Studying Non-Belief

[moobu2]

A Research Overview
Previous research and studies focusing on the diverse landscape of Belief in America have continually placed those who profess no belief in a God or gods into one unified category infamously known as the “religious nones”. This catch-all category presented anyone who identified as having “no religion” as a homogenous group in America today, lumping people who may believe in God with the many who don’t. Moreover, it also assumed that all Non-believers were the same. Based on their personal experiences and involvement in the atheist community, Principal Investigator Chris Silver and Thomas J. Coleman III knew that not only did this “religious none” category fail to accurately capture and reflect the diversity of beliefs (or un-belief) but that even the terms of atheism and agnosticism suffered from a similar lack of description. Each term was pregnant with meaning and interpretation from a variety of different types of people. Moreover, beyond the psychology of nonbelief, atheism and agnosticism proved sociologically complex as well. Many non-believers were concerned with stigmatization from their local community. Some voiced these concerns in their interviews. Others provided quantitative indications of varied outsider perception. Much of this concern related to issues of equal rights, personal or familial security, and the perceptions of loved ones and friends.

Another theme, which emerged from this data, was related to definitions and themes of nonbelief. Many of the participants spoke of definitions of nonbelief used by outsiders or others within the nonbelief community. For some participants there was agreement within these definitions, for other participants they were unsure how others viewed the complexity of the nonbelief community. Simply the main observation is that nonbelief is an ontologically diverse community with a variety of descriptive terms employed in self-identity. For many there is vast disagreement about what forms the community and those who should be included within certain common self-identities such as atheists or agnostic and those should be excluded. This complexity led our team to look for common definitions of nonbelief. This way if patterns emerged, we could then provide some structure of type in which to classify the variety and complexity.

Non-Belief Research in America was a two part study consisting first of a qualitative portion of 59 personal interviews that allowed participants to freely self identify, explain commonly used terms for non-belief, and to provide answers in a semi-structured interview that sought to document your life experience. Silver and Coleman then reviewed and coded each interview identifying common themes that arose in the participants’ responses. These responses were used to design a typology of Non-belief that could be used (and built upon) in future research on Non-belief in the social sciences as a legitimate field of research in its own right, distinct from the social scientific study of “religion”.

In what we hope will become at least a modest crack in the monolithic “religious none” category, we proudly present a very brief overview of our findings based on the diverse “types” of non-belief that make up an important and growing sub-population of America today. A typology of six characteristics emerged within the data and is presented as follows.

Read some of the studies findings here

[Buzz Clik]

1. Have the Non Believers attempted to compose an Atheist's Bible yet?

They have churches and religious symbols. Now they need a Holy Book.

[Fumesucker]

2. Scripture and dogma for atheists

The Ten Suggestions if you will.

Pretty soon atheists will have sects and heresies and schisms just like a real religion.

And a collection plate, can't be a real religion without a collection plate.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. Ethical humanist societies have been around for over 100 years.

They provide all the communitarian benefits of theistic organizations without the idiotic irrational bullshit. And yes obviously they require members to donate to keep the organization functional. The vast majority of atheists and non-believers appear to be uninterested in the communitarian benefits organizations like EH provide, so it is unlikely that there will be any real growth in that area. Although events like skepticon are pretty popular, so there may be something going on.

[djean111]

3. I honestly thought this was from The Onion. n/t

[WovenGems]

5. Nones

No churches, no belief system if that system is based on magic. And won't put up with the silly rules that religions put on their folks. Nones belong to local churches for the community feeling, not due to faith. It isn't complicated in the least.

[el_bryanto]

6. I think it is a bit more complicated than that

Particularly if you talk about what being a none mean or how nones should negotiate in society and politics and the like. How much are you influenced by being a "none" - or how central is it to your personal philosophy?

I think there's value to studying this, just as there would be in any group.

Bryant

[WovenGems]

7. What?

Nobody wears a religious symbol on their clothes so I am not sure where social negotiation comes into play.

[el_bryanto]

8. I don't know

I am religious and my religion does influence me all the time - i don't stop being a member of my faith when I step outside of my church. It just informs the things i do to a greater or lesser extent. Does your own position vis-a-vis supernatural influence you?

I suppose I can see an argument that to live without religion is the natural way to live; religion is a false construct place upon a person that warps them to religions mold - therefore your interactions in society are natural in the way a religious persons can't be. I wouldn't buy that of course, but I can see the argument.

Bryant

[WovenGems]

9. Morals

Codes of conduct come from far more than religion. Moms, fables, the code of chivalry and just watching the elders as one grows up. The last time somebody just out of the blue asked me it went like this.

A group of GI's were waiting for something when one turns to me and say "Are you a Christian?" I responded with "I have never felt the need to be contemporary." The group went silent then the question "What?" And with group looking at me I said "If you had me that question four thousand years ago you would have referenced Zeus . In another four thousand years I am not sure who you would reference. That is why I say contemporary." He started to open his mouth when a guy from my unit said "Leave it. He's right."

[el_bryanto]

10. That's true

And I don't want to indicate that Religion is the only way to get a set of Morals.

Bryant

[WovenGems]

11. And that be why

The point of this study eludes me.
It may well be an Onion article.

[el_bryanto]

12. I don't know - i think a study of nones is just as valid as a study of

Catholics or of Jews or of Evangelicals.

Bryant

[cbayer]

15. Just to be clear, the term "nones" came from a Pew Research Survey and does have a specific

definition.

It was the response given to a question about religious affiliation and included all those who indicated that they had "none". It includes non-believers, believers, people that consider themselves "spiritual but not religious", agnostics, etc. The only thing they have in common is that that have no connection to a specific religion or religious organization.

http://www.pewforum.org/Unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx

This writer is using a definition that is not consistent with this study and any use of their data to describe a sub-group within this group should be dismissed.

[cbayer]

13. I don't tink I have ever seen a research paper presented in such a bizarre way,

starting with the bold, red, exclamated UPDATE!!!!

Then he goes on to use a completely false definition of "nones", who are those with no religious affiliation, not non-believers.

Sorry, I just couldn't get past that.

[trotsky]

14. "a completely false definition of 'nones'"??

Who are you to dictate how others define themselves? What makes you think you and you alone get to decide what that word means?

[Heddi]

16. Because! She said so! It fits whatever narrative she wants it to.

duh