Nonreligious Identity Research Articles

Personal (Non-)Religiosity and Policing

ABSTRACT In many professions, personal religiosity can have a direct bearing on day-to-day practice and the implementation of policy. This article reviews fieldwork data from interviews with members of the Metropolitan Police Service in London, UK, and identifies the role that personal religiosity, or negative attitudes towards religion, can play in attitudes, practice, and expectations. Reflecting on debates about the nature of religious identity, the authors argue that in an arena where religion is increasingly seen to influence policy and practice, the personal religious or non-religious identity of the individual should not be seen as ‘outside’ the area of work but may require careful negotiation and articulation to avoid normative constructions of religion being applied inappropriately to local communities.

(Dis)Believing and Belonging: Investigating the Narratives of Young British Atheists

The development and public prominence of the ‘New Atheism’ in the West, particularly the UK and USA, since the millennium has occasioned considerable growth in the study of ‘non-religion and secularity’. Such work is uncovering the variety and complexity of associated categories, different public figures, arguments and organizations involved. There has been a concomitant increase in research on youth and religion. As yet, however, little is known about young people who self-identify as atheist, though the statistics indicate that in Britain they are the cohort most likely to select ‘No religion’ in surveys. This article addresses this gap with presentation of data gathered with young British people who describe themselves as atheists. Atheism is a multifaceted identity for these young people developed over time and through experience. Disbelief in God and other non-empirical propositions such as in an afterlife and the efficacy of homeopathy and belief in progress through science, equality and freedom are central to their narratives. Hence belief is taken as central to the sociological study of atheism, but understood as formed and performed in relationships in which emotions play a key role. In the late modern context of contemporary Britain, these young people are far from amoral individualists. We employ current theorizing about the sacred to help understand respondents’ belief and value-oriented non-religious identities in context.Keywords: Atheism, Youth, UK, Belief, Sacred

Bonds of Silence: Parents and Children Cope with Dissonant Levels of Religiosity

Loving parents characterized by a strong religious orientation may feel ambivalence when their children completely reject their religious identity. The parents might find it difficult to accommodate to their children’s different identity, but at the same time, not want to drive their children away. We examine how this potential conflict situation is managed by focusing on Jews in Israel who take on a nonreligious identity after having been brought up by parents who were religiously observant. Our study is based on personal interviews with 20 religious (Orthodox) Jewish parents and 13 children who are no longer religious (representing a total of 18 households). Our findings emphasize the importance of silencing and self-silencing in managing conflict, as the sides are careful to refrain from making demands that might lead to a break in their relationships. Children often cover or mask their non-religious behavior in the presence of their parents, in order to help them maintain face and avoid embarrassment and shame.

Coping with identity threat: The role of religious orientation and implications for emotions and action intentions.

Religiosity is typically related to positive outcomes following distress, yet it remains unclear how religiosity may alter responses when one’s religious identity itself is challenged. The present investigation examined the role of appraisal-coping processes in the relations between religious orientations, emotions, and action intentions following identity threat. Study 1 (N 63) assessed associations with religious orientations (intrinsic and extrinsic) following a threat targeting one’s religion. Although both orientations evoked a broad array of responses, those related to an intrinsic orientation were stronger and included more negative reactions (e.g., sadness, confrontation). Study 2 (N 59) evaluated the impact of a nonreligious identity threat, which elicited only adaptive responses (i.e., problemfocused coping, support seeking) that were associated with an intrinsic orientation. Appraisal-coping processes mediated relations between religiosity and responses to an identity threat in both studies but were most evident following religious threat. Taken together, these findings suggest that whereas an extrinsic religious orientation may function as a social identity in response to religious threats, the positive effects of an intrinsic religious orientation appear to be undermined by threats targeting the social group and belief system therein.

Defining Religious Pluralism: A Response to Robert McKim

The Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) is a Chicago-based international non-profit seeking to build a global movement of interfaith cooperation, with a particular focus on American colleges and universities. The concept of religious pluralism, as defined in IFYC’s methodology, consists of three integral components: respect for religious or non-religious identity, mutually inspiring relationships and common action for the common good. This article offers a brief exposition of IFYC’s theory of religious pluralism, with an example from campus life. It is written in response to Robert McKim's article "Responding to Religious Pluralims" in the Journal of College and Character.