In many U.S. states, religion has become a part of public life through routines and policies that people barely question. It has made some Americans feel awkward about opting out.
Yet in Canada, our laws & general attitudes towards religion mean that we don’t necessarily suffer the same religious pressures as our neighbours down south.
Here are ten American religious pressures that Canadians avoid. Which of these would surprise you the most to experience?
Opening prayers at government meetings
A lot of council meetings in American towns continue to open with a spoken prayer, and these are often explicitly Christian. The residents have to sit through the prayer before any civic business can begin.
However, Canada avoids such a custom because of a Supreme Court ruling. It stated that obligatory prayers violate religious neutrality, so Canadian townspeople don’t feel pressured to pray as Americans do.
“In God We Trust” displays in public schools
There are quite a few American states that require public schools to display the text “In God We Trust” somewhere visible. This is usually in classrooms or hallways. The states track & enforce these laws carefully, although Canada doesn’t allow for that.
Mandated religious messaging is banned in Canadian classrooms, so the provinces never adopted such requirements. Students aren’t under any pressure to show their faith in schools.
Daily pledge routines
Speaking of schools, the large majority of American schools make their students say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, including the phrase “under God.” Students may opt out should they choose. However, it’s still a part of school culture, and many students feel they have to participate.
But Canada has never had a similar kind of daily pledge for students that includes aspects of religion. We don’t start the school day with a bit of faith.
State-approved elementary lessons with heavy Bible references
Texas is one of a few states that approved optional elementary materials that include Biblical references. Sure, districts can choose to use these materials. But the state has funding incentives to encourage them to use these materials.
There are no Canadian provinces that link classroom funding to religious content in the same way. As a result, Canadian school boards don’t feel the same kind of pressure to trade their neutrality for budget support. They can remain more impartial.
Bills that try to expand religious messaging into every classroom
It has become quite common in America for lawmakers to introduce bills that force religious messaging into classrooms. They sometimes leave schools to cover necessary costs themselves, unless donors step in. But that wouldn’t happen in Canada.
Canadian provinces refuse to draft their education bills around religious messaging, meaning that any sort of attempt at religious pressure in schools never makes it onto the agenda.
Employer religion shaping what health coverage you get
Health insurance in America usually comes from your job. As a result, your boss’s beliefs can affect what’s covered, especially since the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling said that for-profit companies may exclude aspects of coverage on religious grounds.
Employees may have choices, but switching jobs is hardly easy. It’s a different story in Canada because health coverage isn’t centered around employer religion in the same way, so there’s less religious pressure.
Swearing oaths on the Bible in local courts and offices
People usually receive a Bible when they take oaths in courtrooms or local offices in America, although you can request a secular affirmation. But you usually have to speak up in the moment to do so. Many people don’t.
However, it’s the norm in Canada to make affirmations without any religious texts, meaning that nobody has to make a decision to object while everyone’s watching. There’s a lot less pressure.
Religious expectations in foster care systems
You might be surprised to know that a few American foster care agencies follow religious rules when they’re receiving public money. That affects the daily routines & expectations that both kids and foster parents have to follow, since faith-based practices become a part of life.
There are many families who go along with it so that they can simply stay eligible. But in Canada, that’s not a thing. Foster care goes through provincial systems that follow secular standards, and that means you won’t need to do any faith-based things for approval.
Mandatory religious counseling tied to abortion access
You won’t find any compulsory counseling scripts in Canadian abortion clinics, unlike in America. Quite a few states have abortion laws that require clinics to read or hand out counseling scripts to women getting an abortion.
These tend to include religious language. The providers aren’t allowed to edit them, nor are patients allowed to opt out of hearing them, so Canadian women avoid a lot of religious pressure from not having to hear them.
Religious loyalty expectations tied to political participation
It’s completely normal to ask local political candidates in America about church attendance & prayer during campaigns. They’ll even be approached about their faith during media interviews. Unfortunately, not giving an answer can hurt a person’s credibility, so they’re under a lot of pressure to show their faith.
But Canadian politicians don’t tend to suffer that same pressure to publicly perform their beliefs. It’s not part of how we see them as being fit to run.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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