Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures
@ircsf.bsky.social
The IRCSF is Canada’s hub for social scientific and empirical research related to religion, spirituality, and new forms of communities of belief and practice. Based @stjeromesuni.bsky.social and @uwaterloo.ca
Pinned
Join us for our next free hybrid event with Joel Thiessen from Ambrose University titled “Planting Seeds: The Catholic Parish in the Religious Transmission Ecosystem.” 7:30pm-9pm EST on Nov. 27, 2025. Register to attend online or in-person the free event here: www.ticketfi.com/event/6532/l...
Join us for our next free hybrid event with Joel Thiessen from Ambrose University titled “Planting Seeds: The Catholic Parish in the Religious Transmission Ecosystem.” 7:30pm-9pm EST on Nov. 27, 2025. Register to attend online or in-person the free event here: www.ticketfi.com/event/6532/l...
November 12, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Join us for our next free hybrid event with Joel Thiessen from Ambrose University titled “Planting Seeds: The Catholic Parish in the Religious Transmission Ecosystem.” 7:30pm-9pm EST on Nov. 27, 2025. Register to attend online or in-person the free event here: www.ticketfi.com/event/6532/l...
The recording from our webinar "Why #Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional #Faith" with Christian Smith from the University of Notre Dame, in conversation with Galen Watts from the University of Waterloo, is now available for free viewing on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/BVxCy5zacf4
Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith
YouTube video by Institute Religion, Culture and Societal Futures
youtu.be
November 10, 2025 at 6:18 PM
The recording from our webinar "Why #Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional #Faith" with Christian Smith from the University of Notre Dame, in conversation with Galen Watts from the University of Waterloo, is now available for free viewing on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/BVxCy5zacf4
Amy, an undergrad student assisting the IRCSF this term, focuses on the concept of the civil sphere as her key takeaway from Mervyn Horgan’s talk at the IRCSF last month:
November 7, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Amy, an undergrad student assisting the IRCSF this term, focuses on the concept of the civil sphere as her key takeaway from Mervyn Horgan’s talk at the IRCSF last month:
2024 Canadian data on (non)religious switching from Pew Research Center's report "Around the World, Many People are Leaving their Childhood Religions": www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/u...
November 5, 2025 at 6:38 PM
2024 Canadian data on (non)religious switching from Pew Research Center's report "Around the World, Many People are Leaving their Childhood Religions": www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/u...
Still time to register for this free webinar, happening this Friday:
Join us for our next free webinar event with Christian Smith titled "Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith" on Friday November 7th, 2025 @ 2pm EST. Register to attend the free event here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
November 3, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Still time to register for this free webinar, happening this Friday:
Our very own Associate Director Galen Watts is the guest on
CBC Ideas' recent podcast episode titled "Why 'follow your heart' spirituality is actually religion": www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/...
CBC Ideas' recent podcast episode titled "Why 'follow your heart' spirituality is actually religion": www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/...
Why 'follow your heart' spirituality is actually religion | CBC Radio
Traditional religious institutions have been in decline since the '60s. As congregations dwindle, more Canadians are identifying as 'spiritual.' Sociologist Galen Watts traces the history of the moder...
www.cbc.ca
October 31, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Our very own Associate Director Galen Watts is the guest on
CBC Ideas' recent podcast episode titled "Why 'follow your heart' spirituality is actually religion": www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/...
CBC Ideas' recent podcast episode titled "Why 'follow your heart' spirituality is actually religion": www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/...
Reposted by Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures
Join us for our next free webinar event with Christian Smith titled "Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith" on Friday November 7th, 2025 @ 2pm EST. Register to attend the free event here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
October 15, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Join us for our next free webinar event with Christian Smith titled "Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith" on Friday November 7th, 2025 @ 2pm EST. Register to attend the free event here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Joanne, one of the undergrad students assisting the IRCSF this term, created the following infographics on the sacred as a space of collectivization, based on Mervyn Horgan's talk at the IRCSF last month:
October 23, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Joanne, one of the undergrad students assisting the IRCSF this term, created the following infographics on the sacred as a space of collectivization, based on Mervyn Horgan's talk at the IRCSF last month:
Featuring our very own Director Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, among many other researchers on the nonreligious in Canada.
