The majority of Canadians and Americans believe in the resurrection, and that salvation comes through Christ, according to a recent Ispos Reid survey. However, a significant percentage thinks Jesus' crucifixion was faked.
The April survey, conducted on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global News, found that 17 per cent of Canadians and 13 per cent of Americans label Jesus' death as a hoax, indicating an underlying belief that the resurrection never occurred. This group also believed that "Jesus was married and had a family." Ipsos Reid is speculating that such ideas may be the result of novels like The Da Vinci Code, which have popularized the notion that Christ never died for sins.
Still, of the 814 Canadians surveyed, 73 per cent believe Jesus "died on the cross and was resurrected to eternal life," and 62 per cent of Canadians (essentially unchanged from 63 per cent in 1996) believe that "through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God provided the way for the forgiveness of sins."
