THE CHURCHES IN CANADA.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1746, 10 May 1913, Page 9

THE CHURCHES IN CANADA.

y LATEST CENSUS. ■ The bulletin of religions of Canada, as enumerated in the census of 1911, has been published by authority of the Minister for Trade and Commerce. In 1901 tho Methodists' headed the list of Protestant Churches with 916,85G members and adherents, followed by the Presbyterians with 842,442. The recent ceusus has reversed the position of these churches. The Presbyterians now number 1,115,324, and are therefore the largest Protestant body, in Canada. The Methodists, of whom there aro 1,070,829, are the second in number, but they are followed closely by the A.ngiicans, who have grown ill'ten years from 651.494 to 1,013,017. The Baptists have increased from 315,005 to 3S2,GGG. The Roman Catholics number 2,833,041, as compared -with 2,229,G00 in 1901. The largest percentage of increase,. 53.05, was made by the Anglican Church;. Presbyterians increased 32.39 per cent.', lioinon Catholics 27.0G, Baptists 20.33, and Methodists 17.78. Tho chief increase has been in the west, and it has been remarkable in all cases, but particularly among the Anglicans;. We note that in Quebec the Angliciviis awl Presbyterians have done well, while the growth of tho 'great Roman Catholic popa'ation is considerable. On Prince Edward Island there has been a falling off in the number of all the Churches, owing to the exodus of the population, and this is the ease also in the Yukon. The Congregationalists arc among the smaller bodies, • numbering 34,054, but their increase last decade was 20.36 per cent. The agnostics have declined nearly M per cent, in number, and arc altogether only 3110 of tho population. Tliero aro 14,562 Confucians mid SG3 Mohammedans. Tho Mormons have increased from GS9I in 1901 to 15,971 in 1911. We do not attach anv great importance to these figures. They do not show tl;s number of practising Christians, and that is what matters. But it may be assumed that those who fill iu tho schedule with a denominational name faue a friendly attitude to that denomination, and may be influenced to identify themselves with its membership and with itV work. If tho union between the Prpsbyterinus and Methodists is carried through, there will be a denomination almost as large as the Roman Catholic Church.—"British Weekly."