America has always been a religious country. Since the early pilgrimages, there has been a religious aspect to the American culture and its way of life. America was so religious in their way of life that they were ranked one of the most religious countries (‘Atheism's Bad Rap in the United States’, 2014), and yet America is seeing a decline in religion. More and more people in the United States are identifying as atheist and agnostic, and the number of religious citizens is decreasing at a shockingly steady rate, especially for a culture that was once so set in their religious ways, according to ‘50 Great Myths About Atheism’. This leads many to question, what is causing this decrease? In order to understand the question completely, one must understand what it means to be atheist or agnostic.
Atheism is defined as the disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods. While agnosticism is defined as a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God” (Merriam-Webster, 2019).
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United States has always been perceived as a religious country. Now that it is understood that there is a rise in atheism, people have started looking at the facts to try to find a reason for the declining trend of religion.
Recent studies have shown that there is nearly a 15 percent increase in the number of people who identify as having no religion, and that number has been steadily increasing over several years (‘Report: Atheism on the Rise in U.S.’, 2009). This leaves many people with the question why there is a steady increase in atheism and agnosticism in the United States, even though the United States has been a very religious county in the past.
Studies have tried to pinpoint many different reasons as to why atheism and agnosticism is increasing through the years. Some of these studies focus on how our culture is impacting religion. They focus on factors such as how science and the theory of evolution, as well as new discoveries often clash with religious text. Researchers are trying to determine if this clash impacts the decreasing number of religious citizens. Other researchers study the politics and the society revolving around atheism and agnostic society. Yet others run studies focusing on the reasons given by people who have converted to atheism, and why they chose to not believe in a religion. There are so many different studies that have been created over time, all asking the same question why there is a steady increase in atheism, and why people are identifying as less religious.
One of the most common arguments and topics that people focus on when researching the increase of atheism and agnosticism is the role that science plays and how science and scientific discoveries are increasing atheism and agnosticism in the United States. Many researchers focus on the Christian story of creation in comparison to evolution. In this text, it is claimed that the Earth was created in ‘seven days’ and is only a few thousand years old. Scientific studies that have been released show that the world was in fact created over time. Instead of the seven-day creation that is preached, science now declares that the world has undergone vast evolution. Scientists can observe and prove this evolution over billions of years using trace elements and other scientific research methods. Since the religious texts and the ever-evolving scientific research, people have come to find that religion and science do not often line up with one another (‘50 Great Myths About Atheism’, 2013). The creation story mentioned above is a much-used example for many atheists when they try to explain why religion is made up or why it does not make any sense. The common biblical story of creation focuses on creation in a seven-day time period in which each day the Christian God created something different, whether that be light, plants, animals or humans. The story seems very specific and focuses on the fact that everything was made as it was intended to be. However, scientific discoveries have been made when focusing on the creation of the world. Scientists have theories such as the Big Bang, scientists have discovered tectonic plates and how they have shaped the environment and have found fossil evidence of the evolution of creatures. The science and the stories do not line up (‘50 Great Myths About Atheism’, 2013). There are many more stories and doctrines that do not correspond to the scientific knowledge that we now possess. One can also focus on the Hindu religion, where there are gods with elephant heads, warrior monkeys, and avatars. Looking at factual evidence, these religions seem like made up stories to many different people (William, 2005). According to Kettell, many people claim that this is their reasoning to identify as atheist or agnostic; they just cannot find it in themselves to throw away the facts for irrational reasoning.
These discrepancies through religious doctrines and tests have caused many people to doubt, question, and turn from religion (William, 2005). Afterall, stories are just stories if you cannot prove them right. In addition to this, science proves many of these stories wrong. Many atheists find that these inconsistencies cannot be overlooked, and many people claim that there is no God or gods from the religions since the stories seem so made up. In addition to this, science proves how the world has evolved, and the proof does not match the stories that so many Americans believe.