This new article from Canadian Affairs features commentary from a number of NCF team members, including Lori Beaman, @joelthiessen.bsky.social, and Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme
www.canadianaffairs.news/2025/10/13/t...
www.canadianaffairs.news/2025/10/13/t...
The surprising characteristics of non-religious Canadians
Religious 'nones' are Canada’s second largest group after Christians. But their beliefs are more diverse than their name implies
www.canadianaffairs.news
October 21, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Featuring our very own Director Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme, among many other researchers on the nonreligious in Canada.
Naz (undergrad student assisting the IRCSF), writes about last month’s IRCSF event: we heard from Mervyn Horgan, who took us into the world of Erving Goffman, helping us think about the everyday interactions we often take for granted, what Goffman called the Interaction Order.
October 17, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Naz (undergrad student assisting the IRCSF), writes about last month’s IRCSF event: we heard from Mervyn Horgan, who took us into the world of Erving Goffman, helping us think about the everyday interactions we often take for granted, what Goffman called the Interaction Order.
Join us for our next free webinar event with Christian Smith titled "Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith" on Friday November 7th, 2025 @ 2pm EST. Register to attend the free event here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
October 15, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Join us for our next free webinar event with Christian Smith titled "Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith" on Friday November 7th, 2025 @ 2pm EST. Register to attend the free event here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Elina, an undergrad student at the IRCSF, writes about last week's IRCSF event: Dr. Horgan discussed how the sacred is not confined to religious institutions: it persists (in altered forms) in secular realms, moral imaginaries, public rituals, and everyday encounters.
October 2, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Elina, an undergrad student at the IRCSF, writes about last week's IRCSF event: Dr. Horgan discussed how the sacred is not confined to religious institutions: it persists (in altered forms) in secular realms, moral imaginaries, public rituals, and everyday encounters.
Check out the CSSR - Canadian Society for the Study of Religion's upcoming webinar. Register here for the free event: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
September 30, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Check out the CSSR - Canadian Society for the Study of Religion's upcoming webinar. Register here for the free event: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Missed Mervyn Horgan's talk yesterday "Some Theses on the Secular Sacred" at the IRCSF? Check out the recording here of the event, for free viewing anytime on our YouTube channel (@IRCSF): www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZITB...
Some Theses on the Secular Sacred - IRCSF Event with Mervyn Horgan
YouTube video by Institute Religion, Culture and Societal Futures
www.youtube.com
September 25, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Missed Mervyn Horgan's talk yesterday "Some Theses on the Secular Sacred" at the IRCSF? Check out the recording here of the event, for free viewing anytime on our YouTube channel (@IRCSF): www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZITB...
Check out this Broadview Magazine article titled "Christians are no longer the majority in Canada: surveys" by Julie McGonegal, featuring our very own Director Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme: broadview.org/canada-chris...
Christians are no longer the majority in Canada: surveys | Broadview Magazine
Research shows the faith’s share of the population fell below half over the past few years
broadview.org
September 23, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Check out this Broadview Magazine article titled "Christians are no longer the majority in Canada: surveys" by Julie McGonegal, featuring our very own Director Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme: broadview.org/canada-chris...
Still time to register for this free hybrid event!
We're back from the summer break with Fall 2025 events! First up is a talk on Sept. 24 @ 2:30pm EDT with Mervyn Horgan on current uses of Durkheim's concept of the sacred in sociology. Register for the free hybrid event here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
September 18, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Still time to register for this free hybrid event!
Over 1/3 of the Canadian pop. has no religious affiliation. This Pew Research Center report looks into the spiritual beliefs and practices, as well as attitudes towards religion, among the religiously unaffiliated across the world, including here in Canada.
www.pewresearch.org/religion/202...
www.pewresearch.org/religion/202...
September 15, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Over 1/3 of the Canadian pop. has no religious affiliation. This Pew Research Center report looks into the spiritual beliefs and practices, as well as attitudes towards religion, among the religiously unaffiliated across the world, including here in Canada.
www.pewresearch.org/religion/202...
www.pewresearch.org/religion/202...
Eastern Europe is home to some of the most secular countries in the world, such as Estonia (81% of its pop is religiously unaffiliated according to EVS 2017) and Czechia (77%), as well as some very Christian ones (Poland and Ukraine for example).
