Religion in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Religion in Canada - Essay Example So, are Canadians picking and choosing when it comes to their religions and religious practices? Using examples from different religions, here it will be examined how Canadians think of religion, what the trend of religious practices are in Canada, and what the future of religion is in Canada. Much like the U.S., Canada is somewhat divided over religion. Depending upon where one goes, there may be more Catholic than Protestant influence. For the most part, Christianity remains one of the religions that plays a major role in Canadians’ lives. Since Canada is close to the U.S., Canadians share many of the same Christian values that Americans do—although perhaps not to the extreme that Americans do. The Canadians that this writer knows—who happen to be Christian—tend to be very choosy with the way they practice their Christianity. Basically, their services are boring. Their music is boring. In fact, there is not really too much to celebrate when worship rolls around on Sunday morning. Canadians live in somewhat of a glass bubble. Canadians are sheltered from the world. Usually, their personal views are very narrow. Anyone who does not share these narrow views is considered an outsider. Canadians treat outsiders to their religious practices much the same way that they treat Americans-usually with an odd stare and a disdainful glance. This is not particularly unusual-after all, who wouldn't react the same way The Other is usually considered taboo wherever one goes, and outsiders are almost never welcomed with completely open arms. Let us go back to this notion of closemindedness within Canadian Christianity. Canadian culture in general is very guarded. This is possibly due to the fact that Canada is so close to the U.S. that it competes very fiercely for recognition on many levels. Canadians in general feel that they have been left out of the sociocultural landscape of North America due to their unique position in the world. On one hand, Canada is very isolated. Thus, its people are in many ways sheltered from the world. Unless a Canadian travels outside his or her own country, he or she will not have the kind of cultural experiences that make good breeding ground for a mind rife with religious diversity. Christians in Canada think that basically everyone is out to scam somebody. Canadian Christians generally don't believe in the inherent goodness of people. However, they are skeptical of people who are genuinely in need. Part of this inability to comprehend how people can be in need of goods and services is because Canadians are highly self-reliant. Even if a person is religious, that does not necessarily cut the mustard with Canadian Christians. Generally, Canadian Christians are well-read and well-informed about their faith, in terms of knowing the history behind it. They are very concerned with how their faith evolved over time with regard to their particular religion. Trends of religious practices in Canada include a move towards more inclusion of those with religious differences. For example, Canada is moving towards the inclusion of other religious traditions, especially Islam. Normally Canada might be thought of as an unusual place for Muslims to settle. However, many Muslims are just like their Canadian Christian neighbors-they want to have good home lives with no trouble. Canada has been a good place for Muslims to settle because of the relatively benignly neutral state of the country. Canada in the past has recused itself from getting involved in foreign wars, and has been largely neutral with regards to various wars having been fought. Muslims generally feel more or less accepted moreso in