# Is It Becoming Socially Acceptable To Say You Are Not Religious? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 23, 2009, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441 "2009-03-23T08:37:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/41 "2009-03-23T18:44:33Z")
In the support group I go to weekly, I said I’m “not religious.” They translated that, with no further input from me, as Christian but not attending a specific church. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/42 "2009-03-23T18:49:09Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > In Australia, adherence to a particular religion is the exception to the ‘rule’. The majority of the populace are not attached to any religious doctine, and it’s safe in mixed company to assume your co-attendants are either agnostic or atheist until informed otherwise. > > IOW, it’s LESS acceptable to say you ARE religious rather than the other way 'round. When I moved to the US, the way I explained it to people was: “Being religious in Sydney would feel about the same as being gay in Seattle” ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/43 "2009-03-23T18:56:35Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > When I moved to the US, the way I explained it to people was: > > “Being religious in Sydney would feel about the same as being gay in Seattle” 😕 I have no idea what that means. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/44 "2009-03-23T19:04:54Z")
It also may depend on your race. Amongst black people I’m more or less in the closet regarding my lack of religion. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/45 "2009-03-23T19:19:04Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > Here in NYC, it’s been socially acceptable to not be religious for my entire adult life. It’s mostly okay to say you’re religious as well, although I feel sometimes that when I start with religious, other people are Ditto. I can’t remember it ever coming up as an issue living in NYC or on Long Island. No one’s ever tried to convert me or witness to me or anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/46 "2009-03-23T19:42:28Z")
My standard cover for being atheist, when I don’t feel like having an argument, is saying I’m not very religious. Never had pushback on that. Where I live now it is not an issue, but even when I lived more or less in rural Louisiana it worked. (Maybe looking Jewish helped.) My sense has always been that there is an assumption that you believe in god, but are either lazy or unmotivated. Not going to church because you’d rather go golfing is much more acceptable than not going to church because you think it is a crock. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/47 "2009-03-23T19:57:44Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > …Not going to church because you’d rather go golfing is much more acceptable than not going to church because you think it is a crock. Yes, or even not going because the minister is running some kind of scam is ok (so long as it’s not the minister of the person you’re talking to). But God forbid you’re not going because there’s no God. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/48 "2009-03-23T20:00:57Z")
> [@Jinx](#): > > In light of recent economic times, stats show church attendence is rising. Could we have a cite on that, please? Thank you. (And can one not be religious, but still believe in some kind of god-just not like going to church and all?) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/49 "2009-03-23T20:12:19Z")
I am totally non-religious. In that I find talk and discussion about religion boring. I never give it a thought even to explore my own thoughts on the matter. The only time it comes up is here on the Dope. I am 41 years old and it has never been a problem for me. If someone asks me I truthfully tell them I only go to church for weddings and funerals. FTR I have spent most of my life in New Jersey but I have lived in Alabama and Texas during my Army career. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/50 "2009-03-23T20:26:44Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > 😕 I have no idea what that means. 😕 “Being religious in Sydney is like being gay in Seattle”? Sounds fairly simple. In many American cities, nobody is going to beat up gay people or mock them openly, EVERYBODY will act as if it’s just fine, but people will still find it a bit odd, even if they repeatedly try to assure everyone “NOT that there’s anything wrong with that.” Being gay will still spark whispers of, “Did you know he’s… one of THEM? Huh… and he LOOKS so normal, I never would have guessed.” There are many parts of the Western world now where Christianity inspires the same type of uncomfortable or slightly amused reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/51 "2009-03-23T20:27:36Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > (And can one not be religious, but still believe in some kind of god-just not like going to church and all?) My sister does just that, and describes herself as “spiritual but not religious”. [She’s not alone, either](http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Books/2002/07/Spiritual-But-Not-Religious.aspx). ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/52 "2009-03-23T20:34:16Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Sounds fairly simple. In many American cities, nobody is going to beat up gay people or mock them openly, EVERYBODY will act as if it’s just fine, but people will still find it a bit odd, even if they repeatedly try to assure everyone “NOT that there’s anything wrong with that.” Being gay will still spark whispers of, “Did you know he’s… one of THEM? Huh… and he LOOKS so normal, I never would have guessed.” And you think this is common in a large and multicultural city like Seattle? Please. