By Scott Matkovich | 06/11/2025
Religious attitudes are undergoing a profound transformation – particularly in the U.S., where traditional forms of worship are steadily declining and personal expressions of spirituality are on the rise. Fewer people attend organized religious services, but many people still seek meaning through meditation, mindfulness, nature-based practices, or a personalized blend of beliefs drawn from various traditions.
Scholars and sociologists offer a range of explanations for this shift. Still, many scholars agree that religion has moved from being a collective understanding of reality to a deeply personal conviction. In an age dominated by rapid scientific advancement, digital connectivity, and a cultural emphasis on individualism, religion may seem increasingly out of step with modern life to some people.
However, the fundamental questions that religion seeks to answer remain as relevant as ever. In our changing society, one may rightly ask: Why study religion in the first place? What do we gain by studying religion today?
Religion: The Ancient vs. Modern Paradox
In the modern world, religion is associated with ancient traditions that may have personal significance. However, religion today is considered largely irrelevant, aside from the personal meaning adherents place on it.
In this way, religion is often viewed as a phenomenon of the past – a tradition at best and a mythology at worst. The huge advances in technology, science, and other secular institutions have further pushed the notion of religion to the periphery of our academic culture.
The Enduring Cultural Relevance of Religion
Given this grim diagnosis for religion, it remains a core feature of our modern life. For example, parents still opt to raise their children by teaching them religious principles.
Some parents see it as a rebuke to secularized morality and want their children to adopt more traditional values. Religious practices like weddings, funerals, and baptisms are deeply valued by our society.
Also, religion is still alive in our governmental agencies and political classes. Many courthouses still display the 10 Commandments or feature Bible verses on their buildings. In addition, religion continues to be the driving force behind humanitarian actions taken by both government and non-profit organizations.
An overwhelming majority of the world’s population still maintains a religious affiliation and identity. Events like religious holidays, rituals, and celebrations like Christmas are rooted in religious history. Though religion is often viewed as outdated by modern society, it still garners significant attention within the social sciences.
In one sense, we have a world that is flooded with information and answers that we can verify through technology and science. Regardless of vast amounts of data and technology advancements, people are still interested in understanding religion and religious solutions to modern problems.
Religious Faith and Personal Spirituality: The Rise of the ‘Nones’
Pronounced “nuns,” researchers have recently noted a steep incline in the numbers of people who say “none” when asked about their religious affiliation. The Pew Research Center highlights that in the 1990s, about 5-8% of Americans identified this way. Now, the number of people who are religious “Nones” has grown to 28%.
You might think that identifying with this group would mean that our culture is becoming more atheistic and secular. However, it seems that many in this “Nones” category have migrated there from atheism, not toward it.
The Nones often express a belief in a higher power, karma, or the idea that nature and art reflect a type of spirituality. You may hear them say something like, “I’m not religious; I’m spiritual.” They often remain vague on what “spiritual” means as well as if it’s objectively real or just “real” for them.”
The rise of the Nones suggests that people have looked at both secular culture and religious traditions and didn’t find the answers they need for personal meaning, ethics, or even social connections. They cite a disillusionment with any particular traditions because of perceived hypocrisy, corruption, and scandals within religious communities. They also tend to rely on more progressive social values that organized religions have traditionally condemned, such as LGBTQ rights, reproductive freedoms, and environmentalism.
A Middle Path Between Religion and Atheism
On the flip side, the Nones have also reported that atheism is too rigidly against religion and carries a tone of arrogance and dogmatism. Atheists are perceived by this group as being too confrontational and close-minded about alternative explanations of the world and all human experience.
The rigidity of atheism has alienated the Nones who would rather keep an open mind and discover religious experience. They prefer a synthesis of all information rather than a dogmatic denunciation of everything except one particular viewpoint.
The result is that Nones value a combination of multiple religious ideas. They may combine various religious commitments like Buddhist meditation practices, Christian ethics, astrology, and wisdom.
For Nones, a hybrid approach feels more authentic and relevant while being subjective. Apparent contradictions of worldviews are not seen as problematic, because Nones are happy to just live with the questions rather than trying to provide firm answers to them.
The Limits of New Atheism
As a religious person myself, I find the rise of the Nones to be fascinating. Going back to the early 2000s, it was clear that evangelical Christianity was fading in America.
In its place arose the so-called New Atheism. Led chiefly by biologist Richard Dawkins, the goal was twofold:
- To academically reject the belief in God
- To demonstrate how poisonous religious traditions are for human existence
In his 2006 book, The God Delusion, he writes, “I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world.”
In spite of increasing scientific knowledge, New Atheism has not succeeded. People today feel the same burden as all cultures felt throughout human history – to find the divine, even if through non-traditional categories and cultural differences.
