, and the fourth one, freedom of association, are especially important in the discussion surrounding the recent decision by Christian Horizons to open its employment to any and all.

    Editor's Note: Just before last week's blog on institutional religious freedom from Stanley Carlson-Thies, related ...

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  • Diversity in Fact, Not Just Slogans

    Diversity in Fact, Not Just Slogans

    Stanley Carlson-Thies

    August 22, 2013

    Rather, the case has two other very odd aspects. The federal government claims—although those appeals court judges weren't convinced—that because Hobby Lobby is a profit-making entity, it can't have a religious freedom claim. Businesses exist to make money and making money is a secular endeavour, so religious freedom is irrelevant.

    The recent federal appeals court victory of Hobby Lobby, the U.S. chain of arts and crafts stores, has its odd aspects. The appeals court vindicated Hobby Lobby's claim that, even though it is a pro...

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  • Buying Groceries in Egypt

    Buying Groceries in Egypt

    Janet Epp Buckingham

    August 19, 2013

    In July, however, I gained a new incentive for keeping a close eye on unfolding events: my niece moved to Cairo. She moved not for journalism, nor for Mennonite conflict resolution. She relocated for love. Her fiancé is an Egyptian Eastern Catholic, a minority among minorities. Through her, I'm getting stark reminders that amidst all of the chaos, most Egyptians are just trying to live their workaday lives. The demonstrations in Tahrir Square were successful in ousting Mubarak and moving to democratic elections. The Muslim Brotherhood won that election and Mohamed Morsi took office as president. The terms of the election required that a new constitution be negotiated and, once ratified, there be new elections. Instead, Morsi developed a pro-Islamic constitution that gave him more power and refused to go to subsequent elections. Anti-Morsi demonstrations led to the military ousting Morsi. The Muslim Brotherhood responded with demonstrations. The military crushed the demonstrations with violence leading to 1000 dead. The Muslim Brotherhood retaliated against Coptic churches and by marching through the streets of Cairo.

    The world's eyes are on Egypt. Mine are, too—even before the regime change from Hosni Mubarak, there was discrimination and sometimes violence against the minority Coptic Christian population.

    In July, however, I gained a new incentive for keeping a...

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  • Bowling with the Church

    Bowling with the Church

    Andy Bayer

    August 14, 2013

    Much has been made in the media and in research about income divides and the challenge of "bouncing back" from inheriting challenging conditions. Here I'll not look at upward mobility—ably discussed by Jamie Smith last week—but rather at another major factor in resilience.

    We all love the underdog. Hollywood has always been obsessed with comebacks, stories of resilience: people who come from a difficult situation and, against all odds, achieve what they set out to do. But, of course, the American Dream we see in The Longe...

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  • Human Rights Triage

    Human Rights Triage

    Peter Stockland

    August 13, 2013

    Either the fine people at REAL Women of Canada missed that particular memo with its deeply conservative emphasis on constancy and prudence, or they suffered a temporary lapse in memory before issuing a terribly wrong-headed media release last week. The release publicly criticized Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird for his public criticism of Russia's abuse of a) the basic human rights of homosexual people, and b) by extension, the basic human rights of all people. It then went further and accused the minister of abandoning conservative principles to advance his personal agenda at the expense of Canadian taxpayers. The clear implication was that he has a personal interest in Uganda homosexuality. At best, that would be the great unreported allegation of our time. At worst, it is ad hominem untrue innuendo unworthy of REAL Women and its ever-stalwart president, Gwen Landolt.

    Mother always said never let down true old friends to chase after false new friends waiting to let you down.

    Either the fine people at REAL Women of Canada missed that particular memo with its deeply co...

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  • Families, Flourishing, and Upward Mobility

    Families, Flourishing, and Upward Mobility

    James K.A. Smith

    August 7, 2013

    It is certainly true that this dream easily slides towards idolatry. It can become a nightmare of crass materialism and selfish ambition. But we shouldn't confuse idolatrous perversions with more humble aspirations of families to simply enjoy a mode of economic security that is conducive with flourishing.

    If the "American dream" is anything it is a dream of upward mobility: the dream of getting ahead, climbing the ladder, leapfrogging from one class to another in a "land of opportunity"—all if you're willing to work for it. Too often, fantastic "rags to rich...

