The way Canadians think about afterlife is changing

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This article was published 06/04/2024 (900 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A growing number of Canadians are leaving religion behind. But when it comes to the afterlife, many continue to believe in it.

That’s the finding of a recent Cardus/Angus Reid survey, which found that 28 per cent of people in Canada definitely believe it exists while 32 per cent think it does. Among the remaining 40 per cent, 27 per cent don’t think there is life after death, while 13 per cent are sure there isn’t.

Who believes in it most strongly? Not surprisingly, those who identify as religious. For Christians, the strongest believers are found among evangelicals at 74 per cent, compared to 34 per cent of mainline Protestants and 24 per cent of Catholics.

In the Muslim community, 63 per cent firmly believe in the afterlife, compared to 33 per cent of Hindus, 29 per cent of Sikhs and 20 per cent of Jews.

Regionally, Manitobans lead the way in Canada, with 38 per cent being convinced there is life after death with 34 per cent thinking it exists. Eighteen per cent of people in the province don’t believe an afterlife, while the rest aren’t sure.

This compares to 69 per cent in Saskatchewan who are sure or think it exists, 63 per cent in Alberta and Ontario, 60 per cent in B.C., 59 per cent in Atlantic Canada and 50 per cent in Quebec.

For Lori Beaman, who teaches at the University of Ottawa and is research chair for the Religious Diversity and Social Change project and director of the Nonreligion in a Complex Future project, one of the most interesting things about the topic are the different understandings people have today about life after death.

Through her own research, Beaman has found many people are “transitioning life after death away from religious belief systems to other kinds of afterlife ideas.” This includes moving away from a belief in religious concepts of heaven and Hell to seeing death as a transition to a different state of being. And for some, it’s just a mystery — and they are just fine with that.

“When people say they believe in life after death, we need to know more than yes or no,” Beaman said. “They may mean that bodies decompose and become a different kind of energy. This too is life after death, in their view.”

Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme teaches sociology and studies religion at the University of Waterloo. One thing she finds fascinating is how consistent belief in life after death has stayed in Canada over the years.

“Belief in life after death is one of the only survey belief indicators in Canada that has remained proportionally pretty stable over time and across generations since the 1960s,” she said.

Like for Beaman, Wilkins-Laflamme noted there are different ways Canadians think about the afterlife today. While many believe in it, what they believe about it can vary greatly — from a literal heaven and Hell to a general eternal spiritual essence or the idea that physical matter or energy is somehow returned to the universe.

Sam Reimer, who teaches sociology at Crandall University in New Brunswick, agreed. “While belief in life after death is stable over time, what types of afterlife Canadians believe in is probably changing, particularly in the decline in the belief in hell,” he said.

“The change is probably driven by an increase in non-Christian understandings of the afterlife as non-Christian immigration increases, with a belief in reincarnation.”

At the same time, he finds it interesting that belief in the afterlife is stable even with declining religiosity.

“Is this the one lasting belief for the minimally religious?” he asked. “Is this belief held mainly because it is unverifiable scientifically and emotionally desirable to believe in?”

I don’t have the answer. But one thing seems sure; as the influence of religion wanes, the way Canadians think about the afterlife is changing. Perhaps future research can go beyond simply asking if Canadians believe or not in the afterlife to get at those new ideas, along with exploring what these changing views might mean for how people live today.

Upcoming event to note: on April 11, the Manitoba Multifaith Council will hold its annual leadership breakfast at the convention centre with guest speaker Premier Wab Kinew. Tickets and more information at manitobamultifaith.org.

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