Secularization and the Nonreligious

In the 20th century, many sociologists predicted that modernization would steadily reduce religion's importance, a theory known as secularization. Evidence is mixed. In Western Europe, Canada, Australia and East Asia, church attendance and religious identification have declined substantially, and in several countries the nonreligious ('nones') form a large share of the population.

Yet religion has grown or remained strong in much of Africa, Latin America, South Asia and the Middle East, and higher birth rates in religious communities affect global trends. Some scholars, including Peter Berger, who once championed secularization theory, later argued the world remained 'furiously religious'.

The nonreligious are themselves diverse: atheists deny that God exists, agnostics hold that the question cannot be known, and many 'nones' are simply unaffiliated while holding some spiritual beliefs. Understanding these trends helps explain debates over religion in schools, politics and public life.