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The Importance Of Religion In Religion

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Introduction While religion plays a big role in the lives of many throughout the world, there are some people who are non-religious. In fact, a study conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (2015) reported that 23% of people claimed no religious affiliation in 2014. Those who are unaffiliated with any religious group often identify as an atheist, someone who does not believe in God, or as an agnostic, someone who is unsure if there is a God (Gallup 2014; Kosmin and Keysar 2009; Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life 2012; Hirsbrunner, Loeffler, & Rompf, 2012). Surveys show that most non-religious people do not start out this way; instead they choose to become non-religious as adults (Manning, 2013). The non-religious people who choose to reject the dominant beliefs and practices of their culture may sometimes face negative reactions from those around them, including those within their own families (Kalkan, Layman, & Uslaner, 2009; Zimmerman, Smith, Simonson, & Myers, 2015). Many atheists reported being ostracized, or having conflict, with their family members due to revealing their non-religious beliefs (Hunsberger & Altemeyer, 2006). A study conducted by Hammer, Cragun, Hwang, & Smith (2012, p.54) showed that out of 796 atheists surveyed: 25% were ignored, avoided, isolated, or rejected by family members due to their non-religious beliefs, 30% were asked by their family to pretend not to be an atheist, and 38% were told by their family to keep their atheism a secret. However, families who exhibited positive attributes in their relationships prior to their family member’s reveal were less likely to respond this way (Zimmerman, et al, 2015). Those who grew up in devout religious families reported greater levels of discrimination than those who were raised in less religious families (Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 1997). While being non-religious can be viewed as a transitional stage by some, many parents who are non-religious choose to remain so, and may also raise their children to be non-religious (Lim, C., MacGregor, & Putnam, 2010; Putnam & Campbell, 2010). Many non-religious parents begin to think how, or if, they want to incorporate religion into their children’s lives when their children are

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