How religious brands were not popular in Canada

In 1961, fewer than 1% of Canadians were identified as non-religious. In 2021, 43% of 15-35 people thought they were not religiously involved.

Organized religions, particularly Christianity, are declining. Secularization is taking steps. Most religious sociologists agree. But it’s a reason why they disagree.

My co-author, Sam Raymer, professor of sociology, I am trying to provide an answer to this question, in an article published in my co-author, Sociology of Religion, we argue that secularization is sensitive to what is called “religious imagination,” that is, how religion is seen in society.

Standard explanation of secularization

The generalization of secularization focuses on rationalization (the right to rise in science and reason), increased individualization (individualism and materialism), and pluralism (diversity is thought to undermine religious authority), as well as the three Bs: beliefs, actions, and belongings.

From this perspective, religion is declining in Canada as religious beliefs are being replaced by secular beliefs and practices. Religious behaviors such as prayer and reading the Bible have been replaced by secular behaviors such as spending time with friends or exercising. Furthermore, tradition-based religious identities have been replaced by secular identities based on personal choices.

There are many things to be said about secularization. But it also misses something important. It is the fact that the meaning of “religion” and the meaning of “religion” have changed over time.

As a result, it is difficult to explain why Canada has become much more secular by 2023, as it is a more religious country than the United States in terms of pre-1960 behavior and belongings.

It simply isn’t that Canada has experienced more rationalization, personalization, or pluralism than the United States. So the answer should be elsewhere.

Religious imagination

Religious imagination means the shared assumptions people have about what religion is. We argue that countries have a clear religious imagination that plays an important role in shaping their relationship with religion. Essentially, we also need to bear the fourth B: branding to understand religious change.

To understand the role of branding in shaping the views of “religion,” we derive the feelings of young Canadians from recent research data on changing feelings towards the term. Also, interview data with 50 Anglo-Canadians born between 1980 and 2000, identifying as “not spiritual but not religious,” a phrase that roughly 40% of Canadians argue.

Our findings show that the decline of organized religions in Canada is caused by a significant change in the country’s religious imagination. Meanwhile, “religion” was once widely viewed in positive terms by Canadians, but is increasingly seen in negative light, especially among younger people.

Many of the Canadian millennials we spoke about tended to see the word “religion” as follows:

(1) Anti-modernity;

(2) Conservatives;

(3) American; and

(4) Colony.

Religion is anti-modern

Among our interviewees, “religion” was generally considered a hold in the primitive premodern past. Conditions commonly invoked were “anti-intelligent”, “cult”, “ignorance”, and “superist.” For many young Canadians, “religious” and “modern” are considered opposites.

The concept that “religion” is anti-modern, can be traced back to enlightenment and is a source of its longstanding. However, it only spread in Canadian society until recently.

This discourse is most common in secular universities, and argues that the ubiquitous nature of this discourse in Canada is closely linked to the expansion of higher education since the 1960s. Canadians aged 25-34 are the most educated generational cohorts in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, and for many, religion feels conflicted with the modern world.

Religion is conservative

Interviewees often told us that they viewed the term “religion” as conservative, illegal, or conflicting with social progress. Terms that were regularly invoked were “oppressive”, “conformist”, “documental”, and “intolerance.” Similarly, these young Canadians tended to view “religion” as a threat to individual freedom and individual credibility.

The idea can be traced back to the 1960s and became popular through movements like second wave feminism and gay liberation, motivated by ideals of freedom and reliability. Importantly, the real social advancements achieved through these movements were reliant heavily on the symbolic pollution of the word “religion.” In other words, religious doctrines were coded by progressive and liberal activists in the 1960s as the “bad guys” they were fighting for.

It can be argued that there is nothing inherently conservative about religion, and historically, the faith community has been at the forefront of the fight for social justice. However, since the 1960s, progressive Christians have become increasingly difficult to reconcile their “religious” identity, as the symbolic connection between “religion” and “conservatism” has become widely accepted.

Religion is American

Many of the young Canadians we interviewed are related to “religion,” particularly with American Christian rights. Conditions that were regularly called were “Westborough Baptist”, “South”, and “Republican”.

This discourse originated in the 1970s and 1980s. While the United States saw the rise of assertive and politically engaged Christian rights during this period, Canada began to build its identity as a multicultural nation.

So, while Americans today remain divided on whether the United States should be a Christian nation, the majority of Canadians today embrace a “post-Christian” multicultural national identity.

Interestingly, rejecting “religion” due to its relationship with the United States was understood by some as a form of patriotism. By identifying it as “not spiritual but not religious,” interviewees contrasted with “non-Canadian” and “religious” American Christian rights.

Religion is colonial

Although less common than the other three, references to the Canadian residential school system were certainly called out in interviews. These examples exhibited feelings of shame and regret, along with the visceral anger towards the Christian Church to maintain the colonial system.

This discourse became prominent after the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC). The TRC final report published the horrific circumstances and crimes against Indigenous students at residential schools. There are few other events that will damage the Canadian Christian brand.

In 1950, being religious was widely considered an important part of being Canadian. Of course, there are many religious affiliates in Canada, but it is a mistake to assume that the religious imagination we sketched is the only one. However, our findings support the observations of sociologist Joel Thyssen that being a “religion” in Canada is increasingly socially unacceptable, especially among young people.