In British Columbia, religious people feel on the defensive.
Neither Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist nor other faith communities have gained as much traction here as they have in other regions of the world.
B.C. has a greater proportion of people than anywhere else in North America - 35 per cent - who say they have "no religion." And even many who feel lingering loyalty to a faith like to declare: "I'm spiritual, but not religious."
Suspicion toward religion is no recent trend in B.C. either. Gonzaga University historian of religion Patricia O'Connell Killen suggests the West Coast has had a "post-religious" culture since settlers arrived in the 19th century.
By way of example, Killen says the first Anglican Bishop for British Columbia, George Hills, wrote in frustration in 1881 to his Church of England superiors. He complained of the "constitutional religious apathy" of West Coast pioneers.
This is not to say that active Christians, Sikhs, Muslims and others have not punched above their weight in B.C. Organized religions have had "an impact disproportionate to their numbers" in providing social welfare, health care and education.
Yet Killen convincingly describes two key reasons faith communities in B.C. and the rest of the Pacific Northwest have never gained "the depth and power" they've enjoyed elsewhere.
One factor is high mobility. People here are always on the move.
They're either migrating in, to escape the constraints of the past. Or they're going out, heading off to the next opportunity, usually economic.
"I would suggest," Killen says, "that 'temporary' and 'tentative' are qualities that we breathe in the air and drink in the water in the Northwest."
Every move severs relationships and creates "a state of amnesia," she says, which makes communitybuilding more difficult.
The other big reason British Columbia (and Washington and Oregon) have long had a post-religious quality is the stunning, overwhelming wilderness.
B.C.'s natural environment competes with institutional religion and other wisdom traditions, Killen says. "The grandeur of our surroundings de-centres the human and feeds the post-religious character of this place."
Teaching at a Jesuit-run university in Spokane after decades at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Killen is a Roman Catholic with recommendations on how faith communities, if they are open and self-critical, can offer something valuable to the skeptics of the Pacific Northwest.
Killen suspects people of faith in B.C. have an advantage over more traditionbound religious adherents in the East and U.S. South. Members of B.C. faith communities know the "temptations" of this region, and are more willing to adapt.
Like others in this mobile province, actively religious people know how easy it is to take pride in being uncommitted. "We make a virtue of always keeping our options open."
Religiously involved British Columbians also don't find it odd when people claim utter self-sufficiency, Killen says. "We think 'I'm responsible for me. You're responsible for you.' And that's it."
People who regularly attend churches, mosques, temples, gurdwaras and synagogues also know the delights of West Coast flora and fauna.
Like the spiritual-but-notreligious, members of B.C. religious communities have felt "awe" and "wonder" witnessing sunsets and forests. B.C. religious people appreciate how unaffiliated searchers are drawn to direct experiences of the sacred.
"We know the exhilaration and beauty of nature, the release of being dwarfed by mountains. It almost makes us feel invisible sometimes."
All in all, Killen believes B.C. faith communities can reach out to spiritual-butnot-religious people by listening to their often-profound questions - and even by adapting some of their practices, be it contemplation or nature reverence.
Using Biblical metaphors, Killen hopes people of faith can become "salt" and "leaven" to the many British Columbians who still find religion "unintelligible and boring."
She recommends three intriguing ways faith communities can reach out:
. By becoming places where people are reminded "that all that exists is relational;" that "we can survive on our own, but we do not become human on our own."
. By being "carriers of memory;" healthy communities that offer "the virtue of stability," as well as a sense of history and a shared story.
. By being "crucibles of commitment;" where people can "learn to live joyfully and extend themselves on behalf of others."
dtodd@vancouversun.com
© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.