I am a secularist and have no taste for any particular religion. But religion should be afforded more credit than you give it. Consider Canadian history itself. The Temperance movement had a particularly Christian flavour to it, and it was under the guidance of religion that the Temperance movement won voting rights for women in Canada. Or how about the Social Gospel movemment of western Canada, which used Protestant teachings to rally labourers and farmers to unionize, winning them better working conditions. Or the famed Tommy Douglas, who was a preacher, also influenced by Social Gospel, whose witness of suffering eventually kicked off a personal crusade that after a decade led to the formation of social programs like medicare?

I am not affiliated with any religion, but as a device, it was more than just a coping mechanism, and you don't have to be a person of religion to sincerely appreciate that.