No Religion? No Problem

Demographers are already salivating ahead of the upcoming U.S. Census, which will no doubt show just how different 2010 America is from 2000 America. When it comes to the religious breakdown of the country, though, the waiting game is over. Try this pop quiz:

What is the fastest-growing religious group in our country?

A. Southern Baptists.

B. Roman Catholics.

C. Non-denominational Christians.

D. None. As in, no religion at all.

The answer is D, but fear not. This isn't the end of the world or of religiosity in America.

First the numbers: According to the recently released 2008 American Religious Identification Survey by researchers at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., the percentage of people who identified themselves as having no religion has almost doubled since 1990, from 8.2% of the population then to 15% today, the largest gain in any group. And that number may be low because some Americans still prefer to give no answer, and others identify with a religion, even if they no longer really believe in it. That "no answer" number grew as well, from 2.3% to 5.2%, meaning that just over 20% of the population has no overt religious identity. Simply put, that means more people are willing to identify themselves as being outside of religion or without belief in a supernatural being. If this trend continues, expect even more atheists to come out of the closet in the years ahead.

This isn't to say we're taking over the nation, and that God-fearing Americans now have something else to fear. On the contrary, atheists like me are just content to be able to be religion-free without the social stigma that has been attached to "my kind" -- the irreligious minority in this country. Of course, the simple math shows that 80% of you do believe in God or some greater being, so the numbers still run heavily in the faithful's favor.

My great hope, though, is that the 80% will have a greater understanding of the 20% of which I am a part. I am hoping that this new survey will help bring much-needed changes in the relations between the faithful and those who are outside of the established faiths.

A reviled minority

For years, non-believers have been considered undesirable, untrustworthy and essentially reviled. I mean, in a country where "In God We Trust" is printed on every dollar bill, would you expect anything less? A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll in 2007 found that more than half of Americans 53% -- would not vote for an atheist. No category fared worse. A University of Minnesota study taken a year earlier found that Americans rank atheists as the most disliked minority group in the country. But surely our elected leaders see all citizens as equals, right? Well, President Obama reached out to non-believers in his inaugural address, but just over 20 years ago while campaigning for the presidency, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush said, "I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots." Atheists can tell you that they have faced problems -- some at work, some with family members or friends -- once their non-belief is stated publicly.

That's enough of the bad news. Now the good: All of this can change. Now that we of no faith are more willing to come out and be counted, we can start to change the perceptions that others have of us. As we speak out and make it known that we are atheists (or non-believers or any of the other names we can call ourselves) who can also be good people who care about our families, our communities and our country, we can start to change those negative perceptions. Some atheists out there might wish to de-convert believers, pull them away from their faith or disprove their gods, and it is true that those are the atheists who write the books that make the best-seller lists. Indeed, Richard Dawkins and his The God Delusion ilk have made a pretty penny stirring this controversy. But many of us -- dare I say most of us -- would prefer coexisting over combat.

But is that really possible? To read the blogs that discuss such issues, you'd be tempted to say no. In fact, when I wrote a piece about raising my children without a specific religion -- published in this newspaper -- readers on the website responded with some support as well as some lacerating condemnation, such as "you are abdicating your role as a parent," and worse, "without God, we are nothing." In fact, whenever I have published anything about being an atheist, I have had to stop reading my e-mails from people of faith who -- oh, the irony -- say things that are very hateful.

Yet as anyone in my shoes knows, the discomfort and challenges of not believing are most difficult in your own family. I'm no exception. But here is where my hope for the growing pool of non-believers grows. I have this hope for two reasons: the new study and the newfound peace in my own family.

The survey means that those of us without religion can feel strength in those numbers. That 20% of the population outside of faith translates into more than 61 million Americans. (About 67 million people voted for Barack Obama in 2008, while 58 million voted for John McCain.) Knowing this, we might begin to feel less marginalized, ignored or alienated. Candidates -- who always "find religion" in time for a political run -- might have to talk to my minority group on the campaign trail, too.

