Research + News | Topic: Atheism

Studying Non-Belief: 6 Types of Non-Believers

Researchers from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga are taking a closer look at people who don’t identify with a religion (“nones”). From the researchers’ website: “In what we hope will become at least a modest crack in the monolithic ‘religious none’ category, we proudly present a very brief overview of our findings based on the diverse ‘types’ of non-belief that make up an important and growing sub-population of America today. A typology of six characteristics emerged within the data and is presented as follows.”

Read the full report here.

Listening to Young Atheists: Lessons for a Stronger Christianity

In an article for The Atlantic, Larry Alex Taunton, founder and executive director of the Fixed Point Foundation, reflects on his many conversations with young atheists. He writes, “That these students were, above all else, idealists who longed for authenticity, and having failed to find it in their churches, they settled for a non-belief that, while less grand in its promises, felt more genuine and attainable.” Taunton also lists seven key takeaways from his interviews with college student atheists:

They had attended church

The mission and message of their churches was vague

They felt their churches offered superficial answers to life’s difficult questions

They expressed their respect for those ministers who took the Bible seriously

Ages 14-17 were decisive

The decision to embrace unbelief was often an emotional one

The internet factored heavily into their conversion to atheism

Read the full article here.