Non-religious People Research Articles

The rise of the non-religous

The rising number of non-religious people in Western countries can have major implications for organizations and their management practices. However, to date, this phenomenon has not attracted a great deal of interest among management scholars. In this paper, we outline how the rise of the non-religious could affect organizations in Western countries. We discuss three major issues. First, we elaborate on the phenomenon of rising non-religiosity. Next, we analyze how this rise of the non-religious population could affect businesses and organizations. We conclude by pointing out some ways in which managers can deal with this increasingly important phenomenon.

Rethinking histories of atheism, unbelief, and nonreligion: An interdisciplinary perspective

ABSTRACT With the number of atheists and nonreligious people at an all-time global high, scholars have become increasingly interested in the study of atheism, including its history. There is, however, disagreement about how best to conceptualise what is being studied. This article ventures to rethink the terminology we use to frame the field, and in particular the extent to which it can be applied beyond Western modernity. While ‘atheism’ or ‘unbelief’ are perhaps the most common ways to talk about this field, both fall short in various ways. ‘Atheism’ fails to grasp the diversity of religious unbelief by centring focus on the question of God’s existence. Even a term like ‘unbelief’, while getting around the narrowness of the term ‘atheism’, creates problems of its own, namely its emphasis on ‘belief’ as the defining aspect of religious experience. An alternative term – ‘nonreligion’ – might help us around this issue, but, while the term is broader than ‘atheism’ or ‘unbelief’, it too runs into difficulties, particularly the fact that it is parasitic upon the term ‘religion’, a category whose universal applicability has been called into question.

What Is the Relationship Among Religiosity, Self-Perceived Problematic Pornography Use, and Depression Over Time?

Previous studies suggest that religious people are more likely than nonreligious people to perceive their pornography use as problematic. For our 6-month longitudinal study, we recruited a sample of adults from TurkPrime.com to examine whether the interaction of religiosity and pornography consumption prospectively predicts more depressive symptoms 6 months later and whether this effect was mediated via perceptions that their pornography use was problematic (measured 3 months postbaseline). We constructed and validated our own measure of self-perceived problematic pornography use that included two factors: excessive pornography use and compulsive pornography use. Contrary to our hypothesis, religiosity was not related to self-perceived problematic pornography use. For men, religiosity at baseline was associated with increased pornography use at 6 months. For both men and women, excessive pornography use at 3 months was associated with increased depression at 6 months. For men, depression at baseline was associated with self-perceived problematic pornography use at 3 months. For women, higher self-perceived problematic pornography use at 3 months predicted lower frequency of pornography use and higher depression at 6 months. Our findings are discussed in light of theories of depression, religious incongruence, and sexual scripts.

Questions You Should Never Ask an Atheist: Towards Better Measures of Nonreligion and Secularity

As interest in the nonreligious has grown, attention has turned to how to measure both the growth of and variation within the nonreligious. This interest has also revealed that prior measures of religiosity are often problematic. In this research note, I detail some of these problems. For instance, some measures fail to contrast nonreligiosity with religiosity. Other measures are double-barreled or one-and-a-half barreled, making them impossible for nonreligious individuals to answer. Finally, I note that how questions are worded can result in very different estimates of how many nonreligious people and atheists there are in a population.

Pornography Consumption and Sexual Satisfaction in a Korean Sample

Abstract. This research report assessed pornography consumption and sexual satisfaction in a heterosexual sample of Korean adults. Consistent with prior studies, the linear association between pornography consumption and satisfaction was negative and significant. However, the addition of a quadratic term to the equation increased model fit. Interaction effect analyses revealed an inverted U relationship for both men and women, such that occasional pornography consumption was associated with higher satisfaction, while consumption with any degree of regularity was associated with lower satisfaction. Further assessments showed that the negative relationship between more regular pornography consumption and lower satisfaction was slightly more marked for women, while the positive relationship between intermittent pornography consumption and higher satisfaction was slightly more marked for men. The nature of the relationship between pornography consumption and satisfaction was similar for religious and nonreligious people and for people in a relationship and not in a relationship.

