When my kids were young I took them to a variety of houses of worship. We went to Hindu mandirs, to special observances at synagogues. We attended Episcopalian Christmas services, as well as high mass in Catholic churches. They have sat in the pews of the immense super churches where the sermon is televised. A particularly memorable foray was the trip to the International Buddhist Temple in Richmond. My kids will insist that I mention that congregants were expected to do this times.
Yes, indeed, these excursions still rank highly on their list of grievances against me. But as a parent, I thought my kids would benefit from a better comprehension of the prime movers in the world.
What did I achieve? The jury is still out. I suspect that, today, my adult children rarely reflect upon the role of faith in their lives. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way.
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Please try again. Canada was once a church-going nation. In many ways, this is more of a time-use statement than it is anything else. But we went. With regularity. And that builds identity and community. These days, fewer than a quarter of us participate in group religious activities once a week. Nearly one in five Canadians say that, despite identifying with a religious affiliation, they rarely or never participated in group religious services of any kind.
