The Mystical Geography of Quebec: Catholic Schisms and New Religious Movements

by Susan J. Palmer, Martin Geoffroy, Paul L. Gareau

Overview

This study of new religious movements in Quebec focuses on nine groups—including the notoriously violent Solar Temple; the iconoclastic Temple of Priapus; and the various “Catholic” schisms, such as those led by a mystical pope; the Holy Spirit incarnate; or the reappearance of the Virgin Mary. Eleven contributing authors offer rich ethnographies and sociological insights on new spiritual groups that highlight the quintessential features of Quebec's new religions (“sectes” in the francophone media). The editors argue that Quebec provides a favorable “ecology” for alternative spirituality, and explore the influences behind this situation: the rapid decline of the Catholic Church after Vatican Il; the “Quiet Revolution,” a utopian faith in Science; the 1975 Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms; and an open immigration that welcomes diverse faiths. The themes of Quebec nationalism found in prophetic writings that fuel apocalyptic ferment are explored by the editors who findin these sectarian communities echoes of Quebec’s larger Sovereignty movement.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030330613
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	03/02/2020
Series:	Palgrave Studies in New Religions and Alternative Spiritualities
Edition description:	1st ed. 2020
Pages:	274
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Susan J. Palmer is an Affiliate Professor in Religious Studies at Concordia University.

Martin Geoffroy is Professor of Sociology at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit.

Paul L. Gareau is Assistant Professor of Native Studies at the University of Alberta.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Quebec’s New Religions in Social and Historical Context.- Chapter 2: New Religious Studies in Quebec since 1944: A Literature Review.- Chapter 3: The Army of Mary: Quebec Nationalism and Catholic Heterodoxy.- Chapter 4: The Pilgrims of Saint Michael: Preserving Quebec’s Traditional “Intégriste” Catholicism.- Chapter 5: La Mission de l’Esprit Saint and Quebec’s Holy Spirit Incarnate.- Chapter 6: Dr. Henry Morgentaler, “Arch-Abortionist” and Humanist: An Unbeliever’s Pro-Choice Campaign in Quebec and Canada.- Chapter 7: The Temple of Priapus: Contemporary Phallus Worshippers in Montreal.- Chapter 8: The Christian Essene Church: Freedom of Religion in the “Land of the Maple”.- Chapter 9: The Apostles of Infinite Love and the “Hidden Children of St Jovite”.- Chapter 10: The Solar Temple in Quebec and the Saint-Casimir “Transit”.- Chapter 11: Roch Theriault and the Holy Moses Mountain Family (“Ant Hill Kids”).

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Who would have thought so much could be going on under the religious radar of Catholic Quebec? This volume exposes a whole array of spiritual and religious movements whose beliefs can test our credibility and whose practices range from saintly devotion to gruesome murder. Palmer, the senior editor, paints a particularly vivid picture of the scene and the other contributors back up her claim that Quebec is a uniquely fascinating location. This is a book written by scholars, but pretty well anyone could enjoy reading it on a long journey.” (Eileen Barker, Professor Emeritus of Sociology of Religion, London School of Economics UK)

“Unbeknownst to foreign visitors, who may still believe Quebec is a monolithic Catholic region, a record number of new religious movements and alternative spiritualities exist and prosper in the belle province. For the first time, a team of genuine experts lead readers into a magical mystery tour of the surprisingly rich and diverse new religious landscape of Quebec. A book that will satisfy the most demanding scholars and entertain the simply curious.” (Massimo Introvigne, Managing Director, CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions), Italy)

“This book challenges the popular assumption that Quebec has rapidly disengaged from religion since the Quiet Revolution. It provides evidence that, while the Roman Catholic Church has undoubtedly lost momentum, its vacated spiritual territory is now occupied by a striking variety of new spiritual groups. Most interestingly, the Catholic tradition lives on in several “heretical” Quebecois schisms. Quebec scholars describe The Army of Mary, the “Beret Blancs” (and others), analyzing the originality of their heterodox revisions of Catholic traditions and belief. Quebec’s radical approaches to gender and sexuality are present in the “church” of famous abortion pioneer, Dr. Henry Morgentaler, and in the homoerotic Temple of Priapus. Valuable new data and theories on Quebec’s two infamouslyviolent “cults” - the Solar Temple and Roch Theriault’s Ant Hill Kids - are a welcome resource. The authors place their study of each group within the history of religions in general and of Quebec and Canada in particular. This is an important book that will contribute to our understanding of the ongoing process of religious revitalization - perhaps most visible in countries where the doxa claims they have retreated.” (Bernadette Rigal-Cellard, Bordeaux Montaigne University, France)