Children’s and Adults’ Affectionate Generosity Toward Members of Different Religious Groups

This article examines children’s and adults’ willingness to give a nonmonetary resource—affection—to in-group versus out-group members. In a study of attitudes toward Christian, Jewish, and non-religious people, religious participants—children as well as adults—reported that the religious out-group member was more like them and more likeable than the non-religious character, despite the fact that both characters were members of an out-group. Non-religious participants did not distinguish between out-group characters in response to these questions. Although these patterns emerged among both children and adults, we also found that children reported more affection toward Christian characters than did adults. We discuss implications of the results for the study of generosity as well as for intergroup attitudes, religious cognition, and development.

Views on Religious Freedom among Young People in Belarus and Norway: Similarities and Contrasts

The study of religious freedom has not received sufficient empirical attention from sociologists of religion, despite significant theoretical discussion of the governance of religious freedom. This article suggests empirical findings about the views on religious freedom in Belarus and Norway from the international research project “Religion and Human Rights.” The authors explore the effects of religiosity, spirituality, and cultural diversity on young people’s views of religious freedom in two countries. The comparative data from Belarus (N = 677) and Norway (N = 1001) examine patterns of attitudes towards religious freedom considering the effect of trust in institutions within democratic and non-democratic regimes. This two-country analysis reveals that religiosity, cultural diversity and trust in institutions exert a notable influence on religious freedom views in different ways in Belarus and Norway, on both non-religious young people and those from religious minorities.

Combustível da fé: mudança socioeconômica e rearranjo religioso em Macaé – RJ

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar as mudanças socioeconômicas ocorridas na cidade de Macaé a partir de 1980 e seus efeitos sobre o campo religioso, com foco nos evangélicos e nos sem-religião. A metodologia lança mão de dados quantitativos do IBGE e procura analisar esses dados para ultrapassar uma leitura superficial e avançar na análise desse campo religioso complexo, que está diretamente relacionada à chegada da Petrobras na cidade de Macaé, inaugurando uma nova era na região, com a injeção de capital na cidade. Nesse sentido, percebe-se o desenvolvimento urbano na região ocorreu sob o impacto da multinacional Petrobras, ocasionando a criação de diferentes mercados e oportunidades de investimentos, fazendo com que as instâncias religiosas fossem reorganizadas em uma nova configuração do campo religioso macaense. Para tal argumentação nos basearemos no pensamento social de Danièle Hervieu-Léger, quando reconhece que a modernidade e a urbanização se relacionam diretamente com as mudanças e as novas modulações sociorreligiosas.

Justice in Exemptions

Abstract When (if ever) does justice require that individuals have exemptions from general laws on grounds relating to religion? In Liberalism’s Religion, Cécile Laborde argues that the focus ought not to be ‘religion’ but ‘integrity’, an interest shared by religious and non-religious people. Integrity-protecting commitments (IPC s) include commitments expressive of the individual’s sense of what they are obligated to do (‘obligation-IPC s’) and commitments that, while not a matter of obligation, are nevertheless crucial to the individual’s identity (‘identity-IPC s’). Laborde argues that justice permits and requires exemptions from general laws so as to secure these commitments and, thereby, the individual’s underlying interest in integrity. This paper considers whether there is a class of integrity-related commitments which Laborde's approach fails to accommodate - a class of commitments related to ideals of ‘self-transcendence’.

The Effect of Becoming Disabled on the Subjective Well-Being of Religious and Nonreligious People.

