“None of the above”: non-religion in Flanders

UCSIA-Tertio study day

‘None’ is the sociological term, coined to describe people who are not affiliated with any religious denomination or identify with a life philosophy. The nones are an increasingly large group. Last January, PEW found that the nones, people without any religious affiliation, are with 28% now the largest denomination in the US. The amount of people that tick off ‘none’ in the ‘religion’ box on surveys has increased incredibly fast over the past fifteen years and has almost doubled recently. It is especially remarkable that the none-group is this large in the US, since the country has always been seen as the exception with regard to the secularization theory.

The none phenomenon has been studied in Europe mainly by sociologist Linda Woodhead. In the UK too, nones have surpassed the Christians as the largest denomination. Woodhead posits that ‘no religion’ is the new norm and that a silent religious exodus has taken place. In general, young people are mostly nones.

These figures, however, don’t tell us anything about the background of the nones. Who are they? Are they completely indifferent towards religious or philosophical issues? The answer is not unequivocal and scholars of religion have differing opinions.

Experts Peter Jonkers (Tilburg University) and Sofia Nikitaki (KU Leuven) analyse the nones and their convictions, while considering the consequences of this phenomenon for the place religion can take up in contemporary society. Do nones support the secularization theory or is there another evolution taking place?

Following the keynote lectures, author and teacher of non-confessional ethics Sander Herremans, inspector-advisor Hakim Marmouri (Centrum Islamonderwijs) and inspector-advisor Carolien Milis (Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussel and diocese of Ghent) discuss the challenges nones pose for the education of religion and non-confessional ethics in Flanders.

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