There have been many shifts to Canada’s cultural landscape in recent years. While some areas remain immersed in tradition, there are regions where major changes are taking place. This is especially true when it comes to religion. Studies conducted over the last decade highlight a number of evolutions that have occurred when it comes to how Canadians view spiritual matters. Take a look at these facts and learn more about these changes and how they are impacting everyday life throughout the country.
Younger Generations Feel Less Connected to Religion
According to surveys conducted throughout the 1970s, most Canadians identified with some type of religion. In fact, more than half of the population was connected to different denominations of Christianity. Only about 4% of the population identified as being non-religious. When Canadians were surveyed again 40 years later in the 2010s, the percentage of the population who did not identify with any type of religion rose dramatically to 24%. The data suggests that younger generations have less of a connection to religion than previous generations did.
Immigration Is Impacting Religion in Canada
Canada has long been a place that has welcomed immigrants from all over the world. However, there have been recent changes to where these migrants are coming from. For many years, most of the people who moved to Canada came from European nations. Now, the majority of immigrants entering the country are coming from the Middle East and Asia. This change has had a direct impact on the religious makeup of Canada. According to research from 2018, about 8% of the population now identifies as being connected to Buddhism, Islam, or Hinduism.
Many Canadians Don’t View as Religion Important
A Pew Research survey from 2013 highlighted that many Canadians did not engage in everyday religious practices like praying. What’s more, only about 25% of those surveyed admitted to going to any type of weekly religious gathering like church. However, this same study pointed out that a good chunk of the population viewed religion as important to the fabric of society. This data suggests that many Canadians feel connected to their religious ideologies without feeling the need to consistently engage with the rituals and traditions connected to these belief systems.
Canada’s Constitution Protects Freedom of Religion
Citizens of Canada are allowed to practice whatever religion they wish without fear of persecution from the government. Because freedom of religion is written into the nation’s constitution, it has directly impacted how tolerant many Canadians are of other religions. Still, there are situations where members of the public raise a fuss about certain religious practices. An example of this comes from 2018 when a woman was targeted in Quebec for wearing a hijab while in a courtroom. Though she was asked to remove her hijab, higher courts in the region viewed the move as unconstitutional.
Most Canadians Don’t Associate Good Morals With Religion
Around the world, many people believe that good morals stem from a strong religious background. A majority of Canadians don’t believe this. When surveyed about the topic, around 70% of participants stated that it was not necessary to believe in God in order to be a good person. This has remained a consistent belief among the population for many years. Surveys on the subject were conducted in 2002, 2007, 2013, and 2018, and the responses were similar across the board. The data suggests that the religious tolerance of the average Canadian shapes his or her views on morality.
Though Canada is a place where tradition is considered important, it is also a country that is happy to change with the times. As more and more people immigrate to Canada from around the world, it is likely that the religious landscape of the nation will continue to fluctuate to reflect the belief systems of new citizens.
Canada has often led the way in North America when it comes to progressive policies and laws. The country has stricter regulations for firearms than the U.S. does and also has a more equitable health system. In 2016, Canadian lawmakers once again surged forward in what was considered a very progressive move by legalizing medical assistance in dying, also referred to as euthanasia, for people with serious, life-threatening illnesses. Since 2016, an estimated 30,000 people in Canada have requested and received medical assistance in dying in Canada. For Canada’s Christians, euthanasia is posing a critical religious dilemma.
What Is Euthanasia/Medical Assistance in Dying?
The term euthanasia has gone out of fashion among health advocates and medical practitioners, and medical assistance in dying (MAID) has come to replace it. MAID is a process that allows people with serious health conditions to work with nurses and doctors to stop living. When a request for MAID is approved, the person suffering from illness receives prescription drugs, including sedatives, at high dosages that lead to death.
Sometimes referred to as assisted suicide, advocates who promote MAID believe that people have a right to die with dignity and a right to avoid needless suffering at the end of life. However, Canada’s MAID laws are vague and have made it very challenging for Christian doctors and medical practitioners to work within the system to help people to die.
Who Can Ask for MAID in Canada?
In 2016, when MAID was fully legalized in Canada, only people with serious conditions who had a diagnosis where death was “reasonably inevitable” in the short term could request assisted dying. Two patients with degenerative diseases contested the law in 2021, and the government expanded the language of the law to include people who have serious illnesses even if the disease isn’t life-threatening or terminal.
As of 2023, the Canadian government is struggling with how to include or exclude people with mental illnesses from this law. Advocates for MAID argue that any person who has agency and is capable should be able to decide to die in order to avoid undue and cruel suffering. However, Canadian Protestants and Catholics, who have generally felt uneasy with this law, feel that Canada’s policies are too broad and will result in needless death.
Is Euthanasia a Religious Issue for People in Canada?
Euthanasia is a complex topic that is regularly brought up in religious communities and churches in Canada. Catholics believe that taking one’s own life is a sin because only God can decide when life ends. Protestants also see death by suicide as a very serious issue, but they don’t believe that the person who died is unworthy of salvation. MAID is a hot-button issue for Christians and Christian doctors who face difficult questions when it comes to the value of life. Is it better to follow religious tradition and allow people to suffer during terminal illness? Or is it worthwhile to consider MAID a compassionate solution for people who are already dying?
The Christian community was already finding it difficult to accept Canada’s initial 2016 law that legalized assisted dying, and now that the language of the law has become even broader, Christians are raising the alarm. The current language of the law seems to suggest that people who are suffering from mental illness can request and receive MAID quite easily. Christians and other concerned religious leaders worry that this puts already vulnerable people into even worse situations, essentially allowing society to reduce the burden of caring for those less fortunate by letting them take their own lives in hospitals.
As the parameters for assisted dying begin to expand beyond terminal illness, conversations about euthanasia in religious communities are heating up. Canada’s courts and policymakers will be weighing the arguments for and against these proposed changes in the months to come.
The fabric of daily life for most people in Canada has long included some spiritual elements. However, recent Pew Studies have highlighted a few key details suggesting that traditional religious beliefs are not as important as they were to previous generations. To gain some perspective on this, it can be useful to look at some of the biggest shifts that have taken place in the last few years. Review these statistics and learn the how and why of Canada’s current religious landscape.
Immigration and Population Changes
Canada has long been a nation that has welcomed immigrants from all over the world. From refugees looking for a more stable place to raise families to those simply seeking to reap the many advantages Canadian citizenship can offer, roughly 300,000 people from every corner of the globe immigrate to the country each year. As these numbers continue to grow, Canada has seen significant population increases in various religious groups. In the last decade, about 50% of immigrants to Canada come from the Middle East and Asia. For this reason, groups like Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims have grown.
However, people are also leaving Canada in consistent numbers. Reports state that about 25,000 Canadians emigrate to other countries annually. As this occurs, existing populations of those who follow different Christian beliefs have gone down. While Christianity is still the dominant religion of the country, these changes have seen the number lower significantly in a short amount of time.
Religion Has Less of an Impact
While the religious scene in Canada is becoming more diverse, the role of religion has become less important in many ways to citizens. Another study released by the Pew Research Center revealed that younger generations are not connecting to organized religion as much. Though many individuals may still identify as belonging to a particular religious group, a majority do not believe that religion has much of an influence on their routines. Younger generations are also adamant about keeping religion out of government affairs, whereas previous generations were more divided on the matter.
