Today, I continue the analysis of Latino secularism with an exploration of beliefs and behaviors. I focus on five beliefs: in God, in heaven, hell, the soul, and the personal importance of the Bible. The three behaviors I analyze are church attendance, frequency of prayer, and saying grace before meals. 

Religious Beliefs

Belief in God

A majority of secular Latinos say they believe in God or a universal spirit, with 69% affirming this belief. This figure rises to 79% among those who identify as "nothing in particular," but it remains significantly lower than the overall Latino population, where 89% believe in God. 

Although seven percent of Latinos identify as atheist or agnostic, the proportion of nonbelievers is 10%, including one-fifth (20%) of those who identify as nothing in particular. Overall, 30% of secular Latinos are nonbelievers, a rate three times higher than that of Latinos and 10 times higher than that of Latinos with a religious identity (three percent).

One interesting follow-up question to this belief in God inquiry was to ask people about the certainty of their belief in God. A majority (56%) of Latinos say they are absolutely certain that God exists, including two-thirds (67%) of religious Latinos. Only 28% of secular Latinos are absolutely certain of their belief in God, including 36% of Latinos with no religion in particular. 

Soul, Heaven, Hell, and the Bible

Most Latinos believe in a soul (88%), though there is a 17-point gap between religious (92%) and secular (75%) Latinos. Four in five (80%) secular Latinos with no particular religion and three-quarters (75%) of Latino agnostics believe in a soul. Even a substantial number of self-described atheists (41%) believe in a soul, which makes me think that the secular concept of a soul and the Christian one are probably not the same thing

Moving on to belief in heaven, 44% of secular Latinos believe in it, including a majority (53%) of those who identify as "nothing in particular." About one in ten atheists (11%) and one in five agnostics (20%) believe in heaven.  Comparatively, 74% of the overall Latino population expresses belief in heaven, while 85% of religious Latinos do. 

Even fewer secular Latinos believe in hell (36%), including fewer than one in ten atheists (7%) and agnostics (9%), and 45% of Latinos with no religion in particular. More than six in ten Latinos say they believe in hell, including nearly three-quarters of religious Latinos (73%). These are not numbers that suggest that the God of most secular Latinos is the one in the Bible.

Speaking of which, only one in five (20%) secular Latinos say they consider the Bible important. Secular Latinos with no religion in particular are twice as likely to say the Bible is not important (52%) as to say it is very or extremely important (26%). Latino atheists nearly universally say the Bible is not important (97%), while more than eight in ten (84%) agnostics also do not consider the Bible important. Overall, a slim majority of Latinos (51%) say the Bible is important personally to them, including 63% of religious Latinos. 

Behavior

The beliefs of secular Latinos may vary depending on the concept, but their behavior is fairly low across the board. More than eight in ten (81%) secular Latinos do not attend religious services. About eight in ten agnostics (82%) and secular Latinos with no religion in particular (79%) say they seldom or never go to religious services. Among Latino atheists, the share is 91%. Only 29% religious Latinos say they attend services seldom or never, while 43% of Latinos say they never or seldom attend services.

Six in ten (60%) secular Latinos pray seldom or never, including a slim majority of people with no religion in particular (51%), about eight in ten (79%) agnostics, and nearly all atheists (93%).

Moreover, this group of secular Latinos also engages less in prayer, with 60% stating they do not pray at all, including 51% of those who identify as "nothing in particular." Secular Latinos are nearly five times more likely to report NOT praying than religious Latinos; only 13% of the latter say they never or seldom pray. Over one in four (26%) Latinos say they seldom or never pray.

Saying grace before meals is even rarer among secular Latinos than regular prayer (is that what is called?). Nearly three-quarters (72%) report seldom or never saying grace, including almost two-thirds of Latinos with no religion in particular (65%), and more than nine in ten atheists (94%) and agnostics (92%).