In the real world

And though the survey's numbers provide heft to our arguments, what happens in real-life exchanges is what really matters. I have had a struggle with some relatives in my husband's family about religion and my not having one. But I am happy to say that after a few years of upheaval, we are all trying to get along. Instead of fighting, arguing or not speaking at all, we had a conversation about differences, limits and points of shared interest. We faced our problems and laid them to rest. Then we decided to go in a new direction -- civil, even warm -- where we can focus on being a family and simply enjoying each other's company.

Perhaps my family's reconciliation can serve as a very small model for the country's. We all need to face one fact: We are not going to change people with arguments for or against religion. Nothing a devout person tells me is going to change my mind, and I know that those with faith are devoted to their beliefs and do not want to be swayed.

The extremes of both sides -- the staunchly atheistic and the religious fundamentalists -- will likely still stoke the embers of the culture war. That is to be expected. But for the rest of us, perhaps it's time to turn the page while leaving the anger, resentment and misunderstandings behind us. If such an approach worked in my family, perhaps it will work for the American family, too.

From USA Today April 6, 2009

Comments

[elmerfude]

After being involved in religion for over 60 years, I became theophobic. I get ill if I go into a church of any sort. I have tried to get religion totally out of my life. But it isn't that easy. There is a church on every corner and they have reader boards with messages that are hard to ignore. The local paper has a religious column. And of course the righteous try to insert themselves into politics, public education and just about everything else. Even though I am fond of Jesus but find the Old Testament God to be disgusting, most religious folks cannot make this or any other distinction of a subtle nature.

[RadicalRepublican]

Why do you need to believe in an authority/­protection­/daddy figure. What is it about infinity that scares you so? Feel free to convince yourself, but please be happy with your belief and leave me alone with mine. Time and space are infinite, enjoy the time you have here (wherever this is). And please don't call me a non-believer and I won't call you a superstious coward.

Thank you,

[Joethepauper]

Here's an experiment you can try at home: Read the Bible (Old or New Testament, or both to really see how different God's actions are in each {how can the same God be so inherently different in each book?}). Then read either 'Cosmos' by Carl Sagan or Darwin's 'Origin of Species'. Which set of books makes more sense? The more I studied the Bible and religion, and how they 'evolved' throughout history (and the harm religions have caused), the more I disbelieved. The more I read and learned about science, the more I understood it. That understanding opened up a whole world that religion never even sees. When a person sees a butterfly, they automatically see something beautiful. The religious people say it's beautiful because God made it that way......e­nd of story. Science explains why there are such diverse color patterns between different sub-species of butterfly. It also explains how the colors we see in a butterfly are completely different from what the butterfly sees in other butterflies (in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum, which we can't see). It also explains how a seemingly random flight path is anything but random to the butterfly. Everything down to the nodes on the end of the antennas are there for discovering, but religious people are fine with stopping the knowledge where it begins. It's a shame because they are missing-out on the real beauty behind what they see.

[dctackett]

so true, it's sad really.

[harker6868]

Probably every non-believer on here has had to sit through prayers before dinner, a religious-themed funeral (even for people who may not have been religious at all in life), prayers at graduations and public events, "God Bless, America" sung at every sports event, the thanks of pro-athletes and grammy winners who feel compelled to thank their god first for their wins, and so much more. We do this out of respect for the believers involved yet rarely, if ever, get the same respect. I read recently that atheists in Britain had taken out billboards and ads on public transporation. We could do that here, but the holy chorus of discrimination and the sadly rampant view of believers as oppressed would drown out the attempt.

[dctackett]

yeah... it would be considered a war on Christians­...

I never thought that all the prayers in public school were a war on me... prayers before the football game, let by some pastor, prayers at special events, etc... I just looked around at everyone with their head bowed and thought how weird and creepy it was.

it just shows how much faith they really have.