Personal Prayer Is More Important Than Religious Gatherings
There are a number of metrics that can be used when determining whether a person is actively involved with a religious group. However, younger Canadians are less inclined to take part in community activities. Daily or weekly worship, for example, has much less of an impact on this demographic than prayer. According to recent research, about 60% of all Canadians admit to praying on some type of regular basis. Conversely, only about 50% of the population attends worship services throughout the year.
Where You Live Dictates Your Religious Beliefs
Location has always impacted a person’s religious beliefs. However, reports from the last few years show that people of similar mindsets tend to move to certain regions of Canada. Census data has highlighted that Western Canada is populated by a large number of individuals who consider themselves non-religious. About 45% of citizens in this region consider themselves atheists, agnostics, or disinterested in the topic of religion altogether. On the other hand, cities like Quebec tend to have the strongest and most consistent population of people who identify as Roman Catholic.
People Are Fine With Other People’s Beliefs
International news is filled with plenty of stories about religious intolerance of all degrees. Though Canada is not without its fair share of incidents, studies have pointed out that the country is largely welcoming of other people’s beliefs. Though this will always vary from person to person, the country is routinely ranked as one of the best places to live for those who wish to practice their religion freely and without stigma.
Religion has always had some type of influence on life in Canada. To gain an understanding of how people will feel in the future, it can be helpful to review recent statistics and learn more about the “why” of it all.
Secularism is an important aspect of Canada’s identity as a nation. Though the country has a large religious population, the government of Canada values secularism, which is the separation of church and state. The education minister of Quebec, Bernard Drainville, issued a directive in April 2023 to ban students from gathering together to pray while in school. Read on to learn about the background of this issue and what this crackdown on religious students means for schools and families.
Schools in Montreal Gave Students a Room for Prayer
Education minister Drainville decided to issue a directive because he discovered that some schools in Montreal had given students rooms in which to pray together. The schools reported that students were not forced to pray or exposed to religious messages against their will, but this didn’t ease Drainville’s mind or make him change directions. He felt that any group worship in schools went against Quebec’s secularism law.
In 2019, the government of Quebec passed the Act Respecting the Laicity of the State, also known as Bill 21. This bill made it illegal for government employees, including in schools, to wear any religious symbols while at work. In a broader sense, Bill 21 invokes secularism as the law of the land in Quebec, laying the groundwork for other directives to enforce secularism at every level of society when it comes to government services such as education.
Education Authorities Ban Prayer Rooms in Schools
Minister Drainville’s directive is meant to direct schools to ban prayer rooms and prayer groups in schools in Quebec. It seems that Drainville doesn’t want to see prayer happening visibly at all in schools. Regarding his directive to ban prayer rooms, he explained that students can pray as long as they do so individually and quietly. Of course, Christians and Catholics may find it easier to conform to this regulation than Muslims, considering that group prayer is an important part of the tradition of worship in Islam.
The ban may apply to extracurricular activities and after-hours activities because it has enough vague language to enforce in a variety of situations. So, while the motivation behind Drainville’s ban may seem harmless, the enforcement of the ban could end up encroaching on students’ freedoms and human rights. The application of such a ban tends to affect non-Christians more than Christians, which makes it appear like an attack on people of certain religions more than others.
Religion and Culture Play Important Roles in Student Education Life
Canada’s Human Rights Commission is looking further into this issue because religion and culture play important roles in students’ lives. Banning prayer rooms for the sake of protecting non-religious students isn’t as innocuous as it seems. For some students, religion, culture, and identity are intimately connected, and when they have to suppress or ignore a part of their identity to exist at school, it can feel harmful and upsetting to them.
One of the issues is that young people, especially students, often suffer more intrusions on their human rights because they are young and in school. Student speech is censored, they can get in serious trouble for protesting or holding demonstrations, and they often can’t express their identities through clothing, style, and accessories. This religious ban further erodes students’ rights in the name of protecting non-religious students from being pressured to follow a religion. Some Muslim groups see this ban as another veiled attack against their community with language that invokes an unfounded fear of religious radicalism in Canada.
Although the education minister received some negative backlash for issuing his directive to ban prayer rooms in schools, he did not back down. Minister Drainville expects school officials to enforce these policies and ensure that students are not praying in schools.
Over the last few years, there have been a number of moves made throughout Canadian provinces to reduce the presence of religion in public places. One of the more notable actions was a 2019 decision in Quebec to enforce a law prohibiting public employees from donning any type of religious symbols while in an official workplace. Though there has been pushback on the law, it has brought forth a number of conversations in relation to modern religious beliefs throughout Canada. Though the country was largely composed of those identifying as Christian for many decades, this has shifted in recent times.
A handful of Pew studies conducted in recent years highlight the exact changes that have occurred when it comes to the average Canadian’s feelings about religion. Take a look at these data-driven points to get a better idea of what these changes are.
Fewer Canadians Are Identifying as Christians
A poll conducted in 1971 across Canada revealed that only about 4% of the population identified as unaffiliated with any one particular religion. During this same survey, the most popular religion was Christianity, with about 47% of the respondents identifying with this belief system. In 2018, however, the same survey was conducted, with dramatically different results. In the roughly 50-year span between the polls, the percentage of people identifying as Christian rose slightly to about 55%. However, the number of unaffiliated individuals also spiked from 4% to 16%.
There have also been a number of changes in the religions that Canadians belong to. Though this accounts for only about 8% of the population, it is a much larger number than in decades past. Since the survey in the 1970s, there have been increases in individuals who are affiliated with Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and many other belief systems.
Daily Practices Are Not a Part of Canadian Life
Belief is only a small part of the picture when it comes to religion in Canada. Rituals like attending weekend worship or praying each day also factor into the equation. Though 55% of the population identified as Christian, very few actually committed to any kind of regular practice. In fact, only one out of every five Canadians surveyed said that they prayed on any kind of daily basis. What’s more, about 25% of those who identified as some form of Christian did not go to any kind of weekly worship or services.
What is interesting about this is that there is a slight disparity between belief and practice. A survey conducted in 2013 highlighted that almost 30% of Canadians believed that religion was very important to their daily lives. However, this doesn’t match with the percentage of individuals who commit to any kind of daily practice. This is an intriguing example of how people can believe one thing and yet act in an entirely different way.
Religion and Morality Are Not Linked
Throughout history, there has often been a prominent argument stating that good morals are born of a religious mindset. While there has been little to prove this point, the belief is actually not that popular with modern Canadians. In fact, a series of studies conducted between 2003 and 2011 showed that a consistent 67% of the population believed that a person could have good morals and be an upstanding citizen without having any kind of religious belief whatsoever. Still, a very small percentage of Canadians have a strict rule that a person must believe in God to be truly good.
Religious beliefs are constantly changing. While it can be difficult to track, data does an invaluable job of pointing out exactly how these major shifts have come about. Though banning religious symbols in Quebec was a controversial move, looking at the research can highlight exactly why these decisions have been made and what public opinions are shaping the course of history.
Religion has long been a part of the journey of the human race. According to many anthropologists, one of the earliest signs of advanced intelligence in the ancestors of modern humans was the practice of burying the dead. Academics believe the initial burial processes were religious in nature, indicating connections to spiritual beliefs are some of the oldest aspects of the human condition. Still, this doesn’t mean that modern people have the same perceptions when it comes to religious ideologies. In Canada, there have been some very interesting shifts on religious fronts over recent years.
