Research Note: The Relationship between Rejection of Christianity and Non-traditional Beliefs among Adolescents in Wales

Abstract

It is a common conception that traditional religious beliefs are giving way to non-traditional religious beliefs. Drawing on a sample of 279 13–16-year-olds in North Wales, this research note explores the relationship between rejecting traditional religious beliefs (operationalised by the Francis and Greer Rejection of Christianity Scale) and belief in non-traditional religious phenomena (operationalised by the Williams Index of Paranormal Belief). The results demonstrate that there is a negative correlation between rejection of Christianity and paranormal beliefs, indicating that those who reject traditional religious beliefs are not necessarily more prone to embrace non-traditional religious beliefs. The implications for future research are explored.