America’s nonreligious are a growing, diverse phenomenon. They really don’t like organized religion

[phkrause]

Mike Dulak grew up Catholic in Southern California, but by his teen years, he began skipping Mass and driving straight to the shore to play guitar, watch the waves and enjoy the beauty of the morning. “And it felt more spiritual than any time I set foot in a church,” he recalled.

https://apnews.com/article/nonreligious-united-states-nones-spirituality-humanist-91bb8430280c88fd88530a7ad64b03f8?

[phkrause]

The number of people unaffiliated with any organized religion is growing globally For centuries, a handful of major religions have collectively been dominant forces across the world, with huge influence on the politics and daily life of virtually every nation. Religion still holds incomparable sway, but in many countries there has been a dramatic increase in the “nones,” people who are nonbelievers or — while considering themselves spiritual — do not identify with any organized religion. Read more.

Why this matters: While the nones’ vast diversity splinters them into myriad subgroups, most of them in the United States have this in common: They. Really. Don’t. Like. Organized. Religion.   In Latin America, although Catholicism remains the dominant religion, the church's influence has waned following clergy abuse scandals and the church’s stances against abortion and LGBTQ rights. And in places like the Middle East and Africa, many nones negotiate their existence by pretending to fast and pray, making it hard to find reliable estimates of the number of nones in the largely religious region.