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Living A Nonreligious Life: A Qualitative Empirical Exploration of Nonreligion in Belgium, Greece, and Norway.

Publication date: 2023-07-03

Author:

Nikitaki, Sofia

Abstract:

The academic discourse on religion, spirituality, and belief has traditionally been the task of academic theologians and religious studies scholars. Nevertheless, the increasing presence of individuals who do not identify with any particular religion in contemporary society has exposed a deficiency of representation of this demographic in academic theology and religious studies. This doctoral dissertation endeavors to address this lack of visibility by presenting the outcomes of a qualitative empirical exploration with nonreligious individuals from different European cultural contexts. In particular, this study demonstrates how nonreligious individuals from Belgium, Greece, and Norway comprehend and articulate their nonreligious outlooks, their personal histories, and their encounters with (non)religion in their everyday lives as well as explores how the participants understand and react to a range of relevant topics, such as spirituality, religion, and the concepts of god and a higher power. In addition to the formation and expression of nonreligion in the contexts explored, this research poses the question of the role of cultural settings in shaping these views. The present investigation illustrates that being nonreligious encompasses more than a mere absence of religion or a negation, dismissal, or uncertainty regarding the existence of a god or a higher power. Instead, the findings suggest that nonreligious individuals exhibit a great diversity of perspectives and understandings with regards to (non)religion and spirituality as well as a broad range of personal backgrounds and current realities. Through analyzing participants' personal histories, identities, and perceptions of religion, spirituality, and the concepts of god/a higher power, the study indicates that cultural context plays a significant role in how nonreligious views are formed and expressed. Specifically, the study identifies consistent and notable distinctions among participants from Belgium, Greece, and Norway concerning their experiences with religion during upbringing, their perceptions of church-state relations and religious presence in the public sphere, and their attitudes towards the majority religious institutions in their respective countries. Alongside these cross-cultural differences, certain important commonalities shared among participants regardless of their cultural background are also uncovered. This study aims to bridge the academic study of nonreligion with the academic study of religion, primarily in the field of theology. It posits that the examination of attitudes and opinions pertaining to (non)religion, secularity, and (non)belief ought to be undertaken in conjunction with other disciplines that take an interest in these topics. Furthermore, this research underscores the need for theologians and religious studies scholars to investigate nonreligion and its associated phenomena, broadening the scope of the study of religion and spirituality beyond dealing exclusively with the study of religious and spiritual views and culminating in a more comprehensive understanding of religion, spirituality, and the lack thereof. Adopting more flexible and open definitions of the study of (non)religion as an academic field that includes both religious/believing and nonreligious/nonbelieving (theological) thinking could benefit scholars in theology, religious studies, and the study of nonreligion alike by constructing a scholarly space that encourages (methodological and theoretical) openness, academic collaboration, interdisciplinary engagement, and ultimately leading to a more well-rounded understanding of the (non)religious landscape.