Latino secular adults, even if they say they believe in concepts such as God, the soul, heaven, hell, or the Bible, do so at very low rates compared to religious Latinos (who are almost universally Christian). This suggests that they may not believe in these concepts in the same way that religious people do. Further evidence of this is that secular Latinos don’t tend to engage in behaviors that most religious Latinos do. As with the secular population overall, a large share of secular Latinos are likely practical atheists, people who don’t think or care about God or religion, but who don’t have an active secular identity.

On Bad Bunny

Like possibly all Puerto Ricans around the world, I was captivated by Bad Bunny's concert, which closed his Puerto Rico residency, streamed on Amazon Prime. It’s been four days since the event, and I can’t shake its impact. While I won't provide a musical critique, I want to write about the concert's cultural and political significance.

What resonated with me most was the powerful use of the Puerto Rican flag throughout the night. More importantly,  using the version featuring a light blue triangle. Those familiar with the "LA MuDANZA" music video would recognize this choice as a nod to Puerto Rican pro-independence activism. The flag was present on stage, projected on the roof, and held by many young Boricuas in the audience. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many light blue triangle flags outside of Grito de Lares commemorations (coincidentally, today is the 157th anniversary of the anti-colonial rebellion) or the Festival Claridad (organized by a leftist newspaper). I’ve certainly never seen them so prominent in a mainstream setting. 

And I should know. I've included a picture of a light blue flag that my father used to display on his car during rallies for the Puerto Rican Independence Party. He would hoist that flag attached to a flagpole on the front of our truck and lead caravans of pro-independence activists from my hometown of Bayamón (now world-famous birthplace of Benito “Bad Bunny” Martínez Ocasio) to wherever the group was going: political rallies in Lares on September 23, Guánica on July 25th (day the U.S. invaded Puerto Rico in 1898), or election-year rallies. I was gifted the flag, handmade by comrade Doña Elisa, by my dad in 2000 when I moved to the States. 

The experience was more than just the sight of flags; it was also uplifting to see so many young people proudly carrying and showcasing these symbols during the 3-hour-plus performance. Additionally, the concert’s visual presentation effectively translated themes from Bad Bunny’s album into breathtaking visuals. The contrasting rural and urban settings emerging from the two stages reflected the reality of living on the island. 

Keeping with the themes of DeBí TiRAR MáS FOToS, the concert featured not just reggaeton, but also salsa, danza, décimas, bomba y plena, all traditional Puerto Rican musical genres. Back in the 1990s, during my high school years, I quipped to my reggaetonero friends (then known as Underground) that it would be ironic if their kids ended up embracing traditional rhythms. It seems I inadvertently predicted a shift towards cultural revival, which Bad Bunny has brilliantly elevated in his work.

This concert wasn’t just a showcase of talent; it was a celebration of our shared history, especially poignant as it marked eight years since Hurricane Maria. The event honored the resilience of Puerto Ricans and paid tribute to those who were lost. Subtle themes of mourning and remembrance were woven throughout the evening. Still, one moment stood out: rapper Ñengo Flow (from Bayamón) donned a hand-painted Puerto Rico baseball jersey with the number 4645, representing the estimated deaths following Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Bad Bunny has leveraged his fame to shed light on the struggles faced by Puerto Ricans, revitalizing conversations around our identity and history. And the fact that this happened in the platform of a company founded by noted bottlicker Jeff Bezos is a chef’s kiss and shows how these people’s only allegiance is money. 

Zoom event coming up

There's still time to register for our event, Secular and Christian Latinos in Presidential Elections, on September 30:

Today, nearly three in ten Latinos identify as nonreligious, representing a significant and growing segment of the community. Despite their size and increasing influence, discussions around religion in the Latino community often overlook this group, instead highlighting the diminishing numbers of Catholic and evangelical populations.

This presentation will focus on the changing demographics, beliefs, and electoral impact of secular Latinos. We will discuss how secular Latinos are shaping Latino electoral behavior and attitudes on important social and cultural issues.