Australian Journal of Law and Religion Collaboration: Rise of the Nones
January 2024
Treachery Beach, Australia by Chris Prior (CC BY-SA 4.0).
The Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University and Canopy Forum, in collaboration with the Australian Journal of Law and Religion, are publishing a set of essays that address the impact of the growing number of “nones”–individuals who do not identify with any particular religion–on law, politics, religion, and society. Essays will be available online at Canopy Forum and can also be downloaded and read in the latest volume of the AJLR (Volume 5) in the Special Topics section.
The number of individuals who do not identify with any religion has been growing rapidly for the past decade. The latest research shows that one fifth of Americans identify with this group, almost one third in Australia, and similar numbers can be found across Europe. The “Nones” are not are not a uniform group by any means, and they do not all share the same opinions and beliefs concerning religion. Some are anti-religious, others somewhat spiritual, and still others believe in a greater deity, but have some level of distrust toward organized religion.
The growing phenomenon of individuals who do not identify with any religion indicates greater cultural shifts and changes in how religion is perceived globally. Changing perceptions of religion can, in turn, have impact on how religion is seen to relate to law, the state, and the social order. Essays explore topics such as:
- the “Rise of the Nones” from specific national or regional perspectives
- the rise of this group has impacted other religious groups or the religious landscape of a particular area (i.e the declining membership of Mainline Protestants in the United States or of the Catholic Church in Italy)
- the relationship between the “Nones” and politics (i.e., the increased politicization of religion and how/if it impacts Nones and their views on religion)
- the relationship between the Nones and the state, (i.e. the impact on laws concerning religious freedom, protection, speech, or opinions concerning religious establishment or influence on policy)
“A Brief Rejoinder to Movsesian on “The New Thoreaus”“
Jeremy Patrick is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland and a founding co-editor of the Australian Journal of Law and Religion.
“The 2021 Australian “Mark ‘No Religion’” Campaign“
Rhys Gower is a sociologist and postdoctoral researcher at Western Sydney University. His research focuses on the sociology of religion, the sociology of irreligion, as well as risk theory.
Adam Possamai FASSA is a Professor in Sociology at Western Sydney University. His latest monograph is ‘Religion and Change in Australia’ (with David Tittensor, Routledge, 2022).
“The Push Away From Religion and the Pull Toward Secularity: The Rise of the Nones in the US“
Ryan T. Cragun is professor of empirical sociology at The University of Tampa. His research focuses on the nonreligious and Mormonism and has been published in various scholarly journals. He is also the author of several books.
Jesse M. Smith is associate professor of sociology at Western Michigan University. His research focuses on secularity and social deviance, and he has published in a variety of scholarly journals and co-edited a book. Email: jesse.smith@wmich.edu
“Querying “No Religion”: State, Society and Spirituality in Australia”
Dr Anna Halafoff is Associate Professor of Sociology at Deakin University and the Coordinator of the Spirituality and Wellbeing (SWell) Research Network. She is co-author of Freedoms, Faiths and Futures: Teenage Australians on Religion, Sexuality and Diversity (Bloomsbury 2021) and co-editor of Religious Diversity in Australia: Living Well with Difference (Bloomsbury 2024).
Dr. Elenie Poulos GAICD is an Adjunct Fellow in Politics and International Relations at Macquarie University and a past Visiting Fellow at Harris Manchester College at the University of Oxford. Her research on religion and politics is interdisciplinary, drawing from politics, sociology of religion, linguistics, discourse studies and critical studies in religion.
Andrew Singleton, PhD, is Professor of Sociology and Social Research at Deakin University, specialising in qualitative and quantitative approaches. His research spans youth religion, personal belief, and alternative religions
