People rarely describe themselves as “religious” today. While an increasing number of people call themselves “spiritual but not religious,” even people who regularly attend a house of worship avoid the term “religious.” Explore four reasons behind this shift in how people describe themselves.
The following is a text version of this posting:
People don’t describe themselves as religious. That’s true for people who attend religious services as well as those who describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” As I reflect on this, I’ve come to understand four reasons that undergird people not using the term, “religious,” today.
First, many people don’t recognize that they are engaged in religious practices. They meditate, walk a labyrinth, light candles, chant, and observe the changes of the solstice and the new moon. All of these things are practices that were formed and refined in religious contexts. People often don’t recognize the background of their spiritual practices. Perhaps they don’t consider the practices to be “religious” because the practices may be from a religion different from what they’ve known. Or perhaps it’s that they learned the practice in a health club or studio or other setting that is not specifically religious. In the end, I think many people simply don’t recognize that their spiritual practices are taken from established religions. Because of this lack of recognition, they don’t refer to the practices or themselves as religious.
Second, in Western religions, emphasis has been placed on rational belief. Followers of religion are asked if they believe particular statements or creeds. No one is asked if they understand them. Nor are people asked if they experience them. Instead, in this context, faith is the acceptance that something is true because it is said to be true. However, people aren’t willing to accept something as true that’s outside of their experience or frame of reference. This is true about religious beliefs, but it’s also true about scientific facts and medical treatment. Spirituality is valued because spirituality is focused on an individual’s experience. Religion, especially in Western cultures, is based on a statement of faith, creed, or dogma.
Third, many people have been personally hurt by religion. In the context of financial and sexual abuse scandals, this should be no surprise. But there are many ways in which people have been hurt in the name of religion. Those with mental health concerns have been told they are demonically possessed, people whose lifestyle doesn’t conform to a particular norm are told they are intractable sinners, and people who are doing the best they can in life are told that at heart they are sinful creatures. There are many kinds of abuse in religion and people experience this abuse every day. For my part, I’ve been treated horribly by religious people, many of whom believed that things they did and said were good and proper. Why would ordinary people want to be subjected to that?
Fourth, the history of religion around the world has been violent. Most of us are familiar with the violence that’s part of Christian history including wars, genocide, Crusades, and inquisitions. But this kind of violence also occurred around the world in the name of other religions. People recognize that the teachings of the founder of a religion had nothing to do with violence. But why be part of an institution whose history is characterized by violence?
Ultimately, there are clear reasons why people don’t want to consider themselves to be religious even when their spiritual practices are deeply rooted in religion. Is that good or is that bad? Perhaps it’s neither good nor bad, but simply an evolving reality. We’re at a time in history when people are very focused on exploring the spiritual dimension of life. People incorporate various spiritual practices into their lives. In my mind, that’s a very good thing. But most people do this in isolation, without a community. This leads to greater loneliness, which is an epidemic in Western cultures. That’s not a good thing. But for good or for bad, society has changed. People take the spiritual dimension of life more seriously than they did in earlier generations. But the view of religion and religious institutions has sharply declined. The truth is that there are clear and understandable reasons for that.