# What percent of Jews, Protestants, Catholics do not believe in God? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 21, 2002, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159 "2002-05-21T19:49:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![berdollos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@berdollos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berdollos)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/1 "2002-05-21T19:49:36Z")
It seems like a strange observation, but I have noted that some observant Jews do not believe in God, but go through all the rituals and observances anyway - Why? Tradition, inertia, Jewish culture and identity, etc. I believe this applies to many Jews, let’s say 20% who are scientists, doctors and the like. Do you think the same holds true for Protestants or Catholics? I think that Catholics who no longer are believers drop out of observance, but am not so sure about Protestants. What are your thoughts or observations re Jews, Catholics and Protestants who do not believe in God? Include Hindus and Moslems, too, if you know someting about them. ---
**Author:** ![Journeyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/779978/32.png) [@Journeyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Journeyman)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/2 "2002-05-21T22:58:47Z")
I know a few “out of practice” Catholics who still think of themselves as Catholic, but I think protestantism is a little less of a tradition. I don’t know anyone who calls themselves a protestant denomination but doesn’t believe in God. My theory is that Catholicism and Judeism have a more substantial body of tradition, and certain things that members almost universally do. Protestantism doesn’t really, it tends to stress faith above else, and so lack of faith would seem to disqualify you. Note that I know next to nothing about Judeism, and only what I’ve picked up from Catholic friends about Catholicism. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/3 "2002-05-22T05:40:32Z")
I don’t believe in any of the teachings not do I attend mass, but I sort of consider myself Catholic. It comes in part from hearing people bash Catholics my whole life. I don’t think most people realize the strong anti-Catholic prejudice in Amercian society, which comes mostly from Protestants but also from non-religious liberal types. Being a member of a minority group that the majority distrusts strengthens your identification with that group. ---
**Author:** ![FriendRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/4 "2002-05-22T13:49:52Z")
Don’t know if this counts, but Unitarians are sometimes described as “People who believe in at most one God”. Quite a few are atheist. Can’t say exact percentages. Or whether they should be considered “Protestant”. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/5 "2002-05-22T14:19:33Z")
I don’t understand how someone who doesn’t believe in God can still be called a Catholic or Protestant. ---
**Author:** ![berdollos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@berdollos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berdollos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/6 "2002-05-22T14:30:50Z")
Catholic, Protestant or Jewish. Are they fooling themselves or what??? ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/7 "2002-05-22T15:22:35Z")
What I’m saying is that for me, Catholicism is more of a cultural rather than religious identification. Judaism is widely considered an ethnic (a combination of cultural and “racial”) identification. People rarely convert to these religions (especially in the case of Judaism). ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/8 "2002-05-22T16:29:48Z")
but if you don’t participate in the traditions of that culture, then how can you consider yoursefl part of htat culture? If you do participate in those traditions, then you’d have to believe in them, otherwise it’s empty and you are not really a part of it. (I’m speaking of the sacraments) ---
**Author:** ![berdollos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@berdollos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berdollos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/9 "2002-05-22T17:59:12Z")
and am befuddled by people who practice a religion without believing in God or in the tenets of the religion. It doesn’t make sense to me either. But they do it anyway! ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/10 "2002-05-22T18:45:13Z")
I grew up in the south, where Protestantism (especially Baptist, but also Methodist and Presbyterian and a handful of others) is omnipresent. It was my experience that there were a great many “Protestants” who did not believe in God, but they were not open about that, because it was socially unacceptable. I think that’s a different thing from what the OP intended, though. Can’t say as how I’ve ever known any atheists who preserved Protestant rituals and routines while being open about their atheism. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/11 "2002-05-22T18:57:38Z")
I consider myself a “cultural Jew.” I don’t believe in God, but still will celebrate Passover every year until I die. (In case it matters, by current religious affiliation is Unitarian Universalist). And I hate to nitpick, but: > [@](#): > > I believe this applies to many Jews, let’s say 20% who are scientists, doctors and the like. Um, there are many scientists and doctors who believe in God, and many non-academics who don’t. I would hesitate from pigeon-holeing scientists as non-believers. ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/12 "2002-05-22T19:07:08Z")
maybe it’s just semantics on my part then. I may consider myself to be a dog, but I’m not. I can even eat dog food and chase my tail but that still won’t make me a dog. I can go up and take holy communion at a Catholic Mass, even though I’m Protestant and don’t believe that it’s the actual blood/flesh of Christ. That won’t make me Catholic. But I’ll stop now, I know this isn’t great debates. I’m just offering the opinion that a catholic/protestant/buddhist, etc. can only be one if they practice and believe in the tenents of that faith. Jews are different because it’s both a race and a religion.You can be a Christian Jew, therefore you can be an athiest jew. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/13 "2002-05-22T20:09:55Z")
My guess is that the ranking is going to be something like 1. Jews 2. Catholics 3. Protestants merely for definitional reasons. A person born to a Jewish mother, no matter what he or she believes, is considered a Jew. Once someone is baptized Catholic, even if he or she later goes on to practice another religion or no religion at all, he or she is still considered Catholic. I don’t know of any Protestant groups where this is true. ---
**Author:** ![labboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@labboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labboy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/14 "2002-05-23T04:10:51Z")
To all outward appearances I am a Catholic. I have NO belief in God at all. You may continue. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/15 "2002-05-23T09:30:40Z")
Yikes, **Oblong** , there’s no such thing as race. Judaism is not a race. You can be raised with the traditions of a culture without having faith in the existence of a divine spirit who is the son of god, yadda yadda yadda. If you come from Latin American, Italian, Irish, etc. ancestry, then Catholicism is part of your cultutre. If you’re in a Catholic church, no one will reprimand you for taking communion, but you’re not meant to do it unless you’ve had First Communion. I don’t believe that it’s the blood and flesh of Christ, but I’m familar enough with the culture to know that it’s wrong for a Protestant to take communion. When a Protestant attends Catholic mass, she is supposed to sit in her seat, with all the others who have not received their First Communion. Maybe you’re Catholic and the others don’t know or maybe you’re showing the enthusiasm of a potential convert, but generally it’s a faux pas. I don’t think you are qualified to decide how a member of another religion should define its members. I cannot imagine another Catholic denying that I am a Catholic. Who are you to tell me otherwise? Protestantism is the only religion I have heard of which requires “faith” as a prerequisite for membership. ---
**Author:** ![berdollos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@berdollos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berdollos)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-jews-protestants-catholics-do-not-believe-in-god/110159/16 "2002-05-23T14:29:30Z")
I appreciate your answer. It does respond well to the original posting. Thanks for your insights.