Positive associations between religiosity and subjective well-being (SWB) have been found in a multitude of studies. However, there has been little effort in documenting the role that religion plays in helping people during the onset of adverse circumstances in their lives. This study investigates the effect of religion on the SWB of the disabled. We utilized secondary data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging from 2006 to 2016 with a sample size of 36,484. Starting with nondisabled participants, we applied a difference-in-differences approach to a fixed-effects model and compared the magnitude of the decrease in SWB resulting from disability between religious individuals and their nonreligious counterparts. The empirical results show that following a religion increased SWB by 0.94 (p < 0.01) and the onset of a disability reduced SWB by 3.57 (p < 0.01) out of 100. Furthermore, there is a significant gap in happiness levels between religious and nonreligious individuals when they are diagnosed with a disability. Becoming disabled reduces SWB for nonreligious people more than that for religious people by 2.62 (p < 0.01). This study confirms that following a religion helps people cope with adverse circumstances such as the onset of a disability.

Bored like Hell: Religiosity reduces boredom and tempers the quest for meaning.

Boredom involves a lack meaning. Conversely, religiosity offers people a sense of meaning. Accordingly, we proposed that by imbuing a sense of meaningfulness, religiosity leads people to experience less boredom. Furthermore, we hypothesized and tested that by reducing boredom, religiosity indirectly inhibits the search for meaningful engagement. In Study 1, following boring tasks, religious people experienced lower levels of boredom and were less motivated to search for meaning than nonreligious people. We found in Study 2 that religious (vs. non- or less religious) people reported higher perceived meaning in life, which was associated with a reduced tendency to feel bored, and with a reduced need to search for meaning in life. Study 3 confirmed that the meaning in life associated with religiosity was associated with reduced state boredom. Religious participants were again less inclined to search for meaning, which was explained by the relatively low levels of boredom that religious (vs. nonreligious) participants experienced. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

A space of transition and transaction

This rejoinder acknowledges the empirical gaps and theoretical/theological disharmony highlighted in the three selected commentaries on Place Spirituality (PS), but we defend our central argument about the developmental pathways of PS. First, we provide an overview of recent studies on PS, highlighting what has been done so far in the field. Second, we draw from the commentaries to advance the understanding of PS in relation to three world religions: Islam, Christianity and Hinduism. Third, we evaluate the normative aspects of PS as a transactional versus transitional phenomenon. Finally, we defend the two contested developmental pathways to PS, involving the compensation and correspondence working models of attachment, while complementing these models using the motivational systems framework. We maintain that these models are relevant for understanding the relationship between religious attachment and place attachment among religious and non-religious people. Recommendations for further studies are made in relation to the broader implications of PS.

Death without God: Nonreligious Perspectives on End-of-Life Care

Nonreligious people are underrepresented in the literature guiding end-of-life care. Moreover, much of what is written about nonreligious patients is written from a religious perspective. To address this deficit, the author conducted descriptive research by surveying online social media group participants using a quantitative questionnaire and qualitative feedback (N=263). Participants responded from closed social media groups for nonreligious people. Survey questions and responses offer insight into a nonreligious end-of-life dyad on the interrelated perceptions and experiences of nonreligious people regarding end-of-life healthcare. Participants responded to questions that assessed individual worldview description, openness to hospice services, feelings regarding chaplain services, expectations regarding fear of death, feelings on religious phrases, experiences of marginalization associated with their nonreligious affiliation, and perspectives regarding healthcare providers’ competency providing care for nonreligious people. Though not comprehensive, the survey results indicate common experiences and perspectives, which can in- form end-of-life practitioners providing care to this population. Through qualitative feedback, survey participants shared their experiences in healthcare settings and expressed a desire for healthcare professionals to be more aware of the needs of nonreligious people. Both the quantitative responses and qualitative feedback of participants is used to inform practice implications and recommendations made for caring for the whole nonreligious person.

