Meanwhile, “religious” often means belonging to a group with specific doctrines and rituals. Scholars fret over the slippery definitions of “spiritual” and “religious.” What the average person tends to mean by “spiritual” is seeking or experiencing a connection with a greater reality, however they understand it. But they may be surprised to know how much they resemble certain Protestants who lived five centuries ago – some of the so-called radical reformers who split off from Martin Luther’s Reformation. They are studying to become chaplains, interfaith ministers and social activists. Many describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” or “SBNR,” as researchers refer to them.Īs a professor of theology at a Unitarian Universalist and multireligious seminary, I encounter many students who fit within the SBNR mold. While the Nones include agnostics and atheists, most people in this category retain a belief in God or some higher power. The religiously unaffiliated now make up just over one quarter of the U.S. For over a decade, one of the biggest stories in American religion has been the rise of the “Nones”, a broad term for people who do not identify with a specific faith.
0 kommentar(er)
