September 3 - More Canadians believe in Heaven than Hell, poll shows

Heaven? Yes. Hell - no. That's one of the messages sent by more than 400 Canadians who responded to a detailed, nationwide survey this year probing people's personal spirituality, attitudes toward formal religion and views on the challenges of accommodating and integrating multiple belief systems into Canada's multicultural society.

Among the intriguing findings is that while slightly more than half of the country's population believe there's a heaven, less than one-third accept the notion there's a fiery netherworld - or some other such conception of a posthumous penalty box - awaiting the world's most serious sinners.

The results reveal a nation struggling to reconcile doubts and contradictions regarding religious faith while exhibiting a definite yearning among citizens for the comfort that comes with believing in a higher power.

In response to the Canadian survey's principal question about the existence of God - a subject that has confounded humankind for centuries - about 30 per cent of those tapped for their opinion agreed with the statement: "I know God really exists and I have no doubts." Another 20 per cent acknowledged they "have doubts" but "feel that I do believe in God." Ten per cent said they believe in God "sometimes" and a further 20 per cent said they don't believe in a "personal God," but "do believe in a higher power."

Along with the seven per cent of respondents who denied the existence of God, nearly 12 per cent adopted the classic agnostic position and said they "don't know whether there is a God and don't believe there is a way to find out."

About 27 per cent said they believe in reincarnation and 50 per cent expressed belief in religious miracles.

But respondents also registered concern about some negative aspects of religion. About three out of four respondents agreed with the statements "religion breeds conflict" and "religious people are too intolerant."  Jedwab said the findings show Canadians are widely and strongly supportive of religious freedom at a personal level but "when it's a group phenomenon, that's where they're worried - because they believe it can breed intolerance."