What does religion mean to you? 3 perspectives on faith and religion in Sask.
CBC Saskatchewan spoke to a variety of people throughout the week on religion
Religion continues to be an important part of people's lives in Saskatchewan, even though their religious practices may be changing, according to a University of Saskatchewan professor.
"Overall in North American society, we're seeing more of what some sociologists have called religion a la carte," said Clinton Westman, who works in the university's archeology and anthropology department. "People might not want to go to church but they still follow various spiritual practices."
A recent survey by CBC and the University of Saskatchewan found the number of people in Saskatchewan who consider religion an important part of their life is decreasing. But more than seven out of 10 people agreed that religious beliefs were important in their lives.
Westman said the survey results are consistent with other statistics in North America.
"I think in some ways we're seeing religion diminish in importance in the public sphere but we can see from a question like this that in people's private lives, it continues to be very important," he said.
"We shouldn't think that religion as such is going to disappear from the social scene anytime soon."
What does religion mean to you?
For Munir Haque, religion means, partly, a sense of identity.
"With Islam, you get fully immersed in it," said Haque, who is president of the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan. "You don't have to be from any particular cultural background to appreciate it."
"The core of Islam is be good. Don't be bad. So you know the core of a lot of religions is the same," he said, explaining each religion provides similar messaging to do the right, not wrong, things.
"Islam has that other level to it, that structure to it," he said. "That, I think, helps provide structure and direction in life."
For Jaspal Singh, practicing Sikhism is a way of life.
"It's kind of living and practicing of our own history from past," he said.
"Our outfit, our appearance, it makes us stand out. So the whole idea is to be mindful of your own actions because you're representing your faith through your identity," Singh explained. "So you should be not doing that actions which are not ethically good."
Singh is an international student at the University of Regina, and is part of the campus's Sikh student association. The open space on campus serves as a place where people can feel free to come and ask questions, he said.
"They can ask us about our faith and we can share our values, what Sikhs represent."
Pastor Brian Larratt with the Gateway Church said religious services need to stay relevant to draw people in, answering practical questions of daily life. This is a service that can work for anyone, he said.
People want to plug in, where there's really a heart for all different people.- Pastor Brian Larratt
"You've got people who are struggling. You've got people who are doing very well in their professions. Put them all together and what do you got? A Sunday morning service," he said. "We believe church really should be a place where anyone can feel comfortable and come fit in."
Larratt said his church has a variety of nationalities with people from the Filipino community, people from the Nigerian community and from the First Nations community.
"We love that Gateway is really a multicultural place to come and worship and so we have people from various nations," "People want to plug in, where there's really a heart for all different people."
With files from CBC Saskatchewan's Morning Edition & News at 6