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Regular Canadian Churchgoers Oppose Gay "Marriage", Nominal Christians Don't

LETHBRIDGE, Alberta, December 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A national survey of families conducted by sociologist Reginald Bibby for the Vanier Institute of the Family has revealed that only 26% of Canadians who attend religious services at least once a month approve of gay marriage, well below the approval figure of 58% among those who attend services less than once a month.

The discrepancy enlarges even more when evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics who are active in their church are compared to those who are less involved. About 25% of Catholics who attend services monthly or more approve of gay marriages, versus 55% of their counterparts who attend less often. Only 6% of active evangelicals - also commonly referred to as Conservative Protestants - agree that gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry, compared to 35% who are less active.

Mainline Protestants - people identifying with the United, Anglican, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches - are only slightly more likely to disapprove of same-sex "marriage" than the Canadian average at 45 percent approval rate, with no appreciable difference between those who consider themselves active members and those who don't.

Differences are pronounced between people who are actively involved in religious groups and others: 74% of those who attend services less than once a month indicate their acceptance of homosexuality, compared to 43% of those who are more active. The latter appear to be led by Mainline Protestants.

Buddhists and Jews were found to be considerably more likely than people identifying with other groups to sanction same-sex marriage, while Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs rival Conservative Protestants in being opposed to such unions. As would be expected, Canadians who say they have "No Religion" are more likely than people who claim religious ties to give the green light to gay marriage.

Read the report at: http://www.vifamily.ca/newsroom/press_dec_10_04.html

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