According to a recent article, when Americans were asked by pollsters about their religious identity, the fastest-growing major group (!!!)* consisted of those who don’t affiliate with any organized religion.
Yes, the common reply now is … “None.”
However, even though many individuals who were interviewed answered with “none,” several expressed that they still felt a connection to God or a higher power, while others said religion continued to hold some importance to them.
But what I found most interesting (and disgusting … and shameful) were the reactions that many face when their friends or relatives discover they hold this position.
From the article …
Within the Black community, we face ostracism … there is this idea that somehow you are rejecting your blackness when you reject religion, that atheism is something that white people do.
A former Protestant who grew up as a Baptist and attended church regularly says not everyone in her family knows she has forsaken religion … and some who do know struggle to accept it. Similarly, at the beauty store she owns, she feels she must keep her atheism “under wraps” from clients for fear they’d go elsewhere.
In any event, as one individual put it … “We’re looking for our own answers, beyond the programming we received growing up.”
And to those who feel this same way, I say … BRAVO!
*29% of American adults — up from 23% in 2016 and 19% in 2011.
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