Monday, September 13, 2004
Faith freelancers changing spiritual landscape of West
The number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation, labeled "nones" by scholars, has doubled in the past decade to an estimated 29 million.
But "none" does not translate to "no belief." Nationally, the study found only 7 percent of unaffiliated people are atheists or agnostics.
The vast majority of nones believe in God. They tend to hold moderate to liberal political views and are more likely to seek community by volunteering and joining advocacy groups than at church, experts say.
In their diverse spiritual expressions - from yoga and walks in the woods to sacred dance and crystal balls - nones are changing the American faith landscape and forcing religious institutions to take notice.
"Increasingly, people are saying they are either nondenominational or 'none,"' said C. Kirk Hadaway, director of research in the congregational development office of the Episcopal Church USA.
"Traditionally, people who said they were nothing never went to church. Nothing meant nothing. Now it means, 'I don't have a specific religious connection.' It doesn't mean people don't have any religious feelings. It doesn't even mean they don't go to church."
While nones are increasing in number, weekly church attendance has remained steady at around 40 percent of the population.
Religious growth in America is largely concentrated in two areas, experts say: theologically conservative religions such as evangelical Christianity, Mormonism and Islam, all of which place demands on believers and offer clear answers about doctrine and faith; and the nones, most of whom come from a religious background but have moved in other directions.
Renee Hurley fits the latter category. A 50-year-old former guidance counselor, Hurley was raised Catholic but now gains spiritual nourishment through yoga, which she said connects mind, body and spirit.
"Wherever you find God, wherever you find harmony is where I think I find myself," said Hurley, who built a yoga room in her Cherry Hills Village home. "Different religious beliefs, I think they're all valid. They're basically saying the same thing: That we believe in something, a higher power, whether you find that within yourself or out in the universe somewhere."
Mobile consumer roots
The new explosion in nones can be traced to an increasingly mobile society; a consumer culture that gives people choices about everything; and changing attitudes about what spirituality means, said Robert Fuller, a religious studies professor at Bradley University and author of "Spiritual But Not Religious: Understanding Unchurched America."
"People are more comfortable describing themselves (as nones)," Fuller said. "The social stigma of calling yourself a seeker is gone."
In the West, the trend is more pronounced because institutions aren't as entrenched, independence is valued and many people are transplants, said Mark Shibley, a sociology professor at Southern Oregon University who studies the trend.
"People move into places that are more open and pluralistic, so the opportunity exists to make choices, to leave things behind," Shibley said.
A growing number of Westerners finds spirituality in nature. Shibley, who has studied that trend, said nature spirituality is to Generation X and Gen-Y what New Age was to baby boomers.
Steve Torbit, a senior scientist for the National Wildlife Federation in Boulder, views his work to preserve wide-open spaces partly in spiritual terms.
"When you are away from that crush of humanity, you have to confront your fears and examine your beliefs in a very spiritual and personal way," he said.
"I find the whole experience really not only stress-relieving but also provocative. You question your own existence, the meaning of things."
Others find spirituality indoors, stacking books on their nightstands. In unchurched America, bookstores are considered the new synagogues.
"People don't need to go to a location once a week where other people can tell them to be spiritual," said Robert Blond, a ponytailed former lumber company manager who founded the enterprise in 1979. "They're finding it in themselves."
Not surprisingly, not everyone is happy about that. The spiritual-but-not-religious are knocked as being faddish, narcissistic and seeing no difference between personal growth and knowledge of God.
William Dean, a professor emeritus at Denver's Iliff School of Theology, said he understands how things like corporate and political scandals undermine institutions. But he also believes faith communities fill irreplaceable needs.
"I think people need other people to keep themselves religious or spiritually alive," Dean said. "They need connections with history, with great writings, like scriptures of various sorts, from Hebrew scriptures to Christian scriptures to the Koran. I think people's individual resources run pretty dry."
Indeed, finding ways to craft community is on the minds of many nones. Some make connections in classes and retreats with like-minded searchers. Others volunteer at soup kitchens or advocate for social causes, activities that have a spiritual meaning for them.
"People are looking for a more individualized path, but they don't want to be lonely seekers," said Elizabeth Lesser, author of "The Seeker's Guide: Making Your Life a Spiritual Adventure."
"They want to be in a community, in an oasis of spirituality. I'm sure that's how the original churches developed. They didn't start out as these huge organizations, but as a bunch of confused human beings trying to search together."
By Eric Gorski
Denver Post Staff Writer
Eric Gorski can be reached at 303-820-1698 or egorski@denverpost.com
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