“I Think Some People Need Religion”: The Social Construction of Nonreligious Moral Identities

Abstract

In this article, we examine moral identity construction among nonreligious people. Based on 30 in-depth interviews with nonreligious Americans unaffiliated with secular movement organizations, we analyze some ways nonreligious people may utilize their experiences with religion in society to define nonreligion as a sign of value, worth, and character. Specifically, we demonstrate how our respondents drew upon their childhood and current experience with religious others to construct nonreligous moral identities by (1) defining religion as concerned with conformity and obedience rather than morality, (2) highlighting prejudicial assumptions religious people promote about nonreligious people, and (3) characterizing interactions with religious people as a mechanism that led them to seek meaning in their lives from other sources. In conclusion, we draw out implications for understanding (1) the social construction of nonreligious moral identities and (2) some ways current religious norms may serve as a pathway to nonreligion.