Immigrants Comprise the New Religious Majority
For a long while throughout Canada’s history, a good chunk of the population identified as religious. These individuals typically were influenced in their religious beliefs by their families, meaning that each generation in a group or community tended to reflect the one before. At some point over the last two decades, this began to change. According to statistics compiled from 2001 until 2015, younger individuals coming from families who have Canadian roots dating back centuries are much less religious than those prior.
The same research revealed that immigrants to Canada tend to be much more religious as a whole. With Canada consistently welcoming new residents from across the world, there has been a big uptick in both the number of religious individuals from foreign nations and a shift in what spiritual beliefs are practiced on average. Once, Christianity and its various denominations were most common. Now, populations of Muslims, Buddhists, and other groups have become larger in communities throughout the nation.
Older Canadians Are In Favor of Religion as a Whole
Another bit of data released around 2011 showed a transition in the median age for the average religious citizen. This information, which has remained largely the same over the last decade, revealed that those who identified as religious tended to be on the older end of the spectrum. Those who stated that they were members of a Christian-based faith like Protestantism or Catholicism tended to be around 52 years of age. This is a shift upward when compared to data from previous census reports across the last five decades, which revealed that the median age was closer to 35.
This is another area where differing religious beliefs reveal different sets of data. Though Christians as a whole tend to lean older, this is not true of those who belong to other faiths. In the case of immigrants entering Canada, those who identify as Mulsim tend to be around 27 years of age on average. This is primarily due to the fact that people in the countries where these individuals originated lean younger when it comes to religious beliefs across generations.
Most Canadians View Religion in a Positive Way
Even though fewer people are identifying as religious in the traditional sense, Canadians by and large accept and are interested in the religions of others. While there are favorable views to popular Canadian belief systems like Protestantism, citizens also respond in a positive way when it comes to religions that weren’t as present in the population over previous years, like Buddhism. Still, this isn’t to say all members of Canada are as open. Small populations still show signs of xenophobia and ignorance when it comes to the religions of others.
While a subject that has fascinated the human race since the dawn of recorded time, religion definitely looks far different today than it did back then. As the world continues to shrink due to the presence of the internet, it is likely true that even more changes will take place at an even faster pace. For now, looking back at the past can be a great way of gaining some perspective on the current zeitgeist and any changes that might be poised on the horizon.
Data obtained from Statistics Canada indicates that religious affiliation is at an all-time low. The number of Canadians who report having an affiliation with any religion dropped below 70 percent for the first time since tracking began in 1985. What is fascinating is that this data is not evenly distributed.
The study indicates a glaring generational divide. Participants in the study who were born before 1970 were significantly more likely to report religious affiliation compared to those born after 1990.
The decline in religious affiliation also disproportionately affects the Christian faiths. While the data revealed that Canadians are less likely to identify as Catholic or Anglican when compared to the same time 10 years ago, non-Christian faiths like Islam, Sikhism, and Hinduism are actually experiencing growth.
So what is one to make of this data? As human beings, we are natural storytellers. We need stories in order to make sense of the world, and data of this sort is a common way that we derive meaning and draw conclusions. While everyone will have their own interpretation of StatCan findings, a few things become clear when viewed in the context of our lives today.
The Generational Divide
The difference in religiosity between age groups cannot be ignored. What might these numbers say about the world today? Before exploring the divide, it is important to note that these data do not necessarily indicate a lack of interest in spiritual practices or community. They do, however, seem to indicate a rejection of labels.
One may argue that younger folks have access to more information and broader perspectives than were available to previous generations. Perhaps more information leads to more questions and less certainty. Perhaps it fosters a sense of curiosity and humility when it comes to our understanding of the world.
One could also argue that the decline in religiosity among younger Canadians indicates a desire for more flexible and inclusive views. In the face of a world that is growing more complex by the day, it is not hard to imagine a desire for systems of faith that are more nuanced and address the totality of our being.
A More Inclusive Society Leading To Decline
The StatCan data also reveals another interesting trend: that non-Christian religions are actually gaining popularity in Canada. As Canada continues to attract a diverse population of immigrants, new ideas, faiths, and worldviews appear to be making their mark on the country’s religious identity. When combined with the broader perspectives of Canada’s young, one could argue that the interplay between Christian and non-Christian faiths paves the way for broader understandings of spirituality and community.
For some, the trends apparent in this data are a cause for concern or cynicism. After all, the concept of faith is a deeply personal one that provides us with a means to understand and cope. It is not hard to understand how one’s ideas about the world can be shaken when confronted with information like this. Still, there is far more room for hope and optimism.
It is hard to imagine a functioning society without collective belief systems. Humanity as we’ve come to know it would likely not exist without the collective belief in something greater than ourselves. Religion can be a beautiful thing. Yet it is wholly dishonest to ignore the unbelievable harm levied in the name of belief, faith, and tradition.
This data could very well indicate a synthesis between these two divergent perspectives. Rather than wholesale rejection or abandonment of faith and the role that it plays in our lives, we may well be expanding our belief in what is possible and developing something new. This could indicate a move towards something that connects us rather than tearing us apart.
Whether you’re a K-pop fan or not, you’ve undoubtedly heard of BTS. The seven-member boy band from Seoul has broken music sales and streaming records in both 2020 and 2021. Religion may not be on your mind when you’re listing to songs like “Dynamite” and “Butter,” but it’s rumored that BTS members V, Jungkook, and J-Hope may be Christians. And they’re not the only ones. Many K-pop idols like Blackpink’s Rosé and solo artist Ailee also call Christianity their faith.
The abundance of South Korean artists and actors who are Christian isn’t surprising. Pew Research Center revealed that around 29% share this faith. PBS’s Hidden Korea series insists that the number is much higher – around 51%. Similar trends exist among Canada’s 240,000 Koreans. So how did an Abrahamic monotheistic faith gain ground in an East Asian country? As it turns out, Korean Christianity has a complex and fascinating history.
Buddhism, Confucianism, and Catholicism
During our lifetimes, we’ve only known Korea as a divided country. The horrors suffered by North Koreans under its current regime frequently make headlines. But Korea’s split into north and south happened in 1945. Its history spans thousands of years, during which several dynasties ruled. The last of these was the Joseon dynasty, ending in the early 20th century.
Korea’s pre-modern religious history begins with its Shinism. This early folk religion blended polytheistic and animistic beliefs. Buddhism arrived during the fourth century C.E. during its Three Kingdoms period. Confucianism rose to prominence during the 14th century C.E.
Meanwhile, Christian missionaries came at various times. By the late-1880s, both Protestant and Catholic schools existed. In 1887, Scottish Presbyterian missionary John Ross finished translating the Bible into Korean.
Oppression and War, Then Hope
Korea became a protectorate of Japan in 1905, but Japan’s rule truly began when it annexed the country in 1910. What followed was three and a half decades of oppression, as History explains. Koreans saw their language erased from public life as Japan forbid its use. The ruling government also burned many books, including over 200,000 Korean historical documents. Thousands of Koreans ended up in forced labor. Many women were trafficked into Japanese military brothels. And as a final insult, the government forced Koreans to worship at imperial Japanese shrines.
After the end of World War II, Korea existed in two separate regions. Historian and professor Ji-Young Lee breaks it down: The north was under Soviet rule, while the United States controlled the south. By 1948, each region had its own government – North Korea’s in Pyongyang and South Korea’s in Seoul. When Kim Il-Sung marched into South Korea in 1950, his actions started the Korean War.
