Canada's Religions: An Historical Introduction

by Robert Choquette

With nine out of ten Canadians claiming a religious affiliation of some kind - Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Aboriginal, or one of dozens of other religions - faith has huge impact on our personal and social lives. In this book, Robert Choquette offers a comprehensive history of religion in Canada and examines the ongoing tug-of-war between modernity and conservatism within the religious traditions themselves.

464 pages, Paperback

First published February 24, 2004

Reviews

[The Wanderer]

Most history teachers that I've encountered have stated that they're not super concerned with the memorization of exact names and dates, but more concerned with the events and their general order and influence. Choquette would stand against that tide. I struggled, particularly in the mid part, with the long sections naming various organizations, their leaders, and their dates. Just not interesting. I was also surprised that Choquette barely mentioned Quebec's Quiet Revolution, given how drastically it changed the province in such a short time.

But the other parts of the book, which focused on the ideas and how they interacted with Canadian culture, were informative and more engaging. I particularly enjoyed learning about Amerindian religious ideas, and some of the different currents of Catholicism. I was already familiar with the currents of Protestantism, but it was beneficial to see explanations in print for what I knew on a less explicit level. I also found myself rabbit-trailing a great deal near the end, interested to look up more information on the smaller religions he briefly explains there.

To Choquette, religion "[exists] on the edge, on the boundary between the human and the divine, between the particular and the universal, [making] religions places of tension. They are agents of unity that reflect diversity. This is their inheritance and the burden that they all carry." (pg 437) True to this idea, Choquette neither praises nor condemns religion. He does acknowledge and condemn the abuse and cultural destruction of the Amerindians, but does so without proclaiming hideous intentions and racism on the part of the Europeans. He sees the cultural problems associated with religion, without throwing the whole thing in the dirt, which I admit was a nice change from the anti-religious and anti-colonial rhetoric that seems so common currently. He also appears to hold out great hope for ecumenical and inter-faith cooperation now and in the future.

Although I likely won't be re-reading the whole thing, it will serve as a nice resource in the future.

[Richard Worden]

This book is comprehensive, concise and the author is without question knowledgeable offering a multitude of insights. The reading list at the end of each chapter reveals many recent academic religious publications. The author's information about the Roman Catholic Church and its place in the history of Canada is a valuable contribution. The one thing lacking is a subject index. There is Names Index but not one to assist in further research.