The internet makes easily available much which was hard to obtain.
For example, John Foster's 1820 essay (well, at nearly 200 pages a short book) "Evils of Popular Ignorance" was, before say 2000, difficult to obtain, especially in a full and early edition. Now you can download a pdf of a first edition and read.
And a surprising read it is.
Much of the essay focuses on the religious character of England.
Here the book is illuminating because, far from being a Christian nation, Foster describes a nation of "spiritual" people ignorant of, and generally uncaring for, Christianity. He speaks of how the common people believed that God wouldn't punish them for all but the most brutal of violent crimes and how their view of Jesus was of a "gentleman badly used" by local politicians concerned to protect their privileges.
Jesus was a worthy role model but not anything much more than that.
Now Foster deplored his findings. I am interested not in how wicked England was but rather how similar 1820's England was England, and Canada, today.
Yes there are religious and learned people but they are in a small minority. It seems that it may have always been so.
3 comments:
There is definitely a sense that the number of "Christians" in Canada is vastly overinflated in the data. I've spoken to many people who answer Christian when asked on a census or other poll out of some sense of cultural or familial obligation but are not really religious per se.
Whatsmore, the number of people who answer no religion dwarfs the number of people who adhere to non-christian religions in Canada. If only we could flex our muscle and get rid of the last vestiges of religious privilege in this country--ie catholic schools, reference to "god" in the constitution, etc. Unfortunately we're a pretty apathetic bunch.
I used to answer Catholic on surveys years after the church labeled me intrinsically evil, I think out of respect to my mother (who has her own qualms about her church though she is a devoted member).
So this really comes as no surprise to me.
I am spiritual, more so now than a few years ago, yet I now answer no religion on surveys so go figure.
I have long felt "religion" (or at least spirituality) and "church" were two very different animals
Very interesting.
Post a Comment