Tag: Irreligion

Hope, a difficult virtue to maintain these days in the midst of political and religious strife where the future of our democracy seems uncertain and seemingly religious and political leaders have lost all credibility. Generally, religion has either become extraneous or a continued cause of conflict, rather than a source of healing, peace and reconciliation. In the modern world, as young people continue to retreat from religious affiliation, so does religious literacy, while religious enthusiasts leaning towards fanaticism battle against those who do not share their beliefs. As we end 2018, we see an inability to deal with the real issues of our day: climate change, economic imbalances and instabilities, racial injustice and conflict among peoples. This leads to my excitement about secular Americans, who have long ignored and been ignored in the realm of politics and religion. This is finally changing as this demographic is finally starting to be seen as a group to be reckoned with. According to Pew Research, 35 percent of millennials in the United States poll as religiously unaffiliated, comparted to 24 percent of the American population overall. This does not necessarily mean abandoning faith or exclusively being nonreligious, but creating spaces and challenging traditional notions of religion and spirituality that lead to transformative conversations and political action that engage both the religious and nonreligious. Will this demographic become the spiritual innovators to speak to the world and country with hope? How will this group - the “Nones” - the secularists, humanists and the religiously unaffiliated further find their voice and activism in 2019 in American politics life and globally?