University of Mississippi

SOC 101

Reading 32

“Rejecting God, Adopting Atheism” Jesse M. Smith

1)Smith claims that there is a growing number of Americans who claim “no religious affiliation” at all. He posits that one reason for this is that

1. 1. the fervor of the religious right has forced others to give up religions altogether.
   2. the political schisms between the religious right and the religious liberal have forced the latter group to disaffiliate from any type of religion.
   3. people have turned to religion, but then in these hard economic times found that this institution was no help to them.
   4. organized religion has turned people off because of the wars and conflicts that religion has caused.

2. In the United States, according to Smith, which of the following is true?

1. 1. Over 80% of the people claim a religious identity, over 90% believe in God, and about 2% call themselves atheists.
   2. Approximately 50 % of the people claim a religious identity, about the same amount believes in God, but atheism has grown to about 10% of the population.
   3. Almost all Americans claim a religious identity AND a belief in God, but just 2% call themselves atheists.
   4. People who claim a religious identity has dipped to an all-time low of 25%, yet 90% still believe in God, and about 10% claim to be atheists.

3. Among atheists,

1. 1. almost all grew up in households where atheist beliefs were held by their parents.
   2. though most of their parents would not call themselves atheists, they had no organized religion to which they belonged.
   3. despite their doubts in religion now, practically all grew up with some sort of religiosity in their home growing up.
   4. a large majority came from households that had fervent, even fanatical, religious beliefs that they then rejected as adults.

4. A the same time that the United States is experiencing a slight decrease in participation in organized religion,

1. 1. belief in God is waning even more.
   2. belief in God has really never wavered, with almost all Americans expressing the idea that God does exist.
   3. belief in God was at an all-time low during the 1960s, but has risen to its present heights of almost universal agreement that God exists.
   4. there is no correlation between organized religious participation and belief in God.

5. Among atheists, their questioning of religion usually began at what period in their lives?

1. 1. Not until they had children of their own, and had to explain why travesties in the world existed if there was a God.
   2. Not until they were elderly, when they had tested religious principles, but still found that they remained sick, in poverty, or experiencing negative aspects of living.
   3. During their college years, when the encountered new points of view that made them question what they had been told as children.
   4. Usually fairly young, no later than their teens, when going to houses of worship seemed meaningless and boring to them.

6. During the doubting stages of their lives, atheists were affected by which of the following?

1. 1. A death of a loved one which made them question the role of religion and God in their lives.
   2. A relationship with a member of the clergy that was questionable, at best, and made them wonder if these men and women of God acted to poorly how could religion be worth much.
   3. A close reading of the Bible and doubts that the stories told in the Book were true.
   4. Doubts in what the Bible said, but even more, they hypocrisy they saw in people who saw themselves as religious.

7. Generally speaking, among atheists, as their beliefs in religion and God waned,

1. 1. their belief in other supernatural beings increased to take its place.
   2. they turned to a variety of different religious beliefs before they gave up on religion altogether.
   3. a belief in scientific thinking and a rejection of anything supernatural increased.
   4. they were made to feel very guilty about their lack of belief but they did not feel it was necessary to hide it..

8. Smith compares telling others about their atheist identity to which of the following groups?

1. 1. Coming out as gay
   2. Telling parents about their first sexual encounters