Religious Encasement in Canada: An Argument for Protestant and Catholic Entrenchment.

This paper assesses the state of organized religion in Canada as of June 1986. It presents evidence showing that Canadians have not abandoned traditional religion but have stayed, preferring the old affiliations to anything new, including the option of no affiliation. Canadian census data reveal that 88% of Canadians are either Protestant or Roman Catholic, while 5% are affiliated with other religions and 7% have no affiliation. Religion in Canada, Protestant and Catholic style, has generally been viewed as being in a state of decline in recent decades. Considerable speculation has been given to where the people have been going. The evidence presented in this paper tells quite a different story. For the most part, Canadians have not abandoned traditional religion. They have stayed, preferring the old affiliations to anything new, including the option of no affiliation. But the content of their religion has seemingly been changing, involving a movement away from traditional Christian commitment in favor of the embracing of fragmented beliefs and practices. The vast majority of Canadians, finding that most religious groups in the country are sufficiently versatile to offer diversified religious content and functions, have had no reason to change their affiliations.