Towards a godless dominion : unbelief in interwar Canada /
Hanowski, Elliot,
Towards a godless dominion : unbelief in interwar Canada / Unbelief in interwar Canada Elliot Hanowski. - 1 online resource (xvi, 330 pages) : illustrations. - McGill-Queen's studies in the history of religion. Series two ; 99 . - McGill-Queen's studies in the history of religion. Series two ; 99. .
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction -- Canada's Professional Atheist: Marshall Gauvin in Winnipeg, 1926-1940 -- The Winnipeg Rationalist Society -- The Sterry Trial and the Debate over Blasphemy -- Unbelief in Toronto the Good -- "Je suis un ath�ee fieff�e": Militant Unbelief in Interwar Montreal -- Unbelief on the Coasts -- Conclusion.
"In recent surveys, one in four Canadians say they have no religion. A century ago, Canada was widely considered to be a Christian nation, and the vast majority of Canadians claimed they were devoutly religious. But some were determined to resist. In the 1920s and '30s, groups of militant unbelievers formed across Canada to push back against the dominance of religion. Towards a Godless Dominion explores both anti-religious activism and the organized opposition unbelievers faced from Christian Canada during the interwar period. Despite Christianity's prominence, anti-religious ideas were propagated by lectures in theatres, through newspapers, and out on the streets. Secularist groups in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver actively tried to win people away from religious belief. In the first two cities, they were met with stiff repression by the state, which convicted unbelievers of blasphemous libel, broke up their meetings, and banned atheistic literature from circulating. In the latter two cities unbelievers met social disapproval rather than official persecution. Looking at interwar controversies around religion, such as arguments about faith healing and fundamentalist campaigns against teaching evolution, Elliot Hanowski shows how unbelievers were able to use these conflicts to get their skeptical message across to the public. Challenging the stereotype of Canada as a tolerant, secular nation, Towards a Godless Dominion returns to a time when intolerant forms of Christianity ruled a country that was considered more religious than the United States."--
9780228019572 0228019575 0228019567 9780228019565
62A39CFF-6419-408E-A814-84CA71408F9B OverDrive, Inc. http://www.overdrive.com 22573/cats7994997 JSTOR
20230222382 can
1900-1999
Irreligion--History--Canada--20th century.
Religious tolerance--History--Canada--20th century.
Christianity and atheism--History--20th century.
Atheists--History--Canada--20th century.
Religion and politics--History--Canada--20th century.
Irr�eligion--Histoire--Canada--20e si�ecle.
Tol�erance religieuse--Histoire--Canada--20e si�ecle.
Christianisme et ath�eisme--Histoire--20e si�ecle.
Ath�ees--Histoire--Canada--20e si�ecle.
Religion et politique--Histoire--Canada--20e si�ecle.
HISTORY / Canada / Post-Confederation (1867-)
Atheism
Atheists
Christianity
Irreligion
Religion and politics
Religious tolerance
Canada
History
BL2530.C3 / H36 2023
200.971
Towards a godless dominion : unbelief in interwar Canada / Unbelief in interwar Canada Elliot Hanowski. - 1 online resource (xvi, 330 pages) : illustrations. - McGill-Queen's studies in the history of religion. Series two ; 99 . - McGill-Queen's studies in the history of religion. Series two ; 99. .
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction -- Canada's Professional Atheist: Marshall Gauvin in Winnipeg, 1926-1940 -- The Winnipeg Rationalist Society -- The Sterry Trial and the Debate over Blasphemy -- Unbelief in Toronto the Good -- "Je suis un ath�ee fieff�e": Militant Unbelief in Interwar Montreal -- Unbelief on the Coasts -- Conclusion.
"In recent surveys, one in four Canadians say they have no religion. A century ago, Canada was widely considered to be a Christian nation, and the vast majority of Canadians claimed they were devoutly religious. But some were determined to resist. In the 1920s and '30s, groups of militant unbelievers formed across Canada to push back against the dominance of religion. Towards a Godless Dominion explores both anti-religious activism and the organized opposition unbelievers faced from Christian Canada during the interwar period. Despite Christianity's prominence, anti-religious ideas were propagated by lectures in theatres, through newspapers, and out on the streets. Secularist groups in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Vancouver actively tried to win people away from religious belief. In the first two cities, they were met with stiff repression by the state, which convicted unbelievers of blasphemous libel, broke up their meetings, and banned atheistic literature from circulating. In the latter two cities unbelievers met social disapproval rather than official persecution. Looking at interwar controversies around religion, such as arguments about faith healing and fundamentalist campaigns against teaching evolution, Elliot Hanowski shows how unbelievers were able to use these conflicts to get their skeptical message across to the public. Challenging the stereotype of Canada as a tolerant, secular nation, Towards a Godless Dominion returns to a time when intolerant forms of Christianity ruled a country that was considered more religious than the United States."--
9780228019572 0228019575 0228019567 9780228019565
62A39CFF-6419-408E-A814-84CA71408F9B OverDrive, Inc. http://www.overdrive.com 22573/cats7994997 JSTOR
20230222382 can
1900-1999
Irreligion--History--Canada--20th century.
Religious tolerance--History--Canada--20th century.
Christianity and atheism--History--20th century.
Atheists--History--Canada--20th century.
Religion and politics--History--Canada--20th century.
Irr�eligion--Histoire--Canada--20e si�ecle.
Tol�erance religieuse--Histoire--Canada--20e si�ecle.
Christianisme et ath�eisme--Histoire--20e si�ecle.
Ath�ees--Histoire--Canada--20e si�ecle.
Religion et politique--Histoire--Canada--20e si�ecle.
HISTORY / Canada / Post-Confederation (1867-)
Atheism
Atheists
Christianity
Irreligion
Religion and politics
Religious tolerance
Canada
History
BL2530.C3 / H36 2023
200.971