During the war, many South Koreans encountered Christianity. USC professor Diane Winston adds that their positive impression of the faith was thanks to American support against Soviet-backed North Korea. They associated this religion with prosperity, liberty, and “divine blessings,” as Winston puts it. The liberation narrative of Exodus also resonated with some South Koreans – they saw parallels between their tribulations and the ancient Israelites in Egypt.
Christianity in Modern South Korea
Today, Christianity in South Korea includes Catholicism and more than 100 Protestant denominations. Though theological diversity exists, megachurches like Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul attract many followers. And as in the West, conservative evangelism plays a large role in Korean culture and politics. Winston explains that it shares some similarities with Confucianism – traditional gender roles, a focus on family, and reverence for authority.
There are nearly 500 Korean Christian congregations across Canada. In large metro areas such as Toronto, Koreans have a wide range of fellowship and worship options. While there are ideological differences between younger Korean Canadians and their elders, faith remains important to both. As Canadian culture changes, Korean Christian spirituality makes up an important part of the country’s religious landscape.
When we think of religion and psychological abuse, we usually picture ex-cult members. Often, these people come out with severe trauma that needs treatment. But you don’t have to be in a cult to suffer this kind of harm: Faith-related trauma is a real thing. Some are calling it “Religious Trauma Syndrome,” and former evangelicals are emerging to find answers and healing.
Defining Religious Trauma Syndrome
New York Times writer Richard Schiffman says that Religious Trauma Syndrome isn’t an official diagnosis — yet. It’s not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, an extensive resource book used by mental health professionals. But it’s become shorthand for negative mental health outcomes caused by what Schiffman calls “religious indoctrination.” The World Health Organization also recently included RTS in its International Classification of Diseases.
Journey Free, a recovery group that helps people heal from such trauma, describes RTS as resulting from “chronic abuse” connected to authoritarian and dogmatic religious cultures. Since it develops through long-term trauma, RTS sufferers can exhibit symptoms of complex PTSD:
Hyperarousal, the constant feeling of being irritable or “on edge”
Re-experienced trauma through nightmares and flashbacks
Avoiding situations that may remind them of their trauma
Isolation from friends and family
Nagging feelings of guilt of shame
Difficulty with emotional regulation and expression
Journalist Stephanie Russell-Kraft profiled one religious trauma survivor, Ana Sharp Williamson, in a March 2021 piece for The New Republic. Williamson, who had grown up in a conservative evangelical community in the United States, began having panic attacks after she and her husband began attending a new church. She found herself crying, sweating, and hyperventilating during these episodes. Russell-Kraft adds that other former evangelicals have similar experiences, especially after leaving their churches when former U.S. President Donald Trump was elected in 2016.
Causes of Faith-Related Trauma
Religious Trauma Syndrome results from recurring experiences over a long period of time. Often, this begins with fear-based doctrines that are repeatedly taught. With evangelical Christianity, especially in the United States, these can include several ideas: an overemphasis on eternal damnation, white Christian nationalism, and anti-LGBTQIA sentiments. Thinly veiled misogyny expresses itself in complementarianism, the idea that men and women occupy distinctive and separate roles. It also takes the form of purity culture, which insists that men are naturally lustful and women should remain virgins until marriage.
These ideas further become instruments of trauma when they’re used to shame, attack, and abuse others. Anyone can suffer these effects, but they’re especially salient among women and LGBTQIA people. God is an angry guy in the sky demanding perfection and conformity, so the narrative goes. If you’re defective in any way, he will reject you. But since humans are imperfect, it’s easy to develop hypervigilance and fear through repeated exposure within conservative religious environments. And in some cases, these damaging messages are coupled with physical and/or sexual abuse.
It’s OK Not To Be OK
Psychological trauma can heal through treatment. But some sufferers of RTS look for therapists specializing in religious trauma. Groups like Journey Free and Recovering from Religion offer services such as individual counselling and support groups, plus other resources to help in the healing journey. Canadian mental health professionals have followed suit, with counselling services available in places like Vancouver and Alberta. The Reclamation Collective provides religious trauma therapy listings for both the United States and Canada.
Healing from RTS includes rediscovering oneself. That usually means letting go of perfectionism, developing self-compassion, and slowly unlearning damaging and destructive ideas. For some, it also means reclaiming one’s sovereign free will to make deliberate life and faith choices. Ultimately, recovering from religious trauma is a journey that takes time and patience to travel.
In May of 2021, the world was met with a shocking discovery. Anthropologists working in Kamloops, British Columbia, detected anomalies in the ground via radar scans. Upon examination, experts concluded that around 200 unmarked graves lay beneath the surface. The months that followed would yield similar grim findings and cast new light on a tragic part of Canada’s history.
Each of the gravesites was uncovered where a Canadian Indian Residential School once stood. Canada’s Indian Residential School System was a program of forced re-education mandated by the government and administered by various Christian churches. The program was characterized by the forced separation of Indigenous families, rampant physical abuse, and staggering death tolls due to neglect and illness. The tragic legacy of these boarding schools carries on to this day.
The Role of the Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church was complicit in the oppression of Indigenous people while this program was in place. As a part of the government’s policy of forced assimilation, Indigenous children were mandated to accept Christianity. To ensure that they did, the Canadian government provided funding to a number of Christian denominations so they could open and operate these schools.
While the government provided funds, maintenance, and facilities, the churches were allowed to handle lesson planning and discipline as they saw fit. Under this policy, Indigenous children could be punished for speaking their native languages and practicing their own spiritual practices.
For much of this program, the Catholic Church was disproportionately represented. At its peak in 1931, the Indian Residential School System consisted of around 80 boarding schools. Of these, more than half were operated by the Catholic Church. For this reason, many Indigenous people see the Catholic Church as directly responsible for lasting generational trauma within their communities.
In the years since, various representatives of the Church have alluded to the atrocities committed under the Residential School System. However, a recent statement by Pope Francis is the first formal apology extended to Indigenous Canadians on behalf of the Church.
The Pope Apology
Over the years, bishops practicing ministry in Canada have issued their own statements on Catholic involvement in the Residential School System. Generally, though, these statements were made of their own accord rather than sanctioned by the Church.
In 2009, a delegation of Canadian bishops and First Nations representatives obtained an audience with then-Pope Benedict XVI. The delegation sought an official apology from the pope, but ultimately left disappointed. The official statement acknowledged that acts of abuse were intolerable and offered prayers to the victims; however, it did not offer an apology.
In early April of 2022, a similar delegation of First Nations representatives traveled to Rome to meet with Pope Francis. Considered by many to be a more progressive Catholic, Pope Francis is the first to extend a personal apology in solidarity with Canadian bishops who have already done so.
In his statement, Francis condemned Catholic boarding school practices as “deplorable” and asked his God for forgiveness. Additionally, he expressed his intention to travel to Canada in July to meet with survivors and their families.
Why Apologies Are Important
The words of Pope Francis are the first step toward healing. Something as destructive as Canada’s history of oppression against Indigenous communities required millions of people to be complicit.
When institutions like the Catholic Church acknowledge wrongdoing, it helps to affirm the experiences of those who were harmed. Additionally, it lays the groundwork for dialogue and reflection among individuals who justified inhumanity in the name of faith or ideology. Of course, apologies are not able to change the past. However, they are critical to fostering hope for a better future.
