Download Major Religions in Canada

Major Religions in Canada
Once considered a predominantly Christian country, Canada is in for a dramatic shift in
the religious composition of its population when it reaches its 150th birthday in 2017.
Statistics Canada foresees an increase of approximately 160% in the numbers of
Muslims in Canada, 35% in the number of Buddhists, 65% in the number of Sikhs and
10% in the number of Jews.1
Following is an overview of the beliefs and practices of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam,
Judaism and Sikhism.
1. Buddhism
Includes some 300 million people around the world.
Beliefs and Practices

The Buddha taught a "Middle Path" between self-denial and worldly indulgence.
The core of Buddhist belief is presented in writings known as "Three Baskets".

The essence of Buddhist belief is the "Four Noble Truths":

Life is suffering and disappointment.

Suffering originates in desire for pleasure, power, living, and possessions.

Desire must be overcome.

Desire is overcome by following the Noble Eight-fold Path (the path that leads to no
desire).
2. Hinduism
With close to 650 million followers, Hinduism is the world's third largest religious group
following Christianity and Islam.
Beliefs and Practices:

1
Hindu doctrines are derived from a number of ancient sacred writings that include
the Veda, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita.
Source: Canada’s Demo-Religious Revolution: 2017 will bring considerable change to the profile of the
Mosaic. Association for Canadian Studies. 2005. Available at http://www.acs-aec.ca/Polls/30-03-2005.pdf

Polytheistic (many gods); gods include Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver;
and Shiva, the god of destruction.

God is in all things (pantheistic), but everything is subject to change.

Respect for nature is fundamental to Hindu thought. The cow is considered holy,
and killing it for meat is considered offensive.
There are no congregations as such, but temples have been built to honour a god or
gods; many homes have a shrine.
3. Islam

Islam means “peace, security and wholeness through total submission to God’s will”.
The Prophet Muhammad recited the Qur’an, which was given to him by the
archangel Gabriel (Jibril). Islam has a rich history of cultural, scientific and
philosophical knowledge, and in fact preserved the accumulated knowledge of the
western world during the Dark Ages.
Beliefs and Practices:

Muslims adhere to the Five Pillars of Islam:
1) Statement of faith; 2) Salat, or the five daily prayers; 3) Fasting during the month of
Ramadan; 4) The giving of alms; 5) The pilgrimage to Mecca.
Muslims revere the Prophets of Judaism and Christianity, including Moses and Jesus.
They also accept the virgin birth of Jesus.

Many customs associated with Islam are actually cultural in origin, not religiously
based. The term “jihad” actually means to struggle in defense of the faith, or to
struggle spiritually to become a better Muslim.
4. Judaism

Judaism is the original of the three Abrahamic faiths, which also includes Christianity
and Islam. There are 12 million Jewish people in the world.
Beliefs and Practices:

Judaism originated in the Middle East over 3500 years ago.

Judaism was founded by Moses, although Jews trace their history back to Abraham.

Jews believe that there is only one God with whom they have a covenant.

In exchange for all the good that God has done for the Jewish people, Jewish people
keep God’s laws and try to bring holiness into every aspect of their lives.

Judaism has a rich history of religious text, but the central and most important
religious document is the Torah.

Spiritual leaders are called Rabbis.

Jews worship in Synagogues.

Jews believe that the Jewish People are specially chosen by God, and it is the idea
of this specially chosen race that leads some to conclude that Jews are a race, and
not just a religion. This means that there are many people who identify themselves
as Jewish without necessarily believing in, or observing any Jewish law.
5. Sikhism
The estimated number of Sikhs around the world is 16 million.
Beliefs and Practices

Derives from the teachings of Guru Nanak. Sikhism teaches the existence of one
God, or Guru. The primary beliefs of Sikhism are a fusion of Islam and Hinduism.

Time is cyclical (as in Hinduism), but being human indicates the soul is close to the
end of the cycle. If the soul is still attached to the world, rebirth will occur. If the soul
is released from attachment, the soul will join God.

Guru Grant Sahib is Schism's primary religious text. Produced in the 16th Century, it
contains writings and hymns from ten Gurus, as well as Muslim and Hindu writings.
Further Information:
The Golden Rule in Action:
Christianity
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
Judaism
What you hate, do not do to anyone
Islam
No one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he
loves for himself
Hinduism
Do nothing to thy neighbour which thou wouldst not have him
do to thee
Buddhism
Hurt not others with that which pains thyself
Sikhism
Treat others as you would be treated yourself
Confucianism
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others
Aristotle
We should behave to our friends as we wish our friends to
behave to us
Plato
May I do to others as I would that they should do unto me