If we can derive any basic conclusions of our modern view of religion, it’s that religion is far from being detached and ancient. In fact, you could argue that the study of religion today is more pertinent than ever.
A Return to Liberal Education
Religious philosophers have noted that since the rise of Naturalism at the turn of the last century, we’ve had a “meaning” problem. Science and the physical world can tell us what is, but not what should be.
For the last 150 years, there has been an attempt to reduce all of reality down to the material universe. When asked, “How should we live?” science offers no suggestions other than to simply dismiss it as a meaningless question.
But that didn’t last long. Ultimately, human beings still required an answer to the basic questions of life and found that secularism failed to provide them.
Questions about life's meaning, value, and purpose are the most important questions because they sit at the center of human society. Until recently, most of Western civilization acknowledged those questions as being central.
In fact, most of the East Coast Ivy League schools at the time included a theology department as part of their liberal arts programs. Theology was seen then the way we view science today – as a field of knowledge where academic study yielded truths about reality.
Since then, we’ve tried to replace religious truths with secular philosophy. Worldviews like nihilism, existentialism, and postmodernism either tried to avoid or deny questions about meaning. In the case of postmodernism, it simply asserts that society gives us our value and rights.
These philosophies come and go like academic fads, but the timeless religious views remain. The fact is that no secular philosophy has had the lasting impact of the five major world religions.
Trends in religious life and affiliation are quite complex worldwide, with decreasing numbers in wealthier countries. Europe, America, and parts of East Asia are becoming less religious while developing areas like the sub-Saharan region, Latin America, and parts of Asia are seeing an increase in religious affiliation.
Given that the new atheist movement has failed and the rise of the Nones, it’s clear that many people in America have lost their trust in organized religious institutions. However, they still seek religious answers and their own perspective on fundamental questions.
Why Should Today's Students Study Religion?
Traditionally, personal adherence and curiosity were the main reasons why you might decide to study religion. However, today’s academic and professional culture has shifted significantly and emphasizes business, science, and technology fields. So, why do students decide to study religion?
Cultural Fluency
Religious attitudes are quickly shifting worldwide. Because religious beliefs are often a part of one’s core commitments and are central to human life, studying religion is a great way to study cultures.
For example, we would be hard-pressed to give a full explanation of the Middle East without understanding Islam. Similarly, it would be difficult to explain America without understanding Christianity or India without understanding Hinduism.
Social Work and Political Science
Working in any capacity with a religious culture requires a broad knowledge of the religious dynamics of that culture. Social work in particular aims to navigate and improve quality of people's existence. Issues like poverty, discrimination, addiction, and mental health in these communities are best addressed by knowing and understanding the importance of their religious convictions.
In political science, knowing how religions affect people and their behavior can be equally useful. For instance, sharia laws, derived from Quran and Sunnah religious texts, impact many countries. A better understanding of how religions in other countries affect international relations is useful in peacekeeping efforts.
Counseling
At their core, religions all address how human beings should live – providing a diagnosis of the human condition and then a unique cure to that diagnosis. For religious people seeking counseling, it is important to include discussions about faith and personal convictions. You could even argue that secular psychology aims to help individual functions, while spiritual counseling is aimed at helping people flourish.
Philosophy and Critical Thinking
Anytime we begin asking the big questions of life, both philosophy and religion come into focus very quickly. Certain questions fall under the umbrella of religion and critical thinking, such as:
- “Does God exist?”
- “Is morality objective or subjective?”
- “What is the point of human suffering?”
- “Is there life after death?”
Recently, the emerging field of philosophical theology has gained a lot of attention. In this field, philosophers approach religious issues like why evil exists, the nature of God, and the origin of consciousness.
The skills and knowledge acquired from the study of religion can be applied to nearly any field of work, ranging from teaching to hospital administration to peacekeeping efforts in war-torn countries. To study religion is a master class in understanding the diverse points of view in a global society. As the world grows more and more interdependent, the need to have leaders who can address multiple cultures with religious knowledge and sensitivity will only increase.
The Bachelor’s Degree in Religion at APU
For adult students who are interested in studying different types of religions around the world, religious traditions, and similar topics, American Public University (APU) offers an online bachelor’s degree in religion. Courses offered in this degree program enable students to choose from a variety of topics through courses in:
- Race and religion
- Islam
- East Asian Religions
- South Asian Religions
- God and World
- Christianity
- New religious movements and cults
- Myth and ritual
- Hope and resilience
- Religious existentialism
The courses in this degree program are taught by experienced faculty members. They also encourage the development of critical thinking skills, as well as research, analysis, and writing skills.
For more information about this degree, visit APU’s arts, humanities, and education degree program page.