[rjmiller]

Maybe I'm an exception here, but I've never had a problem with anyone after I told them I don't believe in god. The only exception being my mother, who I told when I was 12 and she thought I was just trying to get out of going to Sunday school (I kept going, but fortunately had a very understanding rabbi).

[dctackett]

that's good, I've mostly just gotten dirty looks and rude comments, like "so what DO you believe in?" (with a rude tone)... or "I guess we know where YOUR going"... that's all I'm aware of, who knows what happened behind my back...

[LADawson]

There seems to be one vital point missing here, especially in the comments. Apathy and atheism can be, and usually are, mutually exclusive. I think you'll find that the majority of those people who would be labeled as "non-believers" or "atheist" are actually just apathetic. They don't preach about it. They don't argue about the existence of a higher power. They simply just don't care one way or another, and have better things to do with their time than participate in the debate. Of course, some people are just more comfortable with their labels so they know where to file every person they interact with.

[Kanye East]

oh, yea, the don't care one way or another. and thats why every story on huffpo dissolves to: "CHRISTIAN ZEALOT!"

BwahahahAHAHaHAh!

[JohnFromCensornati]

Actually, it's because the christians always show up with their zealotry for the zombie.

[dctackett]

John's right, I tend to post as a response to some self righteous believer, who feels they have to make some insulting comment...

[mredder4]

Should Heaven actually exist, who should be more likely to be allowed entrance:
1. The atheist who doesn't explicitly believe in God, but lives a good life
2. The devote believer who castigates and harasses any discovered atheist about their destined rendezvous with Hell and eternal damnation

There's a basic truth that many people who profess to being stalwart Christians do not practice the level of behavior that their dogma demands. They are not charitable, or they are critical of different beliefs than their own, or they judge their lives to be better than those of others, especially anyone of a different faith. What part of the Christian judgement of non-believers is actually a theme of Christ?

And no one will confront them on this. No one is saying to the anti-abortioners "Well, where is your commitment to safe sex, promotion of marriage, or social services for new mothers?" I don't see anyone pointing out that the anti-abortion argument is really about anti-sexuality and anti-woman platforms. Same with gay marriage. Charity and social work are now the least promoted aspects of Christianity.

And we're to believe that atheists are evil, and that people should only vote for Christians? That's been the norm for 200+ years, and look where that's gotten us.

[anitaj]

Hallelujah!

[jstowe100]

I was really impressed by Eckart Tolle's " A New Earth", in which he talks of the human race's need for a new world view, so to speak. He very respectfully points out facets of all the world's major religions, and how they are really so similar and connected to each other, so as to ask, why the divisiveness? It's all really just different forms of the same thing. Any faults of organized religion is usually not because of the basic principles upon which it rests, but rather subsequent human interpretation and manipulation of them. Someday, human beings will either destroy themselves, or embrace this new world view.

As for atheism, it is just like any other -ism. The diehard, extremist viewpoint is just as repulsive as the one for any other religion.

[ArthurTwoShedsJackson]

I am not a big fan of Tole, only because I believe as a Buddhist (and UUist) that Tolle cribs much of his tenets from Buddhism. Apart from that issue, I agree the ruinous flaws of Christianity are not because of Jesus but because of subsequent human (mis)inter­pretation, leading to rationalization of scores of acts of inhumanity throughout history.

[newunderground]

Hail Zeuss!

[DennyCrane]

It's fine to believe in a higher power, but why do people need organized religion? Jesse Ventura may have said it best when he said organized religion is a crutch for weak-minded people who need to find strength in numbers. I'm an atheist, but I don't feel the need to seek out other atheists. What really gets me is that a lot of people are only casually religious. They say they're Christian, but they don't go to church. If I were going to belong to any religion, I would embrace it wholeheartedly. Otherwise, what's the point? I bet the nonreligious demographic is a LOT bigger than most people think, precisely because many Americans are Christian in name only. I hope that as time goes by, people learn to give up their crutch. Giving up on religion doesn't mean you gave up on God. And I couldn't imagine a God who loves all mankind punishing one of his children because they stopped going to church.