September 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Eastern Europe is home to some of the most secular countries in the world, such as Estonia (81% of its pop is religiously unaffiliated according to EVS 2017) and Czechia (77%), as well as some very Christian ones (Poland and Ukraine for example).
Reposted by Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures
We're back from the summer break with Fall 2025 events! First up is a talk on Sept. 24 @ 2:30pm EDT with Mervyn Horgan on current uses of Durkheim's concept of the sacred in sociology. Register for the free hybrid event here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
September 2, 2025 at 6:02 PM
We're back from the summer break with Fall 2025 events! First up is a talk on Sept. 24 @ 2:30pm EDT with Mervyn Horgan on current uses of Durkheim's concept of the sacred in sociology. Register for the free hybrid event here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
We've recorded and posted three videos in our Maple Spirit Pulse series. Have a look if you're interested in "Religious Populism," "Religious Schools," and/or "Canadian Ismailis and the Aga Khan." www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFNz...
Religious Populism - IRCSF Maple Spirit Pulse series
YouTube video by Institute Religion, Culture and Societal Futures
www.youtube.com
September 4, 2025 at 4:59 PM
We've recorded and posted three videos in our Maple Spirit Pulse series. Have a look if you're interested in "Religious Populism," "Religious Schools," and/or "Canadian Ismailis and the Aga Khan." www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFNz...
We're back from the summer break with Fall 2025 events! First up is a talk on Sept. 24 @ 2:30pm EDT with Mervyn Horgan on current uses of Durkheim's concept of the sacred in sociology. Register for the free hybrid event here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
September 2, 2025 at 6:02 PM
We're back from the summer break with Fall 2025 events! First up is a talk on Sept. 24 @ 2:30pm EDT with Mervyn Horgan on current uses of Durkheim's concept of the sacred in sociology. Register for the free hybrid event here: uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
In the new CBC Gem documentary "So You Want To Be a Muslim," director Hoda Elatawi opens a window onto a number of Canadians' personal journeys into Islam. A fascinating watch for anyone interested in lived Islam in the country.
gem.cbc.ca/so-you-want-...
gem.cbc.ca/so-you-want-...
So You Want to Be a Muslim | Films | CBC Gem
Five North American individuals experience life in new and often unexpected ways when they choose to become Muslim.
gem.cbc.ca
August 27, 2025 at 5:53 PM
In the new CBC Gem documentary "So You Want To Be a Muslim," director Hoda Elatawi opens a window onto a number of Canadians' personal journeys into Islam. A fascinating watch for anyone interested in lived Islam in the country.
gem.cbc.ca/so-you-want-...
gem.cbc.ca/so-you-want-...
Interested in knowing more about Canada's 129 publicly-funded Catholic hospitals and long-term care homes? Check out Amelie Barras' and Andrea Paras' new article "Canadian Catholic Health Care at the Nexus of Multiple Legal Regimes": resolve.cambridge.org/core/journal...
August 5, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Interested in knowing more about Canada's 129 publicly-funded Catholic hospitals and long-term care homes? Check out Amelie Barras' and Andrea Paras' new article "Canadian Catholic Health Care at the Nexus of Multiple Legal Regimes": resolve.cambridge.org/core/journal...
We've got a new Maple Spirit Pulse video on Canadian Ismailis and the Aga Khan, with Dr. Alyshea Cummins, for your summer viewing: youtu.be/yHwqNYtNMIY
Canadian Ismailis and the Aga Khan – IRCSF Maple Spirit Pulse series
YouTube video by Institute Religion, Culture and Societal Futures
youtu.be
July 17, 2025 at 3:29 PM
We've got a new Maple Spirit Pulse video on Canadian Ismailis and the Aga Khan, with Dr. Alyshea Cummins, for your summer viewing: youtu.be/yHwqNYtNMIY
New 2025 ISSP Canada data on religion are now available. Below are rates of religious nones and monthly attenders in 2023 and 2025 between the comparable ISSP Canada general population surveys.
July 14, 2025 at 4:39 PM
New 2025 ISSP Canada data on religion are now available. Below are rates of religious nones and monthly attenders in 2023 and 2025 between the comparable ISSP Canada general population surveys.