Last week, Hemant Mehta, the Friendly Atheist, wrote about a new Pew report of a survey of nonreligious people internationally.  He was despairing as the secular (aka “the nones”) still hold many beliefs that could be considered religious. However, I ask my friend and others who are reading the data in the same way, not to despair. Let’s take a look.

The 2024 Pew Religious Landscape Survey asked respondents about belief in four supernatural concepts: God, heaven, hell, and a soul. They also asked a more explicitly Christian question about the importance of the Bible in people’s lives. 

Belief in God

This is the most common belief of all. More than eight in ten(83%)  US adults and nearly all (97%) Christians believe in God. Among the secular, a slight majority (54%) say they believe in God. Only 8% of atheists claim to believe in God, 44% of agnostics express some belief in God. Among those who identify as having no particular identity, 69% also believe in God, though this is significantly lower than the 83% of the general population who believe in God and the nearly-unanimous views of Christians on this question. The media is quick to caveat that not all “nones” are atheists, but a substantial portion are. As I mentioned in the  March 12 newsletter, the share of nonbelievers among the secular doubled from 22% to 45% between 2007 and 2024. Even among those who say their religion is “nothing in particular,” belief has gone down from about eight in ten in 2007 to about seven in ten today. 

Belief in Heaven and Hell

I take these two together because they are partners in eternity, either in bliss or condemnation. 

Belief in heaven (67%) is higher than belief in hell (55%). Even among Christians, this disparity exists with a 13-point gap between those believing in heaven (85%) and in hell (72%). 

Among secular folk, about one-third (34%) believe in heaven, and one-quarter (25%) in hell. 

Atheists are the most consistent, with five percent believing in heaven and four percent believing in hell. Twice as many agnostics believe in heaven (17%) as in hell (eight percent). Nearly half of people with no religion in particular (47%) believe in heaven, and over one-third (35%) in hell. 

Belief in a Soul

I take this one separately because the secular, especially those with no religion in particular, are outliers in this regard. Among the adult population and among Christians, belief in God and in a soul are related: 86% of adults believe in a soul and 83% in God; 95% of Christians believe in a soul and 97% in God. 

The secular, of any type, are more likely to believe in a soul than in God. This includes atheists (33% vs. 7%), agnostics (67% vs. 43%), and those whose religion is nothing in particular (79% vs. 69%). 

This suggests that while the questions are worded in a Christian-centric language, Christians and secular people do not use them in the same way. The concept of “soul” that secular people have is likely more symbolic or esoteric than the more literal sense of the word that Christians are presumably using. 

I think the same is happening with the concept of God, heaven, and hell. Those who are not religious conceptualize these ideas differently from Christians. God, for a secular person, is not some active bearded heaven-dweller dude that Christians imagine, but something more abstract, closer to The Force than to Yahweh. 

As for heaven and hell, the questions are more specific about eternal reward or punishment. But that doesn’t mean that secular people and Christians think of eternal punishment and reward in the same way. What if, for secular people, heaven and hell are about being remembered, the place is memory. Hitler is in hell, as he has become a shorthand for evil, while Gandhi is in heaven, remembered for his good deeds. Not literally hanging out with Jesus or being the main dish in Satan’s perpetual cookout. 

The Bible and Behaviors

I added a question about the Bible, because it is the most explicitly Christian belief or behavior in the battery of questions. It is clear that the secular, whether they are atheists, agnostics, or just have no religion, are not Christians. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Christians say the Bible is extremely or very important in their lives. Almost no atheists or agnostics say that, and just 15% of people with no particular religion say the Bible is very important to them. 

Moreover, the secular do not practice religion. In this case, I’m just reciting the numbers of those who say they have no religion in particular:

• 17% pray daily (61% seldom or never)
• 12% say grace before meals always or often (75% seldom or never)
• 3% attend services weekly (85% attend seldom or never)

These are not the behaviors of people who are borderline religious; these are the behaviors of people who are “apatheists.” They are not living or thinking religion, and they will give you an answer to those belief questions, but they are probably not thinking about these concepts in the same way that the people writing the questions are. If actions matter more than words, those with no religion in particular are closer in the religious-secular spectrum to us, the secular, than the religious. 

Question wording:

• God: “Do you believe in God or a universal spirit?”
• Heaven: “Do you think there is a heaven where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded?”
• Hell: “Do you think there is a hell where people who have led bad lives and die without being sorry are eternally punished?”
• Soul: “Do you believe people have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body?”
• Bible: “How important is the Bible in your life?”

The Boundaries of Secularity Series

1. The Boundaries of Secularity (March 1st, 2023)
2. The Boundaries of Secularity II (March 17, 2023)
3. The Boundaries of Secularity III (March 24, 2023)
4. The Boundaries of Secularism, Who’s In? Who’s Out? (Free Inquiry, Nov. 2023)

Secular Voter Profiles

Earlier this week, I sent a newsletter with the profiles of secular voters in New Jersey and Virginia, which I wrote for The Secular Vote. For some reason, I wrote that it was New York’s mayoral election, which, of course, it wasn’t. But you can still read those, just click on the links.