09/06/2025
Canada: A Land of Many Faiths, One Call to Love
By Rev. P – Pastor on a Park Bench
When we think about Canada, it’s tempting to imagine that we are, or at least once were, a “Christian nation.” Some people still talk that way. And it’s true: if you look back a few decades, the majority of Canadians would have identified as Christian. Churches dotted every town, and many of our laws reflected a Judeo-Christian moral framework.
But let’s not forget something important. Long before Christianity ever arrived here, Indigenous peoples lived on this land. They carried their own spiritual traditions, deep, wise, and rooted in creation. Then came settlers from Europe who brought with them Catholic and Protestant faiths. Over time, more communities arrived: Jewish, Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Baha’i, and so many more. Today, Canada is one of the most multicultural and multi-faith nations in the world.
And here’s the gift: in Canada, you are free to believe, or not believe, whatever you want.
A Brief Look Back at Canada’s Story
Our history reminds us that this freedom didn’t just happen by accident.
Indigenous peoples: For thousands of years before European arrival, the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis lived with their own spiritual traditions tied to land and community.
Colonial beginnings: When the French and British established colonies, they brought Catholic and Protestant Christianity, and for a long time those two streams dominated public life.
Confederation (1867): Canada was not founded as a “Christian state.” It was built as a political federation under British rule, with no official state religion.
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982): This enshrined freedom of conscience and religion, guaranteeing that all Canadians, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, atheist, or otherwise—are equal under the law.
Multiculturalism Policy (1971, Pierre Trudeau): Canada became the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy, affirming that cultural and religious diversity is not just tolerated but celebrated as part of our national identity.
A Flying Spaghetti Monster?
Just this past weekend, I was introduced to something called Pastafarianism, the belief in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Do I think that’s a little strange? Sure. But let’s be honest, lots of people think my belief in a Triune God is strange!
Am I going to try to talk them out of it? No. Because in Canada, I don’t have to. I am free to carry my Bible, to preach about Jesus, to pray in my home, and to worship with my community. And they are free to wear a colander on their head if they choose. That’s the beauty of religious freedom, it goes both ways.
Loving Our Neighbours
As a Christian, my faith teaches me something that never changes: “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31). That means my love doesn’t stop at the church door. It extends to my Muslim neighbour, my atheist friend, my Indigenous brothers and sisters, and yes, even the Pastafarians.
God came for all humanity, not just for the ones who look, think, or pray like me.
What About Public Prayer?
On Sunday, someone asked me what I think about Quebec’s law against prayer in public meetings. I didn’t answer fully at the time, but I want to now, because I believe this is important.
I know this may ruffle some feathers, but here’s how I see it: I live in Canada, a multicultural nation where Christianity is not the faith of the first peoples, and where Christianity was too often used as a tool of oppression, power, and control. That is not the Bible I have come to understand after years of study and three degrees in this area. There are scholars with far more credentials than me, but this is where my own experience and faith journey have led me.
And as I have said many times before in person: I am so deeply sorry for what has been done in the name of Christ to oppress people, especially here in Canada, with the horrendous treatment of Indigenous peoples through the residential schools and the generational trauma that continues today. People using faith to manipulate, torture, or control others is never right, not in any faith, not in any country. When it happens, it is wrong. Period. The end.
The prophet Micah says it this way: “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
We need to learn to co-exist. Co-existence is not about power or control. It is not about saying one belief is superior to another. Each person who holds to a faith believes it is right for them. I don’t want anyone to take away my right to believe, so why should I want to take that right away from someone else?
That’s why in 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay that municipalities cannot begin meetings with prayer. The government must remain neutral in matters of religion, ensuring that people of all faiths, or no faith, feel equally welcome in civic spaces.
At first, that might feel like we are “losing something.” But think about it another way: if you were at a public event and the microphone was handed to a minister from a faith you didn’t share, Muslim, Christian, Indigenous elder, or even a Pastafarian priest, how would you feel?
Would you feel included? Or left out?
That’s the heart of the matter. Canada is not a monotheistic country. We don’t have one official religion. And maybe that’s a good thing. Because faith is personal. And when prayer is personal, it becomes a gift, not a tool of power.
A Better Witness
Here’s the truth: when Christians demand public prayers at government events or schools, we might think we’re being faithful. But sometimes what others hear is: “Your faith doesn’t count. Only mine does.” That’s not love. That’s not Jesus.
The better witness is this: to live our faith so fully, so kindly, and so generously that others see Christ in us, even if we never get the microphone.
Canada’s Story, Canada’s Future
Canada was not founded as a Christian nation, and it isn’t one today. It is a nation of many peoples and many faiths, woven together by a fragile but beautiful commitment to freedom.
And as for me? I’m grateful. Grateful to live in a place where I can open my Bible on a park bench, where my neighbour can roll out their prayer mat, and where even the Flying Spaghetti Monster gets a seat at the table.
Because at the end of the day, my calling isn’t to win arguments or demand the spotlight. My calling is to love.
Jesus said: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
Go with God and always stay spicy. 🌶️
— Rev. P, Pastor on a Park Bench