[NedroidPrime]

Identifying with christian teachings does not mean that you have to kowtow and go to church everyday and be whatever your idea of a christian is. Seriously, how can you, an admitted atheist compain about that?

Belief in God does not require religion, only Faith. There is a big difference.

[Savojah]

You make a great point. What really makes me question a lot of Christians is how many or casually religious. If you're going to embrace, embrace it wholeheartedly. What turned me off, and led me to deism is how many people who would go to church, talk about the lord, and them I'll see the same people doing "wordly" things. But then the zealots want to bash everyone who don't believe.

The problem is the strength in numbers. People or reassured of their beliefs because of what of how many people believe. It takes a strong minded person to realize that something is up with this. This will be the end of us if we let religion lead the way in the world.

[FrTown]

Eventually, as they age, those who claim not to be affiliated with any religious group, they end up overcrowding churches from Sunday masses, to Saturday vigils to Wednesday Bib|e studies, to Sunday night bingo. Even worse, as their lives near the end, they accelerate their donations to some unscrupulous, often bi.got, mega greedy pastors slash evangelists in the hope of buying some sort of forgiveness and maybe land a nice lot in Heaven near Jevus.

[Kanye East]

yea. death has a way exposing all the bs you espouse before you are forced to confront you mortality.

[FrTown]

Not sure when you say "you" you're referring to me or the general public.
Either way I don't take offense. I am not a hypocrite. I personally find Bib|e Studies just plain Bee Ess

[JohnFromCensornati]

No, it doesn't. Death exposes nothing about religious BS that is not already apparent.

[Archontruth]

*shrug* I think most people don't take the time to imagine how hellish the "Heaven" of the monotheistic faiths would be. Continuing to exist forever in more or less your current form and consciousness (plus wings and a harp) sounds nice now, but wouldn't you get kind of bored after a few millennia? Even with 72 virgins, wouldn't you eventually run out of things to do? What happens to the soul that's sick of the afterlife?

[Joethepauper]

Especially if those "72 virgins" turn out to be "72 white raisins of crystal clarity". Imagine the look on a martyr's face when he gets up there and gets a handful of dried grapes! St. Peter, if there were such a thing, would be laughing so histerically hard every time a new martyr arrived, we would be able to hear his laughter from here. Since we can't, that is further evidence (added to the huge list) that we are food for worms.

[ga4ry]

I am an atheist billboard, after work I put on one of my atheist message tee shirts and go about my business. I have found an ever more accepting attitude for these shirts, some of which I admit are rather in your face.
I have never been accosted due t these shirts but I was used to a sneer now and again, now I am getting compliments on some of them. My most effective is an old one but I think the best:
"Chistianity: The belief that a cosmic Jewish zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your lord and master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree."

[TryToBeFlexible]

I love your t-shirt message!

[mredder4]

Awesome! Where do you get these shirts at?

[Landgeek]

I got my son a "Heck is where people go who don't believe in Gosh" t-shirt at Now and Zen.com. It's just benign enough that he can wear it to school and not piss off the PC crowd. Check em' out. It's a great website!

[TryToBeFlexible]

I would be happy to coexist with the religious, as soon as the religious stop trying to enact their religion into law, stop suppressing the human rights of minorities, stop demonizing any who don't believe the way they do, stop trying to suppress science, medicine, or freedom of choice for everyone else. But that won't happen.

[Kanye East]

so kinda like everything you just did right there? hypocrite.

[COPerez]

Um, no.

How is it hypocritical to hope that a larger group would stop trying to impose its will on a smaller group?

But thanks for playing.

[melodramy]

I'm not so sure you understand the meaning of this word "hypocrite" you keep using.

