Welcome to the
Centre for Studies in Religion and Society

Officers, Vancouver Police Department. Courtesy Philip Tong.

Religion today

As we enter the 21st century, the study of religion raises challenging questions. In such a religiously diverse society as Canada, where do we draw the boundary separating church from state? Is the number of Canadians who belong to a religion increasing, decreasing, or is the very idea of what it means to be religious itself in flux? For that matter, what is religion? A tool for social control, a perfect divine gift, an expression of one's cultural tradition? And what about human rights - do they include the right to wear religious symbols or to pray in public?

Who we are

The CSRS is a community of academics dedicated to the scholarly study of religion in relation to all aspects of human society, from law and politics to family and culture to history, the sciences and the arts. We have no affiliation with any religion and no religious agenda. We are equally interested in Eastern, Western, ancient and contemporary religions. Meet our fellows-in-residence and associate fellows!

Get involved

We're certainly not alone in our curiosity about religion. We invite you to tour this site to learn more about the amazing community of scholars, researchers, donors, funders, and community members who share our interest, and who make the CSRS such an exciting place to be.