41% of British Columbians Identify Themselves As Non-Believers


Way before Europeans stepped foot on North American soil, our First Nations peoples followed many varieties of animistic religions and spirituality.
Where then, did all the other religions in Canada come from, eh?

When the first Europeans settled here, coming in droves from France they brought their Roman Catholic religion with them and forced that religion on the First Nations people and apparently were quite successful. The Jesuit priests roamed the continent dedicating their lives converting the Natives.

The next wave to hit North America were the Protestants, grouping in the Maritimes. The British government couldn't get enough Catholics to move to the area so they asked the Germans and the Swiss. They jumped at the chance and their numbers counterbalanced the Roman Catholic Acadians, making Maritime Canada the heartland of the Baptist Church in Canada. The American Revolution brought many Protestants (Anglicans, Presbyterians and Methodists) to Canada fleeing the United States.

Since then, Canada has become a melting pot for all religions, but Christianity still holds the lead but losing ground. Hindu, Jews, Sunni, Shia, Budists etc, are growing substantially by the hundreds of percentage points.  Islam the fastest growing. Neopaganism grew by 281%.

Most people here in British Columbia, a staggering 41% identify themselves as non-believers, either atheists, agnostics or humanists, including me.



















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