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Article: Constructing a labour gospel: labour and religion in early 20th-century Ontario.
- Article from:
- Labour/Le Travail
- Article date:
- March 22, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Canadian Committee on Labour History. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THIS PAPER CONSIDERS the presence of Christianity in the labour movement in early 20th-century Ontario. During this period labour leaders were unquestionably disillusioned with the established churches and did not hesitate to criticize clergymen for their indifference and hostility to labour's cause. This disillusionment did not mean, however, that organized labour abandoned religion. Both moderate reformist and radical labour leaders articulated a non-sectarian, activist Christianity that helped them frame the issues they were concerned about. Alliances also developed between the churches and labour bodies at the national level and labour-friendly clergy and a small ...