There have been many shifts to Canada’s cultural landscape in recent years. While some areas remain immersed in tradition, there are regions where major changes are taking place. This is especially true when it comes to religion. Studies conducted over the last decade highlight a number of evolutions that have occurred when it comes to how Canadians view spiritual matters. Take a look at these facts and learn more about these changes and how they are impacting everyday life throughout the country.
Younger Generations Feel Less Connected to Religion
According to surveys conducted throughout the 1970s, most Canadians identified with some type of religion. In fact, more than half of the population was connected to different denominations of Christianity. Only about 4% of the population identified as being non-religious. When Canadians were surveyed again 40 years later in the 2010s, the percentage of the population who did not identify with any type of religion rose dramatically to 24%. The data suggests that younger generations have less of a connection to religion than previous generations did.
Immigration Is Impacting Religion in Canada
Canada has long been a place that has welcomed immigrants from all over the world. However, there have been recent changes to where these migrants are coming from. For many years, most of the people who moved to Canada came from European nations. Now, the majority of immigrants entering the country are coming from the Middle East and Asia. This change has had a direct impact on the religious makeup of Canada. According to research from 2018, about 8% of the population now identifies as being connected to Buddhism, Islam, or Hinduism.
Many Canadians Don’t View as Religion Important
A Pew Research survey from 2013 highlighted that many Canadians did not engage in everyday religious practices like praying. What’s more, only about 25% of those surveyed admitted to going to any type of weekly religious gathering like church. However, this same study pointed out that a good chunk of the population viewed religion as important to the fabric of society. This data suggests that many Canadians feel connected to their religious ideologies without feeling the need to consistently engage with the rituals and traditions connected to these belief systems.
Canada’s Constitution Protects Freedom of Religion
Citizens of Canada are allowed to practice whatever religion they wish without fear of persecution from the government. Because freedom of religion is written into the nation’s constitution, it has directly impacted how tolerant many Canadians are of other religions. Still, there are situations where members of the public raise a fuss about certain religious practices. An example of this comes from 2018 when a woman was targeted in Quebec for wearing a hijab while in a courtroom. Though she was asked to remove her hijab, higher courts in the region viewed the move as unconstitutional.
Most Canadians Don’t Associate Good Morals With Religion
Around the world, many people believe that good morals stem from a strong religious background. A majority of Canadians don’t believe this. When surveyed about the topic, around 70% of participants stated that it was not necessary to believe in God in order to be a good person. This has remained a consistent belief among the population for many years. Surveys on the subject were conducted in 2002, 2007, 2013, and 2018, and the responses were similar across the board. The data suggests that the religious tolerance of the average Canadian shapes his or her views on morality.
Though Canada is a place where tradition is considered important, it is also a country that is happy to change with the times. As more and more people immigrate to Canada from around the world, it is likely that the religious landscape of the nation will continue to fluctuate to reflect the belief systems of new citizens.
Canada has often led the way in North America when it comes to progressive policies and laws. The country has stricter regulations for firearms than the U.S. does and also has a more equitable health system. In 2016, Canadian lawmakers once again surged forward in what was considered a very progressive move by legalizing medical assistance in dying, also referred to as euthanasia, for people with serious, life-threatening illnesses. Since 2016, an estimated 30,000 people in Canada have requested and received medical assistance in dying in Canada. For Canada’s Christians, euthanasia is posing a critical religious dilemma.
What Is Euthanasia/Medical Assistance in Dying?
The term euthanasia has gone out of fashion among health advocates and medical practitioners, and medical assistance in dying (MAID) has come to replace it. MAID is a process that allows people with serious health conditions to work with nurses and doctors to stop living. When a request for MAID is approved, the person suffering from illness receives prescription drugs, including sedatives, at high dosages that lead to death.
Sometimes referred to as assisted suicide, advocates who promote MAID believe that people have a right to die with dignity and a right to avoid needless suffering at the end of life. However, Canada’s MAID laws are vague and have made it very challenging for Christian doctors and medical practitioners to work within the system to help people to die.
Who Can Ask for MAID in Canada?
In 2016, when MAID was fully legalized in Canada, only people with serious conditions who had a diagnosis where death was “reasonably inevitable” in the short term could request assisted dying. Two patients with degenerative diseases contested the law in 2021, and the government expanded the language of the law to include people who have serious illnesses even if the disease isn’t life-threatening or terminal.
As of 2023, the Canadian government is struggling with how to include or exclude people with mental illnesses from this law. Advocates for MAID argue that any person who has agency and is capable should be able to decide to die in order to avoid undue and cruel suffering. However, Canadian Protestants and Catholics, who have generally felt uneasy with this law, feel that Canada’s policies are too broad and will result in needless death.
Is Euthanasia a Religious Issue for People in Canada?
Euthanasia is a complex topic that is regularly brought up in religious communities and churches in Canada. Catholics believe that taking one’s own life is a sin because only God can decide when life ends. Protestants also see death by suicide as a very serious issue, but they don’t believe that the person who died is unworthy of salvation. MAID is a hot-button issue for Christians and Christian doctors who face difficult questions when it comes to the value of life. Is it better to follow religious tradition and allow people to suffer during terminal illness? Or is it worthwhile to consider MAID a compassionate solution for people who are already dying?
The Christian community was already finding it difficult to accept Canada’s initial 2016 law that legalized assisted dying, and now that the language of the law has become even broader, Christians are raising the alarm. The current language of the law seems to suggest that people who are suffering from mental illness can request and receive MAID quite easily. Christians and other concerned religious leaders worry that this puts already vulnerable people into even worse situations, essentially allowing society to reduce the burden of caring for those less fortunate by letting them take their own lives in hospitals.
As the parameters for assisted dying begin to expand beyond terminal illness, conversations about euthanasia in religious communities are heating up. Canada’s courts and policymakers will be weighing the arguments for and against these proposed changes in the months to come.
The fabric of daily life for most people in Canada has long included some spiritual elements. However, recent Pew Studies have highlighted a few key details suggesting that traditional religious beliefs are not as important as they were to previous generations. To gain some perspective on this, it can be useful to look at some of the biggest shifts that have taken place in the last few years. Review these statistics and learn the how and why of Canada’s current religious landscape.
Immigration and Population Changes
Canada has long been a nation that has welcomed immigrants from all over the world. From refugees looking for a more stable place to raise families to those simply seeking to reap the many advantages Canadian citizenship can offer, roughly 300,000 people from every corner of the globe immigrate to the country each year. As these numbers continue to grow, Canada has seen significant population increases in various religious groups. In the last decade, about 50% of immigrants to Canada come from the Middle East and Asia. For this reason, groups like Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims have grown.
However, people are also leaving Canada in consistent numbers. Reports state that about 25,000 Canadians emigrate to other countries annually. As this occurs, existing populations of those who follow different Christian beliefs have gone down. While Christianity is still the dominant religion of the country, these changes have seen the number lower significantly in a short amount of time.
Religion Has Less of an Impact
While the religious scene in Canada is becoming more diverse, the role of religion has become less important in many ways to citizens. Another study released by the Pew Research Center revealed that younger generations are not connecting to organized religion as much. Though many individuals may still identify as belonging to a particular religious group, a majority do not believe that religion has much of an influence on their routines. Younger generations are also adamant about keeping religion out of government affairs, whereas previous generations were more divided on the matter.
