In 2013 , Vosper 's beliefs moved from non-theism to atheism after she read about the plight of Pakistani bloggers who faced imprisonment and execution as blasphemers for questioning the existence of God . Although many inside and outside the wider church questioned how an avowed atheist could still be a minister , the United Church leadership still abstained from taking action . In 2015 , following the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris , the United Church published a prayer for those who had been killed . In response , Vosper wrote an open letter to Gary Paterson , then moderator of the United Church , arguing that the use of religious language in the prayer , namely the belief in a supernatural God , only reinforced the beliefs that had motivated the killings . The United Church 's Toronto Conference reacted in September 2016 by instituting a review of her ministry , stating that her atheism made her " not suitable to continue in ordained ministry " . The matter was then referred to the church 's General Council , initiating an ecclesiastical court hearing that might have led to Vosper being defrocked . Despite the controversy , much of her congregation remained staunchly supportive , and the publicity caused attendance to rise again . In an interview on CBC 's '' The National '' on 26 March 2016 , Vosper said that , in her estimation , " it would be at least upwards of 50 % of the clergy in the United Church who do n't believe in a theistic , supernatural , God " . A subsequent survey of 1,353 " United Church ministry personnel " by Richard Bott found that " a majority of the respondents ( almost 95 % ) affirmed a belief in God , with a large number ( almost 80 % ) affirming a belief in a supernatural , theistic God "
Charlie Hebdo shooting
Charlie Hebdo shooting
Gretta Vosper