Science and stories are not the only reasons for the increasing number of atheists in America. Another factor that has been investigated when researching the increase of atheism and agnosticism is the question of society. People wonder, has society become more accepting of people who do not identify with a religion, and has the evolution of our culture impacted religion or lack of religion? There are so many different things happening in society that several years ago, we would never have thought could happen. America has had an African American president, it has legalized gay marriage, it has had a woman run for office, it has legalized marijuana, along with many other changes to the society. As American society evolves, one must question, is it the fact that people are choosing to become less religious, or is it the fact that we now live in a more accepting society and more people feel that they are free to admit that they do not believe in a God? People who identify as atheist and agnostic are part of a minority group, and often they are discriminated against in societies that are predominantly religious (Kettell, S., 2016). Studies have asked is it the fact that people are becoming less religious because of our society and how it has evolved and has become more accepting of different ways of life, and of others.
Many people cannot agree on whether society is the leading cause for the increase in atheism and agnosticism. However, many seem to agree on the fact that society has an influence on people (Kettell, S., 2016). Some atheists claim that society plays a part, yet others claim that the fact that they do not identify with a religion has nothing to do with society. The more research that one looks at, the more conclusions they have potential of reaching. Identifying with religion seems not to do as much with a single set factor, and more to do with the beliefs and experiences of the individual. Despite the fact that everyone has a slightly different reason such as their community, geographic location, upbringing and race, all have corresponding factors on how likely they are to identify as atheist or agnostic. Thus, community and society may have a more prevalent role than some research lead people to believe (Gerteis, 2006).
One of the main factors investigated in the rise of atheism and agnosticism in the United States was what do people who identify as atheist and agnostic say their reasoning is for not having a religion? It seemed like the obvious solution to this question with various answers. One must wonder, why would people need to evaluate all these factors if people who identified as atheist and agnostic came to a similar conclusion concerning the constant rise in lack of religion. However, there were many different clashing opinions. Some claimed it was due to scientific and doctoral differences: some claimed that it was due to the evolving culture; and yet others claimed that it was the evolving of society (Kettell, S., 2016). People have their own reason and their own experience being atheist or agnostic and therefore have their own reason ('Report: Atheism on the Rise in U.S.', 2009). Although it would have been easy to evaluate if everyone had the same opinion, the fact is that everyone has lived different lives, and there are many different factors contributing to why people believe that there is no god.
As we can see from these several points, there are many different contributing factors to the constantly increasing numbers of people who identify as atheist and agnostic in the U.S. As much as some people would hope for a set answer, the fact if that there are hundreds of contributing factors as to why people identify as atheist, and why those numbers are rising. People all have their own reasoning for choosing not to have a religion, whether that be politics, society, culture, upbringing, or any other reason that people have found. More people are choosing to become atheist and agnostic, and the numbers are increasing at a steady rate, yet there are so many factors going into why people believe what they believe. There is truly no set answer to what is causing the increase of atheism and agnosticism in the U.S.
References
- ‘50 Great Myths About Atheism’. (2013). Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
- ‘Atheism’. (2019). Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/atheism
- 'Atheism's Bad Rap in the United States'. UWIRE Text, 30 Jan. 2014, p. 1. Gale Academic Onefile, https://linkgale.com.proxy.davenport.edu/apps/doc/A357258658/AONE?u=lom_davenportc&sid=AONE&xid=2c2bc7c1 Accessed 4 Nov. 2019.
- Edgell, P., Gerteis, J., & Hartmann, D. (2006). 'Atheists as 'Other': Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership in American Society'. American Sociological Review, 71 (2), 211234.
- Kettell, S. (2016). ‘What’s Really New About New Atheism?’. Palgrave Communications, 2(1) doi: http://dx.doi.org.proxy.davenport.edu/10.1057/palcomms.2016.99
- ‘Report: Atheism on the Rise In U.S.’ (2009, August 14). Tell Me More. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111885128
- William, S. B. (2005). ‘Atheism’. Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion, 1 Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/1346933596?accountid=40195
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