Atheists, agnostics and nonbelievers are one of the fastest-growing religious groups in the United States.
The largest groups driving this shift are millennials and college students. According to the American Freshman: National Norms 2014, 30 percent of men and 25 percent of women in college identify as non-religious.
Frank Page, a professor in the department of sociology, said he’s noticed this shift on campus.
Five years ago, Page said only around five to eight percent of his class identified as unaffiliated. He says now, those numbers are closer to twenty or thirty percent.
“There’s a certain amount of insecurity when that sacred canopy [of religion] is punctured, and I see it in my students,” Page said. “I see some students are a little hesitant to say ‘I don’t believe in any of these religions,’ and I see some religious students who are very uncomfortable when we study atheism and existentialism because their sacred canopy has got a few tears in it.”
Page doesn’t identify as a “card-carrying anything” and said he doesn’t want his students to have an idea of his specific beliefs, as it could bias their perception of his teaching.
There are no U student groups for those who identify as non-religious. The only group is SHIFT, Secular, Humanism, Inquiry and Free Thought, which was highly active a few years ago but now only operates on Facebook.
Elaine Stehel, a U alum and founder of SHIFT, said she became a humanist, which encompasses a set of beliefs emphasizing the value of humans and critical thinking over an established doctrine or faith. She said the organization gave her and other students a place to connect with other people who didn’t have a religious support group.
“In our early 20s, many people are questioning what they believe,” Stehel said. “This stage, when most people are in college, they’re at a time in their life when they’re changing, and our brains are really developing in a way, and we’re learning basic critical-thinking skills and it’s a general time of faith crisis.”
Nearly 23 percent of Americans identify as a “religious none,” which includes atheists and agnostics. In a 2014 Religious Landscape study from the PEW Research Center, 15 percent of respondents listed themselves as “nothing in particular.”
Despite Utah’s religious reputation, the numbers align with national statistics where 22 percent identify as “religious nones” and 18 as “nothing in particular.”
This move away from religion is a belated trend in America. In most of Europe, Canada and parts of Asia, 50 to 75 percent identify as nonreligious.
Rachael Roberts, a recent graduate of the U, was born into an atheist family and converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was seven. She remained active in the church until she was 19 and now identifies as spiritual and unaffiliated. Like many non-religious people, she said higher education highly influenced her decision.
“There were some negative events that occurred in the last five years that pushed me in search for answers outside of religion, and I really felt I found those answers through college,” Roberts said.
While it was initially a little scary to leave Mormonism, Roberts said by moving slowly and not forcing the change, she was able to avoid most of the downsides, like losing her family and friends.
“I felt as though I was finally free and had a whole world open to me,” Roberts said. “I felt that I could finally be myself again.”
@EhmannKy