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  • Loyola's Freedom of Religion

    Loyola's Freedom of Religion

    Ray Pennings

    August 2, 2013

    Canada's Supreme Court will hear a case next spring that will greatly impact the future choices available to parents in the education of their children. Things got a bit complicated in Quebec in 2008, however, when the government passed a requirement that all schools (including private schools and home schools) teach a new program called "Ethics and Religious Culture." The ERC purpose is straightforward: "The new program, which reflects the preference of the majority of Quebeckers, will make it possible to offer the same education to all Québec students while respecting the freedom of conscience and religion of parents, students and teachers." .

    Update: The Supreme Court ruled in favour of Loyola on March 19, 2015. For an analysis on the ruling, click here.

    Canada's Supreme Court will hear a case next spring that...

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  • Nurture

    Nurture

    Julia Nethersole

    July 15, 2013

    From a training and educational standpoint, nurses are highly qualified to assess bodily system functions and use complex technology to monitor their patients. They monitor vital signs, check and replace IV lines, administer injections, make painstaking reports, and perform an overwhelming assortment of often unpleasant tasks not included in their job description. It is nurses who keep our hearts beating.

    My sister, Angela, recently spent 15 days in hospital. Needless to say, my family met many nurses over those weeks. In this time I've wondered about the distinction between duty and service. What is it that makes one nurse seem more compassionate and attune...

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  • A Protestant Appreciation of Lumen fidei

    A Protestant Appreciation of Lumen fidei

    James K.A. Smith

    July 12, 2013

    In that spirit, I want to add my voice to the chorus of appreciation for Pope Francis' encyclical, Lumen fidei ("The Light of Faith"). In this beautiful articulation of the Christian faith for our postmodern world, Francis revisits themes from Pope John Paul II's 1998 encyclical Fides et ratio, with a winsome accessibility that is inviting and charitable. It is surely an expression of what George Weigel has called Evangelical Catholicism (a book that Mark Noll will be reviewing for Comment later this summer).

    As I noted in my review of Ephraim Radner's important book A Brutal Unity, Christian witness for the common good requires a common witness. In other words,...

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  • Sacred Space Smackdown

    Sacred Space Smackdown

    David Greusel

    July 8, 2013

    In his response, Jacobs challenges Renn on a number of points of inadequately defined terms and formal logic, rather like a professor spanking a student for sloppy thinking in a paper. But I find Jacobs' critique less compelling than Renn's original question, which is a good one, even if his answer is a little uneven.

    Alan Jacobs takes on Aaron M. Renn on the subject of sacred space in a blog post on The American Conservative.  Re...

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  • "Ring of Fire" Re-Kindling Northern Challenges

    "Ring of Fire" Re-Kindling Northern Challenges

    Andy Bayer

    July 5, 2013

    The discovery of valuable minerals in the so-called "Ring of Fire" in Northern Ontario has brought discussion of these social challenges to the fore once again. The Ring of Fire, discovered in the early 2000s, has been estimated to contain between $30 billion and $50 billion worth of mineral deposits. This land, currently in early development, is expected to produce between 3,600 direct and 4,500 indirect jobs. The Ring of Fire has the potential to be a catalyst of socio-economic development among nearby Aboriginal communities.

    When the northern Ontario Aboriginal community of Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency in 2011 because its houses were falling apart, it was analogous to the social state of emergency tha...

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  • Socialist Acts?

    Socialist Acts?

    Brian Dijkema

    July 2, 2013

    I've read The Communist Manifesto, large chunks of Capital, and a bunch of other Marxist material, and compared to the power of the Holy Ghost, the spectre of communism looks like Caspar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    The book of Acts does not condone or command socialism because socialism didn't exist in the first century. Socialism is an ideology that arose in response to the social problems brought about by the industrial revolution; the Apostles were preaching the go...

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  • When "Offensive" Becomes "Discriminatory"

    When "Offensive" Becomes "Discriminatory"

    Albertos Polizogopoulos

    June 27, 2013

    The complaint was made by Lorna Pardy, a lesbian who attended the comedy show with her partner and friends. During the comedy show, Mr. Earle made a number of comments about Ms. Pardy, her partner, and their friends. Earle maintains that his comments were in response to Pardy and her partner's drunkenness, heckling and "making out," which disturbed the show. When Earle made his comments, Pardy and her friends engaged him, eventually throwing at least two glasses of water at him. He then somehow broke Pardy's sunglasses. Pardy and her friends stayed for the entire show.

    Last week, the Supreme Court of British Columbia released its decision in Ismail v. British Columbia (Human Rights Tribunal), a human rights complaint against Guy Earle, a comedian,...