Mobilizing Conversion Narratives Toward (Non)Religious Civility

In 2012, Chris Stedman, then the Humanist chaplain at Harvard University, published the memoir Faitheist. Stedman (2012) argues that nonreligious people ought to join with people of faith in working toward social justice in the world rather than taking antagonistic positions on religion in the vein of so-called New Atheism. To build his argument, Stedman reflects on his own upbringing in a passively nonreligious family, his teenage conversion to evangelical Christianity, his discovery of his own queer identity, his subsequent acrimonious rejection of religion, and his eventual shift to a less militant atheism that sought commonality with persons of faith. Drawing on scholarship about the role of civility in public discourse and the study of narrative genres, this essay builds the case that Stedman’s narrative includes a number of conversion stories, as well as a coming out story (which shares many features of the conversion narrative genre). The generic (that is, related to genre) patterns that emerge in these various stories cohere to help Stedman make a case for the radical potential of (non)religious civility—amid differences—by finding common ground in shared values.

Assessing pupils’ attitudes towards religious and worldview diversity – development and validation of a nuanced measurement instrument

ABSTRACTIn this article, we outline the development and validation of an instrument for the assessment of attitudes towards religious diversity. The instrument uses four parallel scales, which evaluate attitudes towards Muslims, Christians, Jews and towards Non-religious people. Each scale is subdivided into eight parallel profile types and tests for the acceptance of six levels of social proximity. Drawing on a sample of 281 respondents (which include Muslims, Christians, Jews, Non-religious and Other) and employing the item response theory, we examine the reliability and validity of the instrument and present first results. We found that respondents discriminated greatly between the eight profile types and made clear distinctions with regard to the proximity of social relationships. Relative to these distinctions within each religion, differences between the four groups Muslims, Christians, Jews and Non-religious appeared minimal. These findings suggest that the results of previous research which indicate scepticism towards Islam despite general respect for religious diversity could be due to stereotyping.

EXPERIÊNCIA SAGRADA DO POVO YE’KUANA

O povo Ye’kuana vive nos estados Amazonas e Bolívar localizados ao sul da Venezuela. Um pequeno grupo habita no Brasil, em Roraima. Os Ye’kuana vivem numa sociedade que não tem construções de templos. Por isso, não raras vezes são interpretados pelos ocidentais como um povo não religioso. O presente artigo busca compreender e evidenciar a experiência sagrada dos Ye’kuana a partir da análise de duas representações simbólicas: A Ättä, a casa comunitária, e a A’daja, a roça. A obra de Mircea Eliade, O Sagrado e o Profano, ajuda a compreender como eles podem conectar com o mundo do Ser Supremo Wanadi vivendo na Terra que está nas mãos de Odosha, opositor de Wanadi. Como recurso metodológico privilegia os anos de convivência que a autora tem com os Ye’kuana.

The Surprising Predictable Decline of Religion in the United States

AbstractScholars over the past several decades have noted the resilience of religion in the United States (Chaves 2011; Gorski and Altınordu 2008; Hadden 1987:601–02; Presser and Chaves 2007), but many recognize that the youngest U.S. cohorts are significantly lower on several religious characteristics than older cohorts (Hout and Fischer 2014; Putnam and Campbell 2012; Voas and Chaves 2016). Scholars have proposed several explanations for this trend, disagreeing about whether it is the result of a particular cultural moment or an ongoing process leading to even greater religious decline. Voas (2009) proposed one such explanation. He used European data to show that the proportion of nonreligious people in each cohort only became significant when previous cohorts reached a critical mass of moderately religious people. Voas's model is novel and promising but has neither been examined statistically nor applied to U.S. data, which I take up here. I find that, surprisingly, the United States fits closely on the same trajectory of religious decline as European countries, suggesting a shared demographic process as opposed to idiosyncratic change. I conclude by discussing how these findings inform theories of self‐reinforcing religious decline and cross‐national patterns of religiosity.