Personal Prayer Is More Important Than Religious Gatherings
There are a number of metrics that can be used when determining whether a person is actively involved with a religious group. However, younger Canadians are less inclined to take part in community activities. Daily or weekly worship, for example, has much less of an impact on this demographic than prayer. According to recent research, about 60% of all Canadians admit to praying on some type of regular basis. Conversely, only about 50% of the population attends worship services throughout the year.
Where You Live Dictates Your Religious Beliefs
Location has always impacted a person’s religious beliefs. However, reports from the last few years show that people of similar mindsets tend to move to certain regions of Canada. Census data has highlighted that Western Canada is populated by a large number of individuals who consider themselves non-religious. About 45% of citizens in this region consider themselves atheists, agnostics, or disinterested in the topic of religion altogether. On the other hand, cities like Quebec tend to have the strongest and most consistent population of people who identify as Roman Catholic.
People Are Fine With Other People’s Beliefs
International news is filled with plenty of stories about religious intolerance of all degrees. Though Canada is not without its fair share of incidents, studies have pointed out that the country is largely welcoming of other people’s beliefs. Though this will always vary from person to person, the country is routinely ranked as one of the best places to live for those who wish to practice their religion freely and without stigma.
Religion has always had some type of influence on life in Canada. To gain an understanding of how people will feel in the future, it can be helpful to review recent statistics and learn more about the “why” of it all.
Secularism is an important aspect of Canada’s identity as a nation. Though the country has a large religious population, the government of Canada values secularism, which is the separation of church and state. The education minister of Quebec, Bernard Drainville, issued a directive in April 2023 to ban students from gathering together to pray while in school. Read on to learn about the background of this issue and what this crackdown on religious students means for schools and families.
Schools in Montreal Gave Students a Room for Prayer
Education minister Drainville decided to issue a directive because he discovered that some schools in Montreal had given students rooms in which to pray together. The schools reported that students were not forced to pray or exposed to religious messages against their will, but this didn’t ease Drainville’s mind or make him change directions. He felt that any group worship in schools went against Quebec’s secularism law.
In 2019, the government of Quebec passed the Act Respecting the Laicity of the State, also known as Bill 21. This bill made it illegal for government employees, including in schools, to wear any religious symbols while at work. In a broader sense, Bill 21 invokes secularism as the law of the land in Quebec, laying the groundwork for other directives to enforce secularism at every level of society when it comes to government services such as education.
Education Authorities Ban Prayer Rooms in Schools
Minister Drainville’s directive is meant to direct schools to ban prayer rooms and prayer groups in schools in Quebec. It seems that Drainville doesn’t want to see prayer happening visibly at all in schools. Regarding his directive to ban prayer rooms, he explained that students can pray as long as they do so individually and quietly. Of course, Christians and Catholics may find it easier to conform to this regulation than Muslims, considering that group prayer is an important part of the tradition of worship in Islam.
The ban may apply to extracurricular activities and after-hours activities because it has enough vague language to enforce in a variety of situations. So, while the motivation behind Drainville’s ban may seem harmless, the enforcement of the ban could end up encroaching on students’ freedoms and human rights. The application of such a ban tends to affect non-Christians more than Christians, which makes it appear like an attack on people of certain religions more than others.
Religion and Culture Play Important Roles in Student Education Life
Canada’s Human Rights Commission is looking further into this issue because religion and culture play important roles in students’ lives. Banning prayer rooms for the sake of protecting non-religious students isn’t as innocuous as it seems. For some students, religion, culture, and identity are intimately connected, and when they have to suppress or ignore a part of their identity to exist at school, it can feel harmful and upsetting to them.
One of the issues is that young people, especially students, often suffer more intrusions on their human rights because they are young and in school. Student speech is censored, they can get in serious trouble for protesting or holding demonstrations, and they often can’t express their identities through clothing, style, and accessories. This religious ban further erodes students’ rights in the name of protecting non-religious students from being pressured to follow a religion. Some Muslim groups see this ban as another veiled attack against their community with language that invokes an unfounded fear of religious radicalism in Canada.
Although the education minister received some negative backlash for issuing his directive to ban prayer rooms in schools, he did not back down. Minister Drainville expects school officials to enforce these policies and ensure that students are not praying in schools.
Over the last few years, there have been a number of moves made throughout Canadian provinces to reduce the presence of religion in public places. One of the more notable actions was a 2019 decision in Quebec to enforce a law prohibiting public employees from donning any type of religious symbols while in an official workplace. Though there has been pushback on the law, it has brought forth a number of conversations in relation to modern religious beliefs throughout Canada. Though the country was largely composed of those identifying as Christian for many decades, this has shifted in recent times.
A handful of Pew studies conducted in recent years highlight the exact changes that have occurred when it comes to the average Canadian’s feelings about religion. Take a look at these data-driven points to get a better idea of what these changes are.
Fewer Canadians Are Identifying as Christians
A poll conducted in 1971 across Canada revealed that only about 4% of the population identified as unaffiliated with any one particular religion. During this same survey, the most popular religion was Christianity, with about 47% of the respondents identifying with this belief system. In 2018, however, the same survey was conducted, with dramatically different results. In the roughly 50-year span between the polls, the percentage of people identifying as Christian rose slightly to about 55%. However, the number of unaffiliated individuals also spiked from 4% to 16%.
There have also been a number of changes in the religions that Canadians belong to. Though this accounts for only about 8% of the population, it is a much larger number than in decades past. Since the survey in the 1970s, there have been increases in individuals who are affiliated with Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and many other belief systems.
Daily Practices Are Not a Part of Canadian Life
Belief is only a small part of the picture when it comes to religion in Canada. Rituals like attending weekend worship or praying each day also factor into the equation. Though 55% of the population identified as Christian, very few actually committed to any kind of regular practice. In fact, only one out of every five Canadians surveyed said that they prayed on any kind of daily basis. What’s more, about 25% of those who identified as some form of Christian did not go to any kind of weekly worship or services.
What is interesting about this is that there is a slight disparity between belief and practice. A survey conducted in 2013 highlighted that almost 30% of Canadians believed that religion was very important to their daily lives. However, this doesn’t match with the percentage of individuals who commit to any kind of daily practice. This is an intriguing example of how people can believe one thing and yet act in an entirely different way.
Religion and Morality Are Not Linked
Throughout history, there has often been a prominent argument stating that good morals are born of a religious mindset. While there has been little to prove this point, the belief is actually not that popular with modern Canadians. In fact, a series of studies conducted between 2003 and 2011 showed that a consistent 67% of the population believed that a person could have good morals and be an upstanding citizen without having any kind of religious belief whatsoever. Still, a very small percentage of Canadians have a strict rule that a person must believe in God to be truly good.
Religious beliefs are constantly changing. While it can be difficult to track, data does an invaluable job of pointing out exactly how these major shifts have come about. Though banning religious symbols in Quebec was a controversial move, looking at the research can highlight exactly why these decisions have been made and what public opinions are shaping the course of history.
Religion has long been a part of the journey of the human race. According to many anthropologists, one of the earliest signs of advanced intelligence in the ancestors of modern humans was the practice of burying the dead. Academics believe the initial burial processes were religious in nature, indicating connections to spiritual beliefs are some of the oldest aspects of the human condition. Still, this doesn’t mean that modern people have the same perceptions when it comes to religious ideologies. In Canada, there have been some very interesting shifts on religious fronts over recent years.
