Description
Book SynopsisThe first major historical study of secularism in Canada, Infidels and the Damn Churches traces the origins of irreligion in BC to the unique character of the region’s settler society.
Trade ReviewThis is an important book for anyone who wants to understand the secularizing trends in the Pacific Northwest, whether in Canada or the United States, and increasingly in the rest of their societies.
-- Randi Jones Walker, Pacific School of Religion * Pacific Northwest Quartlery, Volume 109, Number 2 *
British Columbia is in the vanguard of a secularizing trend that is afoot across the Western world… As Lynne Marks demonstrates in her impeccably researched book, this phenomenon is deeply rooted in the province’s history.
-- Denis McKim, Douglas College * Canadian Journal of History, 53-3 *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Leaving God Behind?
1 A Godless Province? Counting the Infidels and the Indifferent
2 Pie in the Sky When You Die: Political and Cultural Challenges to Religion
3 Manly White Men, Fuzzy Fidelity, and Practical Christians: Blurred Boundaries of Belief and Chasms of Racialized Difference
4 Sundays Are So Different Here: Communities in British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia
5 Could Sodom Be Worse? Christianity, Moral Reform, and the Godless of Vancouver and Victoria
6 Under Siege: Non-Christians, Racialized Groups, and White Women’s Rights
7 Subtler and More Dangerous Forms of Error: Metaphysical Religions
Conclusion: Godless Past and Present
Appendix: Tables
Notes; Bibliography; Index