[Joethepauper]

Yup! I've never heard of a group of atheists going on a "mission" to some 2nd, 3rd, or 4th world enclave to try to convert them to atheism. I'd like to have sent "missions" before they got there to tell them that their anamistic religion is the correct one and not to trust the "white man" when he arrives because all he wants is to oppress you, kill you if you don't cooperate, take your natural resources away from you, destroy your land, make you wear the white man's clothes, and work all day everyday for someone else's profit. I wish I could have spread that message throughout the Americas starting around 1472, so there would be plenty of time to rehearse that first meeting. If it were up to me, we would have stayed in Europe with what we turned their land into. And yes, I would prefer hunting and gathering with some leisure time, over wage-slavery and very little time left for non-work related activities (and very little money leftover that doesn't end up back in the hands of some corporation or another).

[Ed438]

Though I have been an agnostic since my early teens, I must say religion has given itself a noticeable black eye in recent years which has only made me more outspokenly anti-religious.

The widespread scandals of the Roman Catholic Church, the idiotic statements and actions of its leaders, the fall of the evangelististas (see Ted Haggard who has been frustrated in his attempts to sell his snake oil since his exposure, as well as the resignation of James Dobson from his "Focus on the Family" and Rick Warren whose sudden fame has now rendered him speechless­.), and even the manifestly absurd beliefs of all these people which can not be criticized because you may not criticize "faith".

I don't know where this will all end but I think the real contributions of religion will have to be its music, architecture and art (much of it created by non-believers!) the best of which needs to be preserved.

To hell with the rest!

[Borborigny]

Consider dropping the "agnostic.­" If you don't know what you believe, you certainly don't believe in a deity. Own your skepticism, take pride in it, and if you need a label, "atheist" fits.

Yeah, I know, it's silly to even have such a word -- why don't we have one for people who don't believe in the boogey man, the tooth fairy or leprechauns?

[Archontruth]

"Agnostic" simply means that we acknowledge that we have no way to know one way or another what happens when we die. Atheists who assert there is no God are just as arrogant as those who claim to have a personal relationship with the Allmighty. Neither of them knows the truth. It's all belief. Agnostics prefer to live their lives as best they can and not waste time on speculation.

We'll all get the answer someday, so why fight over it in the time we have here on earth?

[proletariatprincess]

I think there is a need for atheists and non believers to challenge religious doctrine and beliefs. Non believers have been subject to intimidation, violence and disrespect for thousands of years and yet we are told that we must respect religion and the superstition while our own belief in the natural world is somehow an insult to religion and inappropriate at best, and evil at worst. It is time for us to appeal to reason and urge the religious to think with logic and intelligence.
If evangelicals and religous can convert non believers , why can't logic and reason and love of the natural world view also deconvert? I consider that no less a vocation than do the religious and believe that the world would be a much better place because of it.

[wietog]

First, band together. Then, give a voice to ALL those who are areligious. Finally, try to enlighten the "believers".

It's time to demand the respect rational thought is due.

[paixa3]

Religious folks can have all of the beliefs that they want. Keep them out of government, work and influential bodies.

After all, was it not Jesus who said go to your room and pray?

[Savojah]

There's a saying, "I'm not a Christian, because I believe in the true teachings of Jesus."

[Thenewyorkdollley]

Put two atheists in a room, and you'll get three opinions. It's practically impossible to organize secularists.

[Savojah]

I can tell you're a Deist. If not, then you should. Deism is belief in God based on the application of our reason on the designs/laws found throughout Nature. The designs presuppose a Designer. Deism is therefore a natural religion and is not a "revealed" religion. The natural religion/philosophy of Deism frees those who embrace it from the inconsistencies of superstition and the negativity of fear that are so strongly represented in all of the "revealed" religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (These religions are called revealed religions because they all make claim to having received a special revelation from God which they pretend, and many of their sincere followers actually believe, their various and conflicting holy books are based on.) When enough people become Deists, reason will be elevated over fear and myth and its positive qualities will become a part of society as a whole. Then, instead of having billions of people chasing after the nonsensical violence promoting myths of the "revealed" religions, people will be centered on their God-given reason which will lead to limitless personal and societal progress!