“Spiritual” doesn’t come with that kind of baggage.įor people who have struggled with faith, embracing the word “spiritual” might also leave a crucial door open. While the stigma around atheism is generally less intense than it used to be, in certain communities, Hedstrom told me, “to say you’re an atheist is still to say you hate puppies.” It’s a taboo that can understandably put atheists, many of whom see their views as warm and open-minded, on the defensive. Because the term “spiritual,” encompasses so much, it can sometimes be adopted by people most would consider atheists. “It has all of these positive connotations of having a life with meaning, a life with some sacredness to it-you have some depth to who you are as a human being.” As a spiritual person, you’re not blindly accepting a faith passed down from your parents, but you’re also not completely rejecting the possibility of a higher power. “Spiritual is also a term that people like to use,” said Kenneth Pargament, a professor who studies the psychology of religion at Bowling Green State University. Young people today, Emma said on our call, “are selecting the kinds of communities that fit their values,” rather than adhering to their parent’s choices. “You wouldn’t wake up every morning wondering, who am I, and what should I believe?” That would have already been decided. Imagine, Hedstrom proffered, if from the time you were born, your parents told you that you were an Italian-Catholic, living in the Italian-Catholic neighborhood in Philadelphia.
Religion-often entirely determined by your parents-can be central to how others see you, and how you see yourself. I’m nice, friendly, and spiritual-but not religious.’” “‘Spiritual-but-not-religious’ became a nice category that said, ‘I’m not some kind of cold-hearted atheist, but I’m not some kind of moralizing, prudish person, either. “You had to identify by religion, you had to check a box,” Hedstrom told me. The term SBNR took off in the early 2000s, when online dating first became popular. There is often yoga involved.īecause over 92 percent of religiously-affiliated Americans currently identify as Christian, most “spiritual-but-not-religious” people come from that tradition. That “something” can range from Jesus to art, music, and poetry.
They, like Beare, reject organized religion but maintain a belief in something larger than themselves. Instead of atheism, however, they’re moving toward an identity captured by the term “spirituality.” Approximately sixty-four million Americans- one in five-identify as “spiritual but not religious,” or SBNR. Instead of attending services, he meditates every morning.Īmericans are leaving organized religion in droves: they disagree with their churches on political issues they feel restricted by dogma they’re deserting formal organizations of all kinds. The structure and rigidity of a church, Beare believes, is antithetical to everything Jesus represents. But does he identify with a particular religion? “Never,” he told me. Kern Beare, a Masthead member from Mountain View, California, believes in God and studies the teachings of Jesus. (If you missed our call with Emma Green, you can find the transcript and recording here.)
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