Capital structure and religion. Some international evidence

In the recent years, an increasing number of papers deepened cross-disciplinary studies, examining how different cultural values influence financial variables. The main objective of our paper is to test if the dominant world religions (Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, and Judaic), and, moreover, some Christian denominations (Catholicism, Protestantism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity) are related to some patterns in capital structure. Our paper considers distinctly the category of countries in which Agnostics, Atheists and non-religious people are predominant. The results are promising. Companies located in the states with predominance of Islamic religion have a lower leverage, while the ones from predominantly Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Hindu and Judaic countries, as well as those in mainly Agnostic, Atheist and non-religious ones, are indebted more than those from mainly Protestant countries. The debt maturity seems to be correlated to the dominant religions or denominations, with companies in the predominantly Eastern Orthodox, Buddhist and Agnostic, Atheist and non-religious countries relying more on short term debt, and those in the majority Catholic, Judaic and Hindu countries on long term debt.

Ethical food and the kosher certification: a literature review

PurposeIncreased awareness about the importance of a safe, healthy nutrition has changed human interactions with food and increased worldwide demand for high quality and ethical food. In this respect, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the concept of ethical food and the nature of kosher food production, assessing common traits and the main differences between the two. A literature review was undertaken in order to verify the direction in which further studies might proceed.Design/methodology/approachA research review on current literature was carried out exploring concepts of ethical food and food certification underpinning kosher businesses by means of an analysis of both producers’ and consumers’ perspectives. In order to proceed with an accurate analysis, the paper matches both the conceptual analysis and the bibliometric one. The overlap between these two forms of analysis makes results robust and useful for future research.FindingsThis review reveals common points between ethical and kosher food because attention is given to both processes and products and the way the market perceives them as expressions of trustworthy and safe production. Furthermore, the analysis reveals an under emphasis on kosher food in the academic world and the results reveal the importance of empirical analysis.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis is focused mainly on kosher food production as an expression of ethical food. It would be interesting, however, to expand the analysis to other types of ethical certification such as Halal food, for example, in order to perform comparative evaluations.Practical implicationsFrom a practical point of view, it is interesting to note that kosher food is conceived as very safe food and that non-religious people are sensitive to this, which opens new horizons for ethical food. It also offers the possibility that firms that have never considered entering the field of ethical food certification may do so to expand their businesses. This implication also reveals that there is a higher attention on sustainability and safety in agro-food market. Therefore there are great opportunities of expansion for ethical food.Social implicationsFrom a social point of view, this paper is of importance for several reasons. It deals with a relatively new and relatively unexplored issue; it points out the relevance of sustainability and safety in food market and consumer behavior, it presents the possibility of exploring knowledge interactions between different perspectives (multidisciplinary approach) and cultures which, in the opinion, will present significant challenge in relation to agro-food business research in the future.Originality/valueThe originality of this work is that of systematizing a literature review of ethical food, enlarging its scope and boundaries with specific reference to kosher food. It also highlights the need to focus on both management and marketing, since up to now there has been a lack of academic contributions to these areas of research. Directions for further research are outlined.

Increased Wellbeing from Social Interaction in a Secular Congregation

Religiosity appears to benefit wellbeing, potentially due to social support offered by religious communities. However, rising secularism implies that fewer people have access to these benefits. To address this problem, we investigated whether these benefits could also be obtained from membership in a secular, quasi-religious community. We conducted a longitudinal study among 92 members of the Sunday Assembly (SA), an international organization of secular congregations. SA members assemble in large services and in smaller interest groups that offer more face-to-face interaction. Once a month for six months, participants completed a questionnaire measuring wellbeing and participation in both SA and non-SA social activities. Panel analysis of longitudinal data revealed that participation in SA small-group activities positively influenced wellbeing over the six-month period, particularly among males. Participation in non-SA social activities, in contrast, had no effect on wellbeing. Aspects of the Sunday service that members perceived as most important, both for creating a sense of community and for friendship formation, were the informal socialising and cooperating that occurs before and after the service itself. Secular congregations may be a viable alternative for non-religious people (and perhaps especially men) who seek the health benefits that religious communities have traditionally offered.