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/53 "2009-03-23T20:48:51Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > And you think this is common in a large and multicultural city like Seattle? > > Please. :rolleyes: Yeah, you’re right. and in a large, multicultural liberal city like New York, NOBODY would ever use an expression like “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/54 "2009-03-23T23:25:13Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Furthermore if someone is even suspected of being religious, particularly Christian (presumably because from the right wing, “well you’d expect that sort of thing from Johnny Foreigner” or on the left of the spectrum “it’s OK because it’s ethnic”), it’s treated as something quite odd. I’m not sure I’m reading you correctly, but that’s interesting: I’d associate religious Christian clergy in Britain with being almost wholly on the political left. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/55 "2009-03-23T23:31:32Z")
BTW, (unfortunately, I no longer have a cite, because it was a few weeks ago, and thus I no longer have a copy of said paper), but in the _Pittsburgh Post-Gazette_, I read an article that sales of alcohol are up. So while church attendance may be down, people are finding other ways to cope right now. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/56 "2009-03-24T02:47:31Z")
> [@calm\_kiwi](#): > > I wonder about how things are changing though (I don’t give a fig about other’s beliefs) but I seem to be finding more Christians in my day to day life. > > I think the norm is agnostic/atheist here but to me there seems to be some odd christian blip in the last few years. > > I’m on the North Shore of Auckland and the blip seems to be coming from South African immigrants. Might be – but around where I live, there have been Pentecostal churches, the general “born agains”, Pacific Island churches, Muslims, Buddhists, as well as the usual Catholic and Protestant options, for a long, long time. Religion is booming, and those who proclaim no interest in religion are either instantly labelled as atheist, pitied (and given religious stuff to try to make 'em change) or just simply shunned. If someone asks, I tell them the truth, and to hell with the consequences. I don’t go round pretending I’m something I’m not. I just don’t go yelling about it from the rooftop. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/57 "2009-03-24T02:59:04Z")
There’s an article linked from [Fark.com](http://Fark.com) that states “Non-religious” people now hold the number three spot. Catholics being number one and Babtist being number two. The only thing I didn’t like about the article is that it didn’t specificaly state Atheist as number three. Which make me wonder how many folks out there are turning to “new-age” type pratices. Also doesn’t anybody remember that report that came out two or three years ago that said people think Athiest are the least trustworthy people. Even more so than Gays or (gasp) Muslims. I’m not sure what part of that offends me the most. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/58 "2009-03-24T03:35:31Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > There’s an article linked from [Fark.com](http://Fark.com) that states “Non-religious” people now hold the number three spot. Catholics being number one and Babtist being number two. > > The only thing I didn’t like about the article is that it didn’t specificaly state Atheist as number three. That’s probably because Atheist would have been inaccurate. I’m “non-religious” in that I don’t go to church and don’t think of myself as belonging to any religion. Yet, I absolutely believe there is a god. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Gutgore\_Blooddrink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Captain\_Gutgore\_Blooddrink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Gutgore_Blooddrink)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/59 "2009-03-24T12:22:01Z")
I grew up in the bible belt, relocated to Seattle, moved back to the bible belt and then back to Seattle again. I’ve been an atheist for about 15yrs now (since I was in Jr. High) and the differences between the two locales is astounding. In Indiana, whether it be at bars or at work, people have the tendency to ask what church you go to. They talk about church activities during daily discussion as if it were the norm. Perhaps it is, at least in the small town I lived in. In Seattle my experience is much different. Nobody really asks if you attend church. There are people who read their bibles on their break at work, and several Muslims who pray during the appropriate time. Most of them don’t really bother asking you if you’re religious, and unless you inquire they don’t bother explaining any part of theirs. What I do get a lot of when meeting new people (especially in a social drinking environment) is them asking what my sign is. I suppose astrology is part of religion in some ways, whether you believe it to be quackery or not. I guess it only really gets to me when people find out what sign I am and then do the obligatory “That makes total sense!” shtick. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2009, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441/60 "2009-03-24T13:21:10Z")
> [@glee](#): > > From various reports, I assume the US is far more religious than most. > > Here in the UK, I have no problem being an atheist. > I teach at a school founded by an Archdeacon and have given a couple of sermons\*. > \*Belief and Faith: Aliens, the Loch Ness monster and God. You have forsaken the Yeti! Blasphemer!!!1!!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-becoming-socially-acceptable-to-say-you-are-not-religious/490441.md?page=4)