Immigrants Comprise the New Religious Majority
For a long while throughout Canada’s history, a good chunk of the population identified as religious. These individuals typically were influenced in their religious beliefs by their families, meaning that each generation in a group or community tended to reflect the one before. At some point over the last two decades, this began to change. According to statistics compiled from 2001 until 2015, younger individuals coming from families who have Canadian roots dating back centuries are much less religious than those prior.
The same research revealed that immigrants to Canada tend to be much more religious as a whole. With Canada consistently welcoming new residents from across the world, there has been a big uptick in both the number of religious individuals from foreign nations and a shift in what spiritual beliefs are practiced on average. Once, Christianity and its various denominations were most common. Now, populations of Muslims, Buddhists, and other groups have become larger in communities throughout the nation.
Older Canadians Are In Favor of Religion as a Whole
Another bit of data released around 2011 showed a transition in the median age for the average religious citizen. This information, which has remained largely the same over the last decade, revealed that those who identified as religious tended to be on the older end of the spectrum. Those who stated that they were members of a Christian-based faith like Protestantism or Catholicism tended to be around 52 years of age. This is a shift upward when compared to data from previous census reports across the last five decades, which revealed that the median age was closer to 35.
This is another area where differing religious beliefs reveal different sets of data. Though Christians as a whole tend to lean older, this is not true of those who belong to other faiths. In the case of immigrants entering Canada, those who identify as Mulsim tend to be around 27 years of age on average. This is primarily due to the fact that people in the countries where these individuals originated lean younger when it comes to religious beliefs across generations.
Most Canadians View Religion in a Positive Way
Even though fewer people are identifying as religious in the traditional sense, Canadians by and large accept and are interested in the religions of others. While there are favorable views to popular Canadian belief systems like Protestantism, citizens also respond in a positive way when it comes to religions that weren’t as present in the population over previous years, like Buddhism. Still, this isn’t to say all members of Canada are as open. Small populations still show signs of xenophobia and ignorance when it comes to the religions of others.
While a subject that has fascinated the human race since the dawn of recorded time, religion definitely looks far different today than it did back then. As the world continues to shrink due to the presence of the internet, it is likely true that even more changes will take place at an even faster pace. For now, looking back at the past can be a great way of gaining some perspective on the current zeitgeist and any changes that might be poised on the horizon.
Data obtained from Statistics Canada indicates that religious affiliation is at an all-time low. The number of Canadians who report having an affiliation with any religion dropped below 70 percent for the first time since tracking began in 1985. What is fascinating is that this data is not evenly distributed.
The study indicates a glaring generational divide. Participants in the study who were born before 1970 were significantly more likely to report religious affiliation compared to those born after 1990.
The decline in religious affiliation also disproportionately affects the Christian faiths. While the data revealed that Canadians are less likely to identify as Catholic or Anglican when compared to the same time 10 years ago, non-Christian faiths like Islam, Sikhism, and Hinduism are actually experiencing growth.
So what is one to make of this data? As human beings, we are natural storytellers. We need stories in order to make sense of the world, and data of this sort is a common way that we derive meaning and draw conclusions. While everyone will have their own interpretation of StatCan findings, a few things become clear when viewed in the context of our lives today.
The Generational Divide
The difference in religiosity between age groups cannot be ignored. What might these numbers say about the world today? Before exploring the divide, it is important to note that these data do not necessarily indicate a lack of interest in spiritual practices or community. They do, however, seem to indicate a rejection of labels.
One may argue that younger folks have access to more information and broader perspectives than were available to previous generations. Perhaps more information leads to more questions and less certainty. Perhaps it fosters a sense of curiosity and humility when it comes to our understanding of the world.
One could also argue that the decline in religiosity among younger Canadians indicates a desire for more flexible and inclusive views. In the face of a world that is growing more complex by the day, it is not hard to imagine a desire for systems of faith that are more nuanced and address the totality of our being.
A More Inclusive Society Leading To Decline
The StatCan data also reveals another interesting trend: that non-Christian religions are actually gaining popularity in Canada. As Canada continues to attract a diverse population of immigrants, new ideas, faiths, and worldviews appear to be making their mark on the country’s religious identity. When combined with the broader perspectives of Canada’s young, one could argue that the interplay between Christian and non-Christian faiths paves the way for broader understandings of spirituality and community.
For some, the trends apparent in this data are a cause for concern or cynicism. After all, the concept of faith is a deeply personal one that provides us with a means to understand and cope. It is not hard to understand how one’s ideas about the world can be shaken when confronted with information like this. Still, there is far more room for hope and optimism.
It is hard to imagine a functioning society without collective belief systems. Humanity as we’ve come to know it would likely not exist without the collective belief in something greater than ourselves. Religion can be a beautiful thing. Yet it is wholly dishonest to ignore the unbelievable harm levied in the name of belief, faith, and tradition.
This data could very well indicate a synthesis between these two divergent perspectives. Rather than wholesale rejection or abandonment of faith and the role that it plays in our lives, we may well be expanding our belief in what is possible and developing something new. This could indicate a move towards something that connects us rather than tearing us apart.
Whether you’re a K-pop fan or not, you’ve undoubtedly heard of BTS. The seven-member boy band from Seoul has broken music sales and streaming records in both 2020 and 2021. Religion may not be on your mind when you’re listing to songs like “Dynamite” and “Butter,” but it’s rumored that BTS members V, Jungkook, and J-Hope may be Christians. And they’re not the only ones. Many K-pop idols like Blackpink’s Rosé and solo artist Ailee also call Christianity their faith.
The abundance of South Korean artists and actors who are Christian isn’t surprising. Pew Research Center revealed that around 29% share this faith. PBS’s Hidden Korea series insists that the number is much higher – around 51%. Similar trends exist among Canada’s 240,000 Koreans. So how did an Abrahamic monotheistic faith gain ground in an East Asian country? As it turns out, Korean Christianity has a complex and fascinating history.
Buddhism, Confucianism, and Catholicism
During our lifetimes, we’ve only known Korea as a divided country. The horrors suffered by North Koreans under its current regime frequently make headlines. But Korea’s split into north and south happened in 1945. Its history spans thousands of years, during which several dynasties ruled. The last of these was the Joseon dynasty, ending in the early 20th century.
Korea’s pre-modern religious history begins with its Shinism. This early folk religion blended polytheistic and animistic beliefs. Buddhism arrived during the fourth century C.E. during its Three Kingdoms period. Confucianism rose to prominence during the 14th century C.E.
Meanwhile, Christian missionaries came at various times. By the late-1880s, both Protestant and Catholic schools existed. In 1887, Scottish Presbyterian missionary John Ross finished translating the Bible into Korean.
Oppression and War, Then Hope
Korea became a protectorate of Japan in 1905, but Japan’s rule truly began when it annexed the country in 1910. What followed was three and a half decades of oppression, as History explains. Koreans saw their language erased from public life as Japan forbid its use. The ruling government also burned many books, including over 200,000 Korean historical documents. Thousands of Koreans ended up in forced labor. Many women were trafficked into Japanese military brothels. And as a final insult, the government forced Koreans to worship at imperial Japanese shrines.
After the end of World War II, Korea existed in two separate regions. Historian and professor Ji-Young Lee breaks it down: The north was under Soviet rule, while the United States controlled the south. By 1948, each region had its own government – North Korea’s in Pyongyang and South Korea’s in Seoul. When Kim Il-Sung marched into South Korea in 1950, his actions started the Korean War.
