The secular movement refers to a social and political trend in the United States,[1] beginning in the early years of the 20th century, with the founding of the American Association for the Advancement of Atheism in 1925 and the American Humanist Association in 1941, in which atheists, agnostics, secular humanists, freethinkers, and other nonreligious and nontheistic Americans have grown in both numbers and visibility.[2] There has been a sharp increase in the number of Americans who identify as religiously unaffiliated, from under 10 percent in the 1990s to 20 percent in 2013.[3] The trend is especially pronounced among young people, with about one in three Americans younger than 30 identifying as religiously unaffiliated, a figure that has nearly tripled since the 1990s.[3][4]
The secular movement in the United States believes a secular government is essential to religious freedom. It is generally opposed to religious overreach, including the Christian right, and promotes liberal positions on social issues such as gay rights, reproductive rights, and separation of church and state.[5][6]
- ^ "Secular movement". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2015-04-14.
- ^ "Secular Movement". The Association of Religious Data Archives.
- ^ a b ""Nones" on the Rise". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 9 October 2012.
- ^ "Trends in the Religious Unaffiliated, the "Nones," by Age". Black, White and Gray. 7 March 2013.
- ^ Paul Bedard (9 October 2012). "Majority of atheists are liberal". Washington Examiner.
- ^ "Social and Political Views of the Unaffiliated". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 9 October 2012.