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 find in these sectarian communities echoes of Quebec's larger Sovereignty movement
Author(s): Susan J. Palmer, Martin Geoffroy & Paul L. Gareau (eds)
Series: Palgrave Studies in New Religions and Alternative Spiritualities
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 278
Acknowledgements
Contents
Notes on Contributors
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction: Quebec’s New Religions in Social and Historical Context
How ‘New’ Are Quebec’s New Religions: And What Is Their Provenance?
Why Are NRMs Thriving in Canada’s ‘most Catholic’ Province?
What Is Uniquely ‘Quebecois’ About Quebec’s New Religions?
Quebec’s (Selective) Tolerance Towards Religious Diversity
Conclusion
References
Chapter 2: New Religious Studies in Quebec Since 1944: A Literature Review
The Early Studies (1948–1980)
The New “Tolerant Christian” Perspective
The Social-Scientific Perspective
Scientific Studies of Specific NRMs
The Secular “Anti-cult” Perspective
Conclusion
References
Part I: Catholic Fundamentalisms and Schisms
Chapter 3: The Army of Mary: Quebec Nationalism and Catholic Heterodoxy
Quebec Nationalism: Clerico-Conservative Historiography of the French-Canadian Ethnogenesis
Catholic Heterodoxy: Ultramontanist Moral Geography and the Army of Mary
References
Chapter 4: The Pilgrims of Saint-Michael: Preserving Quebec’s Traditional “Intégriste” Catholicism
The Pilgrims of Saint-Michael: A Case Study of Integrism
The Founding of a Social and Political Movement, Vers Demain (1935–1946)
From Social Movement to Political Activism (1946–1958)
The Birth of a New Catholic Integrist Movement: The Pilgrims of Saint-Michael (1958–1990)
The White Berets at the Crossroads (1990–2017): Social Credit and Religion
The Three Doctrinal Pillars: Religion, Family, and Social Credit
Religion
Family
Social Credit, Politics and Relations with Society
An Anti-technology and Anti-globalization Discourse
Organization and Global Expansion
Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: La Mission de l’Esprit Saint and Quebec’s Holy Spirit Incarnate
Methodology and Sources of Data
The Early History
The Beliefs and Practices
The Mission’s “Anti-Catholic” Stance
Israel Richer’s Spiritual Love Affair
Israel Richer Versus the Catholic Clergy
The Birth of the Mission of the Holy Spirit
The Image of Woman in the Mission
Emmanuel Robitaille, ‘False Prophet’ and the ‘Warning’
Failed Prophecy: The Mission’s Fin du Monde
Conclusion
References
Part II: Radical Sexuality
Chapter 6: Dr. Henry Morgentaler, ‘Arch-Abortionist’ and Humanist: An Unbeliever’s Pro-choice Campaign in Quebec and Canada
August 15, 1973, Clinique Morgentaler, Montréal
Early Life
The Origins of Humanism in Canada and Quebec
The Death of Henry Morgentaler
How Morgentaler’s Use of Humanism Was Viewed by Critics
Humanism Today
Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: The Temple of Priapus: Contemporary Phallus Worshippers in Montreal
Methodology
The Temple’s Public Image
Origins
Christianizing the Pagan God
Structure, or Figuring Out Tops and Bottoms
Creed, or Ejaculating for World Peace
Ritual, or Fellating and Seeing God
Conclusion: Salvation Through Orgasm
References
Part III: Controversial New Religions
Chapter 8: The Christian Essene Church: Freedom of Religion in the “Land of the Maple”
Origins: Olivier Manitara and the Archangel’s Recognition of the Essene Nation
Beliefs and Organization: From the Revival to the Keeping of the “Tradition of the Light”
Creation Myth
Worldview and Way of Life
Initiation Rituals
Freedom of Religion: Zoning By-laws and Practices of Worship
Context of Litigation
The Essene Religion Under the Scrutiny of Law
Conclusion
References
Case Law and Legislation
Chapter 9: The Apostles of Infinite Love and the “Hidden Children of Saint-Jovite”
Methodology
Quebec and the Social Context
The Early History
The Beginnings of the Conflict
A Network of Cultural Opponents
Government Raids in the 1960s
Raids in the 1970s
Raids in the 1990s
Injustices and Persecution?
Conclusion
References
Chapter 10: The Solar Temple in Quebec and the Saint-Casimir “Transit”
Origins
Cosmic Couples and Cosmic Children
The Sacré-Coeur Farming Commune in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade
The Quebec Contingent
The 1993 Firearms Scandal
The “Transit” Planned for Saint-Saveur
The 1994 Transits
The Vercors Transit in 1995
The Saint-Casimir Transit
Conclusion
References
Chapter 11: Roch Thériault and the Holy Moses Mountain Family (“Ant Hill Kids”)
Background and Early Life
The Healthy Living Clinic in Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce
The Holy Moses Mountain Family of the Gaspé Peninsula
Failure of Prophecy and Parental Interventions
Escalating Violence in the Holy Moses Mountain Family
The Ant Hill Kids of Burnt River, Ontario
Conclusion
References
Index
