Posted by:
Nightingale
(
)
Date: October 30, 2022 05:12PM
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-most-secular-province-1.6633935Excerpts:
“According to the 2021 population census, 34.6 per cent of people in Canada claimed no religious affiliation, while in B.C. that number jumped to 52.4 per cent — the highest it's ever been.
“Ian Bushfield, executive director of the British Columbia Humanist Association, says his organization is "thrilled."
"One of the things that's really fascinating is that we are seeing a new generation of people whose parents are non-religious and maybe even their grandparents are non-religious," he continued. "These kids ... they're just growing up secular."
“He says people on the west coast also tend to be big believers in science, which he says was evidenced by the adherence to public health measures during the pandemic and high uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.
“Bushfield says the province is also very diverse. While the number of people associating with Christian faiths continues to decline, there are a growing number of people affiliated with faiths such as Sikhism, Hinduism and Islam.
"And in that way, secularism is very important," he said.
"As it's a way to represent the neutrality where everyone can feel welcome and included."
“Reverend Carmen Lansdowne, the moderator of the United Church of Canada, says B.C. has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to secularisation — across all religious traditions.
“As the first Indigenous leader of a religious denomination in Canada, Lansdowne feels the shift away from organized religion can be explained at least in part by negative historical actions.
"We see that in Canada through the legacy of residential schools, and the ways that the state and Christianity paired together to perpetuate cultural genocide against Indigenous people," she said.
"I think people moving away from religious traditions has not so much to do with their spirituality or their faith, but has to do with the rejection of harms caused by religious tradition."
“Father Douglas Fenton is the executive archdeacon of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster.
“[He] says faith communities in B.C. are still very engaged in important issues like housing, homelessness, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and climate change, while offering important services such as shelters and food banks.”
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As above, “Ian Bushfield, executive director of the British Columbia Humanist Association, says: “secularism is very important", "… it's a way to represent the neutrality where everyone can feel welcome and included."
I like the idea of a neutral space. Be who you are. Believe what you believe. But preserve a space for us all to come together and agree on the basic basics. My kind of place.
I note too the comment above about BC'ers being "believers in science". That's a funny phrase because 'believers' most often evokes the concept of being religious. But however you want to describe it, I've been happy that a majority of people in BC have gone with the science behind wrestling with the pandemic, not with the group of pastor-led folks who not only refused vaccines but rejected our province's science-based mandatory isolation order that was brought in to prevent spread of deadly disease.
I like my religion to be on the somewhat sane side.
I think "Growing up Secular" is a great title for a book. My parents were nominally religious via their upbringing in its time and place but my father felt strongly that they shouldn't inculcate their five kids. I approve this message. :)
Turns out the 3 daughters leaned churchy and the 2 sons did not. Interesting.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2022 05:15PM by Nightingale.