Religious Diversity in Kingston
What the Project Is About
RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IN KINGSTON went through several stages in its development as information was gathered.
Here how the Project proceeded:
- Preparing Profiles
Compilation of a comprehensive inventory of religious groups, sites, and activities.
- Visiting Sites
Through fieldwork visits and interviews with representative people, obtaining a fuller picture of Kingston’s religious terrain.
- Checking What We Found
Checking to see if how we saw religious groups fit with how they saw themselves and their role in the community.
- Sharing What We Found
As the Project discovered trends and new developments, researchers shared these findings with a wider audience.
- Studying What We Found
Carefully examining and analyzing these data on various aspects of Kingston’s religious landscape, presented as articles and conference papers.
- Publishing the Results
Publication of a book-length study on religion in Kingston--now in its final stages--after the conclusion of the RDK project.
RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IN KINGSTON examines all of the groups and activities where religion is to be found in the city:
- Groups in Kingston representing the world's major religions are being studied. In addition, the project investigates what is going on at various sites representative of minority religions. Many groups, often newer or smaller, using temporary space or meeting infrequently, are part of the research project as well.
- Local trends are being examined in the light of national ones. In particular, the results of the 2001 Census give an overall picture of how religion looks in Kingston compared with the province and the nation. (Search for "Kingston" under "Community Profiles" on the Statistics Canada website.)
- This research project examines how religion in the public sphere relates to the inner self. Is religious life and practice in Kingston marked by an increased personal spirituality? If so, how have religious traditions adapted to this more individualistic turn?
- Has a multilayered spirituality, in which people “mix and match” several different ways of being religious, replaced an exclusive loyalty to one tradition? Alternatively, perhaps substitute forms of religion only supplement, but without replacing, an ongoing religious commitment.