During the war, many South Koreans encountered Christianity. USC professor Diane Winston adds that their positive impression of the faith was thanks to American support against Soviet-backed North Korea. They associated this religion with prosperity, liberty, and “divine blessings,” as Winston puts it. The liberation narrative of Exodus also resonated with some South Koreans – they saw parallels between their tribulations and the ancient Israelites in Egypt.
Christianity in Modern South Korea
Today, Christianity in South Korea includes Catholicism and more than 100 Protestant denominations. Though theological diversity exists, megachurches like Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul attract many followers. And as in the West, conservative evangelism plays a large role in Korean culture and politics. Winston explains that it shares some similarities with Confucianism – traditional gender roles, a focus on family, and reverence for authority.
There are nearly 500 Korean Christian congregations across Canada. In large metro areas such as Toronto, Koreans have a wide range of fellowship and worship options. While there are ideological differences between younger Korean Canadians and their elders, faith remains important to both. As Canadian culture changes, Korean Christian spirituality makes up an important part of the country’s religious landscape.
When we think of religion and psychological abuse, we usually picture ex-cult members. Often, these people come out with severe trauma that needs treatment. But you don’t have to be in a cult to suffer this kind of harm: Faith-related trauma is a real thing. Some are calling it “Religious Trauma Syndrome,” and former evangelicals are emerging to find answers and healing.
Defining Religious Trauma Syndrome
New York Times writer Richard Schiffman says that Religious Trauma Syndrome isn’t an official diagnosis — yet. It’s not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, an extensive resource book used by mental health professionals. But it’s become shorthand for negative mental health outcomes caused by what Schiffman calls “religious indoctrination.” The World Health Organization also recently included RTS in its International Classification of Diseases.
Journey Free, a recovery group that helps people heal from such trauma, describes RTS as resulting from “chronic abuse” connected to authoritarian and dogmatic religious cultures. Since it develops through long-term trauma, RTS sufferers can exhibit symptoms of complex PTSD:
Hyperarousal, the constant feeling of being irritable or “on edge”
Re-experienced trauma through nightmares and flashbacks
Avoiding situations that may remind them of their trauma
Isolation from friends and family
Nagging feelings of guilt of shame
Difficulty with emotional regulation and expression
Journalist Stephanie Russell-Kraft profiled one religious trauma survivor, Ana Sharp Williamson, in a March 2021 piece for The New Republic. Williamson, who had grown up in a conservative evangelical community in the United States, began having panic attacks after she and her husband began attending a new church. She found herself crying, sweating, and hyperventilating during these episodes. Russell-Kraft adds that other former evangelicals have similar experiences, especially after leaving their churches when former U.S. President Donald Trump was elected in 2016.
Causes of Faith-Related Trauma
Religious Trauma Syndrome results from recurring experiences over a long period of time. Often, this begins with fear-based doctrines that are repeatedly taught. With evangelical Christianity, especially in the United States, these can include several ideas: an overemphasis on eternal damnation, white Christian nationalism, and anti-LGBTQIA sentiments. Thinly veiled misogyny expresses itself in complementarianism, the idea that men and women occupy distinctive and separate roles. It also takes the form of purity culture, which insists that men are naturally lustful and women should remain virgins until marriage.
These ideas further become instruments of trauma when they’re used to shame, attack, and abuse others. Anyone can suffer these effects, but they’re especially salient among women and LGBTQIA people. God is an angry guy in the sky demanding perfection and conformity, so the narrative goes. If you’re defective in any way, he will reject you. But since humans are imperfect, it’s easy to develop hypervigilance and fear through repeated exposure within conservative religious environments. And in some cases, these damaging messages are coupled with physical and/or sexual abuse.
It’s OK Not To Be OK
Psychological trauma can heal through treatment. But some sufferers of RTS look for therapists specializing in religious trauma. Groups like Journey Free and Recovering from Religion offer services such as individual counselling and support groups, plus other resources to help in the healing journey. Canadian mental health professionals have followed suit, with counselling services available in places like Vancouver and Alberta. The Reclamation Collective provides religious trauma therapy listings for both the United States and Canada.
Healing from RTS includes rediscovering oneself. That usually means letting go of perfectionism, developing self-compassion, and slowly unlearning damaging and destructive ideas. For some, it also means reclaiming one’s sovereign free will to make deliberate life and faith choices. Ultimately, recovering from religious trauma is a journey that takes time and patience to travel.
In May of 2021, the world was met with a shocking discovery. Anthropologists working in Kamloops, British Columbia, detected anomalies in the ground via radar scans. Upon examination, experts concluded that around 200 unmarked graves lay beneath the surface. The months that followed would yield similar grim findings and cast new light on a tragic part of Canada’s history.
Each of the gravesites was uncovered where a Canadian Indian Residential School once stood. Canada’s Indian Residential School System was a program of forced re-education mandated by the government and administered by various Christian churches. The program was characterized by the forced separation of Indigenous families, rampant physical abuse, and staggering death tolls due to neglect and illness. The tragic legacy of these boarding schools carries on to this day.
The Role of the Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church was complicit in the oppression of Indigenous people while this program was in place. As a part of the government’s policy of forced assimilation, Indigenous children were mandated to accept Christianity. To ensure that they did, the Canadian government provided funding to a number of Christian denominations so they could open and operate these schools.
While the government provided funds, maintenance, and facilities, the churches were allowed to handle lesson planning and discipline as they saw fit. Under this policy, Indigenous children could be punished for speaking their native languages and practicing their own spiritual practices.
For much of this program, the Catholic Church was disproportionately represented. At its peak in 1931, the Indian Residential School System consisted of around 80 boarding schools. Of these, more than half were operated by the Catholic Church. For this reason, many Indigenous people see the Catholic Church as directly responsible for lasting generational trauma within their communities.
In the years since, various representatives of the Church have alluded to the atrocities committed under the Residential School System. However, a recent statement by Pope Francis is the first formal apology extended to Indigenous Canadians on behalf of the Church.
The Pope Apology
Over the years, bishops practicing ministry in Canada have issued their own statements on Catholic involvement in the Residential School System. Generally, though, these statements were made of their own accord rather than sanctioned by the Church.
In 2009, a delegation of Canadian bishops and First Nations representatives obtained an audience with then-Pope Benedict XVI. The delegation sought an official apology from the pope, but ultimately left disappointed. The official statement acknowledged that acts of abuse were intolerable and offered prayers to the victims; however, it did not offer an apology.
In early April of 2022, a similar delegation of First Nations representatives traveled to Rome to meet with Pope Francis. Considered by many to be a more progressive Catholic, Pope Francis is the first to extend a personal apology in solidarity with Canadian bishops who have already done so.
In his statement, Francis condemned Catholic boarding school practices as “deplorable” and asked his God for forgiveness. Additionally, he expressed his intention to travel to Canada in July to meet with survivors and their families.
Why Apologies Are Important
The words of Pope Francis are the first step toward healing. Something as destructive as Canada’s history of oppression against Indigenous communities required millions of people to be complicit.
When institutions like the Catholic Church acknowledge wrongdoing, it helps to affirm the experiences of those who were harmed. Additionally, it lays the groundwork for dialogue and reflection among individuals who justified inhumanity in the name of faith or ideology. Of course, apologies are not able to change the past. However, they are critical to fostering hope for a better future.