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  • A Long Way from Inclusive

    A Long Way from Inclusive

    André Schutten

    June 19, 2013

    Québec's insistence on creating exceptions for Christian symbols is especially unnerving. Stockland says, "It's the reduction of a belief that once moved the world to a collection of tchotchkes. It is faith as furniture." While some might see the exceptions for Christian symbols as privileging the Christian faith, the Christians in Québec should be most afraid: if the Loyola School case is any indication, Québec will only make room for Christian symbols and little else.

    Yesterday, Peter Stockland penned another exceptional blog in which he accurately describes Québec's religion problems as symptoms of a bigger issue. ...

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  • After Meaning: Quebec's Religion Problems are Mere Symptoms

    After Meaning: Quebec's Religion Problems are Mere Symptoms

    Peter Stockland

    June 18, 2013

    They were devout Jews. It was the Sabbath. They needed him to come to their house and turn off the lights and some electrical appliances. "They don't just talk about what they believe," he said. "They live it in every day life."

    Several years ago my son was cycling home to his apartment in Outremont when he was approached at a corner by neighbours asking for a somewhat unusual favour.

    They were devout Jews. It was the Sabbath. They needed him to come to their house and turn ...

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  • The Religion of the Nones

    The Religion of the Nones

    Ray Pennings

    June 12, 2013

    A 2012 report by the British think tank Theos looked more carefully at the belief systems of Britons who self-identified to pollsters as having no religion, which is also at approximately 25% there. The report suggests that "the proportion of people who are consistently non-religious—i.e. who don't believe in God, never attend a place of worship, call themselves non-religious, and don't believe life after death, the soul, angels, etc.—is very low at 9%." Interestingly, the British surveyors found a wide range of beliefs that commonly would be characterized as religious among those who said they had no religion.

    Conventional thinking has thought religion to be on the decline over recent decades. A more careful look at the data, however, suggests the story is a bit more complicated than a straightforward decline of religion and increase of secularization. "Polarizat...

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  • Where are the Atheist Churches?

    Where are the Atheist Churches?

    Brian Dijkema

    June 6, 2013

    Cosh's article was inspired by a University of Saskatchewan paper which found, among other things, that: In other words, it's not enough to say you're religious, or even actually believe in religion A or B. You must do religion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    In Maclean's, Colby Cosh asks: "What if the 'organized' bit in 'organized religion' is actually the useful half?"

    Cosh's article was inspired by a University ...

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  • Vocabulary of Difference

    Vocabulary of Difference

    Peter Stockland

    May 29, 2013

    Like their London antecedents, of course, Montreal bridges are now far more famous for falling down than they are for conjugating across chasms. Was the city of collapsing 25-tonne concrete slabs really the charmed place to lay the foundation for unifying conversation between Canada's myriad of religious faiths and the often-adversarial secular society in which they must exist? In doing so, they brought to the surface a much deeper challenge facing Canada's multitudinous faith communities.

    A witty fellow sent me an e-mail at the start of this week's Bridging the Secular Divide conference pointing out the paradox of it being held in Montreal.

    Like their London antecedents, of course, Montre...

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  • Reconsidering Limitations on Free Speech in Canada

    Reconsidering Limitations on Free Speech in Canada

    Ray Sawatsky

    May 20, 2013

    Most of us would also intuitively limit the expression of belief that is clearly deeply racist or hateful.

    If we asked any high school social studies or civics class to identify the most important rights in a democratic society, it's a fair bet freedom of speech and freedom of belief would top the list. In Canada, the architects of our ...

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  • Le Parti Moustique

    Le Parti Moustique

    Brian Dijkema

    May 16, 2013

    If you were ever in doubt about the heights of lunacy which governments committed to a high-modern conception of secularism  can reach,  I present to you Exhibit A of the latest valiant effort from Le Parti Moustique.

    The Parti Quebecois used to stand for something. These days it seems to take its policy cues from mosquitoes. Its preferred method of governance is to buzz loudly, annoy anyone within range, suck the life out of Quebec, cause welts across the country, and l...

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  • Greatly Troubled

    Greatly Troubled

    Ray Pennings

    May 15, 2013

    Tragedies of this sort are theological and practical challenges for me, as I seek to live out of my faith in the midst of a society that does not share it. Why does God allow evil of this magnitude to take place? Although there are "right" theological answers to that, owning those answers is difficult—and is even more difficult for those far closer emotionally to the situation.

    Yesterday's email alert advising of a "breaking development" had me watching the Hamilton Police Service news conference regarding the Tim Bosma case live online. The chief's openin...

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